Journal of Strategic Human Resource Management

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Factors Affecting Employee Retention in Ethiopian Public Organizations


Affiliations
1 School of Commerce, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Employee retention is the process in which employers take steps to prevent the job switching of their key talents. This paper examines the total effect of co-worker relationship, work environment, remuneration job satisfaction, and organizational commitment on employee retention using data from 297 employees holding a position of professional science (PS) from headquarters of public ministerial offices in Ethiopia. The study is quantitative in its approach and explanatory in its design. The analyses of the descriptive statistics revealed that the respondents expressed their satisfaction on their co-worker relationships, working environment, and their jobs. They also expressed average level organizational commitment. However, they expressed dissatisfaction on the remuneration practice of their respective organizations. The correlation analysis results have shown that co-worker relationship, work environment, remuneration, and job satisfaction have weak but positive relationships with employee retention. In other respect, organizational commitment has positive moderate relationship with employee retention. The explanatory power of employee retention factors as shown by adjusted R square is (R =.278), indicating that 27.8% of the variation in employee’s retention is explained by factors that are considered as influencing factors for present study. From the analyses of the study, it can be concluded that factors that are considered in the present study explain significantly employee retention. Hence, organizations need to pay attention to those influencing factors to retain their key talents. Given the limited number of studies on this topic in the context of Ethiopia, this study may be a herald for a much rigorous study.

Keywords

Employee Retention, Ethiopia, Public Organizations.
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Allen, D. G., Bryant, P. C., & Vardaman, J. M. (2010). Retaining talent: Replacing misconceptions with evidencebased strategies. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 24(2), 48-64.

  • Ayalew, F., Kols, A., Kim, Y. M., Schuster, A., Emerson, M. R., Roosmalen Jv, Stekelenburg, J., Woldemariam, D., & Gibson, H. (2015). Factors affecting turnover intention among nurses in Ethiopia. World Health Popul., 16(2), 62-74.

  • Barling, J., & Cooper, C. L. (2008). Organizational behavior: Micro perspective (Vol. 1). Sage Publication.

  • Benson, J., & Brown, M. (2007). Knowledge workers: What keeps them Committed: What turns them away. Sage Journals, 21(1), 121-141.

  • Bidisha, L. D., & Baruah, M. (2013). Employee retention: A review of literature Journal of Business and Management, 14(2) (Nov. - Dec. 2013), 8-16.

  • Bogdanowicz, M. S., & Bailey, E. K. (2002). The value of knowledge and the values of the new knowledge worker: Generation X in the new economy. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26(2/3/4), 125-129.

  • Brown, L. K., Schultz, J. R., Forsberg, A. D., King, G., Kocik, S. M., & Butler, R. B. (2002). Predictors of retention among HIV/haemophilia health care professionals. General Hospital Psychiatry, 24(1), 48-54.

  • Cappelli, P. (2001). Making the most of on-line recruiting. Harvard Business Review, 79, 139-146.

  • Cardy, R. L., & Lengnick-Hall, M. L. (2011). Will they stay or will they go? Exploring a customer-oriented approach to employee retention. Journal of Business and Psychology, 26(2), 213-217.

  • Carsten, J. M., & Spector, P. E. (1987). Unemployment, job satisfaction, and employee turnover: A meta-analytic test of the Muchinsky model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 72(3), 374-381.

  • Central Statistics Agency (Ethiopia). Population Projection. 2013.

  • Chiboiwa, M. W., Samuel, M. O., & Chipunza, C. (2010). An Examination of Employee Retention Strategy in a Private organization in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Business Management, 4(10), 2103-2109.

  • Devi, V. R. (2009). Employee engagement is a two-way street. Human Resource Management International Digest, 17(2), 3-4.

  • Federal Democratic Republic Constitution. 1995.

  • Freyermuth. (2007). Retaining Employees in a Tightening Labor Market, Retrieved from www.cfo.com

  • George, C. (2015). Retaining professional workers: What makes them stay? Employee Relations, 37(1), 102-121.

  • Griffin, R. W., & Bateman, T. S. (1986). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 157-188.

  • Harrington, C., Kovner, C., Mezey, M., Kayser-Jones J., Burger, S., Mohler, M., Burke, R., & Zimmerman, D. (2000). Experts recommend minimum nurse staffing standards for nursing facilities in the United States. Gerontologist, 40(1), 5-16.

  • Tlaiss, H. A., Martin, P., & Hofaidhllaoui, M. (2017). Talent retention: Evidence from a multinational firm in France. Employee Relations, 39(4), 426-445. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-07-2016-0130.

  • Heneman, H. G., & Judge, T. A. (2003). Staffing organization (4th ed.). Boston McGraw-Hill, Irwin.

  • Horwitz, F. M., Heng, C. T., & Quazi, H. A. (2003). Finders, keepers? Attracting, motivating and retaining knowledge workers. Human Resource Management Journal, 13(4), 23-44.

  • Hughes, C. J., & Rog, E. (2008). Talent management: A strategy for improving employee recruitment, retention and engagement within hospitality organizations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Managemen, 20(7), 743-757.

  • Ibrahim, I. Y., Kassa, R. N., & Gemechu, G. T. (2017). Academic Staff Turnover Intention in Madda Walabu University Bale Zone, South-east Ethiopia. International Journal of Higher Education, 6(3).

  • Jasper, M. (2007). The significance of the working environment to nurses’ job satisfaction and retention. Journal of Nursing Management, 15(3), 245-247.

  • Johnson, M. (2000). Winning the People War, Talent and the Battle for Human Capital. London: Copyright Licensing Agency.

  • Kaye, B., & Jordan-Evans, S. (2002). Retention in tough times: Here’s what 25 global talent leaders say about keeping good people-especially now. Talent Development, 56(1), 32-37.

  • Kinnear, L., & Sutherland, M. (2001). Money is fine, but what is the bottom- line?. J. S. A. Inst. P. Manage, 19(1), 15-18.

  • Kooker, B. M., Shoultz, J., & Codier, E. E. (2007). Identifying emotional intelligence in professional nursing practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 23(1), 30-36.

  • Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques (2nd ed.). New Delhi: New Age International Publishers.

  • Loan, C. J., Arnold, J., Coombs, C., Hartley, R., & Bosley, S. (2010). Retention, turnover and return - A longitudinal study of allied health professionals in Britain. Human Resource Management Journal, 20(4), 391-406.

  • Maertz, C. P., & Griffeth, R. W (2004). Eight motivational forces & voluntary turnover: A theoretical synthesis with implications for research. J. Manage., 30(5), 667-683.

  • Miller, N., Erickson. A., & Yust, B. (2001). Sense of place in the workplace: The relationship between personal objects and job satisfaction and motivation. Journal of Interior Design, 27(1), 35-44.

  • Ministry of Public Sector and Human Resource Development: National Public Sector Human Resource Statistics. 2008/18.

  • Mowday, R. T., Porter, L. W., & Steers, R. M. (1982). Employee-organizational linkages: The psychology of commitment, absenteeism, and turnover. Organizational and Occupational Psychology (p. 219-229.).

  • Ng, T. W., & Sorensen, K. L. (2008). Toward a further understanding of the relationships between perceptions of support and work attitudes: A meta-analysis. Group and Organization Management, 33(3), 243-268.

  • Parker, O., & Wright, L. (2001). Pay and employee commitment: The missing link. Ivey Business Journal, 65(3), 70-79.

  • Pitts, D., Marvel, J., & Fernandez, S. (2011). So hard to say goodbye? Turnover intention among US federal employees. Public Administration Review, 71(5), 751-760.

  • Porter, L. W. Steers, R. M., Mowday, R. T., & Boulian, P. V. (1974). Organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover among psychiatric technicians. Journal of Applied Psychology, 59(5), 603-609.

  • Reitz, O., & Anderson, M. A. (2011. An overview of job embeddedness. Journal of Professional Nursing, 27(5), 320-327.

  • Sekaran, U. (2003). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

  • Steel, R. P., Griffeth, R. W., & Hom, P. W. (2002). Practical retention policy for the practical manager. The Academy of Management Executive, 16(2), 149-162.

  • Wells, M., & Thelen, L. (2002). What does your workplace say about you? The Influence of personality status and workplace on personalization. Journal of Environmental and Behaviour Sciences, 34(3), 300-321.

  • Willis, C. (2000). Go for your goals. Working woman, pp. 6-7.


Abstract Views: 651

PDF Views: 0




  • Factors Affecting Employee Retention in Ethiopian Public Organizations

Abstract Views: 651  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Worku Mekonnen Tadesse
School of Commerce, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Abstract


Employee retention is the process in which employers take steps to prevent the job switching of their key talents. This paper examines the total effect of co-worker relationship, work environment, remuneration job satisfaction, and organizational commitment on employee retention using data from 297 employees holding a position of professional science (PS) from headquarters of public ministerial offices in Ethiopia. The study is quantitative in its approach and explanatory in its design. The analyses of the descriptive statistics revealed that the respondents expressed their satisfaction on their co-worker relationships, working environment, and their jobs. They also expressed average level organizational commitment. However, they expressed dissatisfaction on the remuneration practice of their respective organizations. The correlation analysis results have shown that co-worker relationship, work environment, remuneration, and job satisfaction have weak but positive relationships with employee retention. In other respect, organizational commitment has positive moderate relationship with employee retention. The explanatory power of employee retention factors as shown by adjusted R square is (R =.278), indicating that 27.8% of the variation in employee’s retention is explained by factors that are considered as influencing factors for present study. From the analyses of the study, it can be concluded that factors that are considered in the present study explain significantly employee retention. Hence, organizations need to pay attention to those influencing factors to retain their key talents. Given the limited number of studies on this topic in the context of Ethiopia, this study may be a herald for a much rigorous study.

Keywords


Employee Retention, Ethiopia, Public Organizations.

References