M. Tech. Human resources Management / The retention of employees is very important for many organisations to survive and prosper in today's economy. While organisations invest in the training and development of their employees, return on investment cannot be guaranteed, as skilled employees continue to be lost to competitors. The need for a competitive advantage necessitates the development of employees and retaining them. The study examined the retention dynamics of bursary holders at the Department of Labour. The study's objective was to investigate bursary holders' intention to leave, and their reasons for considering leaving the Department of Labour, while testing whether these factors differ according to demographic variables, including gender, age, region, number of years at the Department of Labour, qualifications and level of position, thereby conducting an analysis of employee retention needs.

South Africa experiences a steady loss of skilled workers, which compromises the provision of healthcare in the country. This study has explored and will outline the main factors that influence the decision of South African healthcare professionals to either remain with or leave their organisations. As migration involves both internal and external movement, the public sector is frequently overburdened as healthcare workers additionally tend to prefer working in the private sector with its offers of better financial incentives and better working conditions. That said, it has become apparent that it is not only financial factors but many other non-financial factors that play a role in employee turnover. From the literature explored for this paper, five main factors were identified and discussed for different groups of healthcare professionals. This study used a qualitative research approach by means of a content analysis, whereby data from secondary sources were reviewed. This study disregarded studies done in other countries and focused only on the South African healthcare sector. Push and pull factors were established and, during this process, HIV/AIDS, crime and human resources were identified as possible push factors that contribute to the movement of South Africa’s healthcare workers. Since the five main retention factors identified for the purpose of this research paper all fall under human resources, the study proposes a retention strategy that involves the revision of the employee value proposition for different healthcare groups, as their demands are not uniform. Financial as well as non-financial factors have been taken into account for the various employee value proposition frameworks. These factors must be dealt with congruently if retention and turnover strategies are to be successful. Factors that push healthcare workers from the public.

M.Com. (Leadership in Performance and Change) / This research focuses on the factors affecting retention of employees in a global markets division of an investment bank comprising 500 employees. The research is quantitative in nature. Five factors are discussed and used as basis to see which factors contribute the most to retention of employees. These factors are remuneration, the job, the profile of the organisation, organisational processes and leadership style. Sub-factors relating to these factors were identified and discussed by way of a literature review. A questionnaire was compiled based on the five factors and the sub-factors in relation to the retention of employees. A statistical analysis was done using factor analysis, reliability analysis (Cronbach alpha) and descriptive statistics. From the results it can be concluded that employees are satisfied with the physical work environment, the company’s employer brand in the market and the opportunity to learn new skills and develop themselves for further advancement. Employees also feel confident about the leadership team; are satisfied that their co-workers share their expertise and there is teamwork. The one area about which employees differ, is related to remuneration. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that the employer use its positive employer brand more aggressively to retain employees since overall most employees seem to be happy with the current employment practices

There is an overwhelming body of literature that exist in the subject of employee engagement. More and more studies are still conducted in this phenomenon as it had proved to produce high returns for organisations when mastered.The universal definition of this concept has not been found, various scholars continue to provide different views on how it should be defined. These definitions however bear common themes such as energy, taking initiative, going an extra mile, being grossly involved in the task, organisational citizenship, involvement, satisfaction, connection and enthusiasm which are caused by a feeling of being taken care of by the employer. It is clear from these that there is a reciprocal relationship between employer and employee which is claimed to have a link to profits and staff retention; as a result employers are increasingly devising strategies to engage the employees in order to reap the said benefits. The purpose of this study is to facilitate employee engagement and staff retention a motor manufacturing company in the Eastern Cape. In order to archive that the study assessed the level of engagement of artisans by means of a questionnaire focusing on factors such as meaningful work, organisational culture, social relationships, rewards and recognition and career development as these are repeatedly identified in the literature as key drivers of employee engagement. An imperial study was done on these drivers as well as on the existing company engagement programs to identify the employee’s perception of their effectiveness. The result of the study proves that artisans of this company are engaged and that all the drivers above were confirmed to have influence employee engagement and staff retention. The study however the study found that there is a split on the effectiveness of the existing engagement programs in the company with only less than 50% saying they were effective. A strong relationship was found to exist between all the factors that were studied and employee engagement and staff retention.

The focus of the study was on the relationship between employee engagement strategies and intention-to-stay of engineering professionals at a power station. The investigated engagement strategies or drivers in the model adopted for this study included: leadership style, remuneration structure, physical and emotional work climate, nature of work and career development opportunities. The purpose of the study was to investigate and contribute to a better understanding of a voluntary turnover problem of engineering professionals at a power station by considering the influence of engagement on intention-to-stay. The research was conducted on a sample of 65 engineering professionals employed at a power station. The findings of the study revealed that only one variable, namely nature of work, was significantly related to employee engagement. It was also established that of the five engagement strategies investigated, nature of work and leadership style (transformational) were significantly related to intention-to-stay. A positive relationship between employee engagement and intention-to-stay was proven in this study.

The transference of knowledge and the creation of a knowledge vault within operations of the Hospitality sector is the cornerstone to the success of this dynamic contributor to the economy, not only as a skills developer, but also as a collective group of experts that unknowingly build a community of expertise that transfer knowledge amongst themselves within an organisation. Leadership that share knowledge, whether tacit or implied, leads to the development and knowledge growth from members to those who are exposed to the intricacies of decision making and business practices. This leads then to the skills development and retention of the participants who feel nurtured and fulfilled in the employment within the organisation and view themselves as valued members. The finding of this research reveals a correlation between knowledge sharing and the desire for job security that leads to the feeling of being nurtured and finding the employment positive and enjoyable. The transference of knowledge allows the receiver of the knowledge to develop to where the point of the receiver becoming an expert in their chosen field is attained and the collective of the mangers are developed to the level of a community of experts in their various fields. However the academic qualifications of leadership is low, the significance of this highlights the level of networking amongst themselves as paramount to the success of this multi million rand industry.

The aim of this research is to investigate the factors identified as significant in increasing the retention of medical doctors employed in Port Elizabeth hospital complex (PEHC) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Medical practitioners of PEHC are providing the needed critical clinical services and are believed to be the strength of tertiary health services in the Eastern Cape, providing world class treatment to the public. Recruitment and retention of talented medical practitioners, then, is in the best interests of the Department of Health. Demotivated staffs are more likely to leave their jobs for better opportunities, and therefore efforts must be geared towards retaining them. This research investigates the independent factors identified. They include the management style, risk exposure, the working environment, the work overload, and the benefits associated with retaining of medical practitioners in PEHC. The results of this study revealed that the following factors influence the talent management and retention of doctors in the hospital complex: a management style that appreciates and recognises staff, a risk-free work environment, a flexible and balanced life, a reasonable work load, and the attitude of immediate supervisors. The results of this study will add to the guidelines and retention strategies already in place by the Department of Health, Eastern Cape. The senior management and policy makers could use the recommendations revealed in this study for an efficient human resources policy. However, future research still needs to be done in the area of providing employment for spouses of members of staff especially on the reward system and the recognition of employees in the organization.

This research focused on the impact of staff turnover in selected departments of the Province of the Eastern Cape Province. High staff turnover rate may jeopardise efforts to attain organisational objectives. In addition, `when an organisation loses a critical employee, there is a negative impact, on innovation; consistency in providing service to guests may be jeopardised, and major delays in the delivery of services to customers may occur. The research design used in this study contained elements of both the quantitative and qualitative approaches, which allowed the researcher to use structured questionnaires in data collection, on which space was provided for comments. This study was influenced and shaped by the concerns raised by a number of General Managers in the course of various provincial meetings. The main purpose of this research was to identify retention strategies that could be used by selected departments to reduce the turnover of their talented staff. The research also investigated methods to retain knowledge within departments that could possibly be lost due to a high turnover rate among talented staff. The first step used to resolve the issues discussed above was to conduct a full literature study. The literature study sought to reveal what characteristics were required in the departments that ensured that staff would be happy in those departments and remain there for a long time. The literature study also covered what knowledge management methods could be used in managing valuable knowledge. Secondly, the views of current staff and management of the selected departments on staff and knowledge management strategies were solicited in an empirical study, which involved the completion of structured questionnaires. It is the researcher’s aim that this study will, firstly, contribute to the existing body of knowledge of staff turnover and that the Provincial Departments will take into cognisance the problems that lead to employee turnover. Secondly, that it will contribute to an improvement in employee working conditions in various Provincial Government departments.

The management dilemma that triggers this research is the improvement of employee retention in medium-sized businesses in the Garden Route. Various factors contribute to poor retention in business, such as the lack of employee engagement, lack of organizational commitment, lack of recognition and reward and lack of employee retention strategies. If these strategies are not in place it results in employees not feeling committed to the organization and therefore opting to leave. This study takes a closer look at the literature review on specific causes of poor employee retention and aims to seek solutions for management to address the employee turnover problem, which affects the ability of the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. The question which formed the basis of this research was whether management can indeed improve retention within their businesses. The parameters of this research topic are five medium-sized businesses in the Garden Route. Ten middle managers from these organizations formed part of the research. The research topic fell within the phenomenological paradigm, as the study looked at employee retention within organizations with the aim of finding out what the reasons for poor retention are and how the problem can be addressed. The approach was a subjective one as responses were interpreted from questionnaires to gain an in-depth understanding of the problem. Research was conducted by means of both questionnaires and interviews in order to interpret and explain the complexity of poor retention rates within the specific organizations. The qualitative data collection method was used. Results were analysed and interpreted to indicate the relevance with the theory. Respondents confirmed that employee retention remains a challenge. It is clear that there is a need for effective strategies to retain talented employees in medium-sized businesses in the Garden Route as this is not being addressed as a priority. Recommendations were submitted which indicated that managers need to invest in strategies to foster employee engagement and organizational commitment. Fair and consistent rewards should be implemented and supported by blended retention strategies.

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies