The purpose of this study was to determine factors that impacted on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment, as well as to determine the decision making processes applied by engineering professionals when seeking alternative employment. A conceptual model was developed to illustrate the impact of various factors on labour turnover and the decision making processes that could be followed by engineering professionals when seeking alternative employment. The factors impacting on labour turnover were organised into four categories, namely external, internal, expectations and personal trait factors. The theoretical study revealed that employees were more likely to leave their present organisations if they perceived that there was ample opportunity for acceptable alternative employment (Bigliardi, Petroni & Dormio, 2005). Zimmerman (2008) stated that employee turnover was a problem faced by all organisations globally. In their study they mentioned that high labour turnover rates have been associated with decreased customer satisfaction, productivity, future revenue growth and profitability. A sense of instability and frustration can also cause work backlogs and slow productivity. At times employees lose faith in their organisations as more individuals seek alternative employment (Drake International, 2010). When the organisation experiences high turnover, burnout also increases and could possibly lead to stayers also seeking alternative employment. Previous studies contain evidence of an extensive poaching of South African engineering professionals (technologists and engineers) by overseas companies (Du Toit & Roodt, 2009). As a result of this mobility and the lack of significant engineering graduates entering the industry, companies competed for a limited number of engineering professionals. This challenge resulted in a higher labour turnover rate among engineers as the demand for engineering professionals was higher than the supply. The skills shortage of engineering professionals in South Africa was one of the perceived contributing factors impacting engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment. Apart from the shortage of skills there were other factors that impacted on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment. External factors, such as slow recruitment due to the low economy, have been identified as having an impact on labour turnover rates. Bigliardi et al (2005) stated that external factors, also referred to as push factors, such as changes in economic, social and technological conditions,created challenges for retaining engineering professionals. Through developing multivariate models that combine a number of factors contributing to labour turnover and empirically testing these models, researchers have attempted to predict why individuals decide to seek alternative employment (MINTRAC, 2010). The job search process was evaluated and referred to as the process of looking for alternatives to a current job, and the evaluation of those alternatives (Brown, 2009). Various decision making models, including the rational decision making model, Steers and Mowday’s model, image theory and the unfolding path model were studied to provide an understanding of how engineering professionals decided whether to seek alternative employment. Donnell and Quirin (2006) explained two decision making models. These are the image theory and Lee and Mitchell’s unfolding model. According to Zimmerman (2008), the studies carried out did not clearly reflect the impact of individual characteristic factors. An empirical study, by means of a survey and a questionnaire as a data collecting tool, was conducted to determine the factors that impacted on engineering professionals at GIBB to seek alternative employment and the decision making process they applied in seeking alternative employment. This study reflected that personal traits such as openness to new experiences, high levels of competency, the ability to form relationships at work, a general level of commitment, ability to incorporate other people’s views at work and a general positive attitude towards work itself influenced the decision to seek alternative employment. The external, internal, expectancy and personal trait factors that were perceived to be the most influential in impacting on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment were presented in a revised concept model. This model could be valuable for developing retention strategies at GIBB. Future research that could be beneficial to GIBB and the engineering industry was also identified.

This study examines teacher tenure and the effect it has on education, children, and the public in order to determine whether or not legislation is needed.

No description available.

Both practitioners and researchers have long noted that employee turnover creates both positive and negative consequences for an organization. From a management perspective, the question is how much turnover is the right amount. Abelson and Baysinger (1984) first proposed that an optimal level of turnover could be found based on individual, organizational, and environmental factors. However, as Glebbeek and Bax (2004) noted, their approach was overly complex to empirically verify, let alone utilize at the practitioner level. This study is an attempt to demonstrate whether a logic- and theory-based model and computational simulation of the employee turnover-organizational performance relationship can actually produce Abelson and Baysinger's optimal turnover curve (the inverted U-shape) when studied in the context of a public organization. The modeling approach is based on developing and integrating causal relationships derived from logic and the theory found in the literature. The computational approach used parallels that of Scullen, Bergey, and Aiman-Smith (2005). The level of analysis of this study is the functional department level of large public organizations placing it below the macro level of entire agencies as studied in public administration, but above the level of small group research. The focus is on agencies that employ thousands of employees in specific professional occupations such as engineers, attorneys, and contract specialists. Employee attrition (equivalent to turnover as this model has been structured) is the independent variable. Workforce performance capacity and staffing costs are the dependent variables. Work organization and organizational “character” (i.e., culture, HRM policies, and environment) are moderating elements that are held constant. Organizational parameters and initial conditions are varied to explore the problem space through the use of a number of case scenarios of interest. The model examines the effects on the dependent variables of annual turnover rates ranging from 0% to 100% over a 10-year period. Organizational size is held constant over this period. The simulation model introduces several innovative concepts in order to adapt verbal theory to mathematical expression. These are an organizational stagnation factor, a turbulence factor due to turnover, and workforce performance capacity. Its value to research comes from providing a framework of concepts, relationships, and parametric values that can be empirically tested such as through comparative analyses of similar workgroups in an organization. Its value for management lies in the conceptual framework it provides for logical actions that can be taken to control turnover and/or mitigate turnover's impact on the organization. The simulation model used a 100-employee construct as per Scullen, Bergey, and Aiman-Smith (2005), but was also tested with 1000 employees as well and no significant differences in outcome were found. Test cases were run over a 10-year period. The model was also run out to 30 years to test model stability and no instability was found. Key findings and conclusions of the analysis are as follows: 1. Results demonstrate that Abelson and Baysinger's (1984) inverted-U curve can occur, but only under certain conditions such as bringing in higher-skilled employees or alleviating stagnation. 2. Results support Scullen, Bergey, and Aiman-Smith's (2005) findings that workforce performance potential increases under the condition of increasing the quality of replacement employees. 3. Organizational type, as defined in the public administration literature, does not affect the results. In addition, an analysis of recent empirical work by Meier and Hicklin (2007) who examine the relationship between employee turnover and student test performance using data from Texas school districts is provided as an Addendum. This analysis demonstrates how the modeling and simulation methodology can be used to analyze and contribute to theory development based in empirical research. / Ph. D.

No description available.

A teacher shortage is a recognized problem in research on public schools. Schools across the United States must hire and retain highly qualified teachers, but the literature indicates teachers with fewer than 3 years of experience are often leaving teaching, creating a possible teacher shortage of 4.2 million teachers by the year of 2016. Retaining teachers with less than 3 years of experience is a definite problem in the Little Municipal School District (LMSD). In response to the failure of the LMSD to retain teachers with less experience, a study was conducted to identify the variables effecting teacher turnover. Determining the reasons teachers leave LMSD and facing those issues can assist in addressing the conditions associated with teacher turnover. This study focused on variables teachers with 3 or fewer years of experience indicate as their reasons for leaving. These variables were compared to studies conducted by Veenman (1988), Ganser (1994), and Ingersoll (2003), leading authorities on teacher retention. The results of this research suggest that teachers with less experience are leaving the LMSD because of pressure to achieve higher state test scores, lack of motivated students, insufficient materials and supplies, heavy teaching loads, inadequate guidance and support, poor relations with principals and administrators, lack of classroom discipline, and the burden of clerical work. Recommendations for LMSD include adding four programs to the district: a district-wide mentoring program for less experienced teachers; a teacher–liaison to improve communications between new teachers and administrators; a yearly review of materials to keep classroom materials current; and an incentive program for students to motivate students to achieve. Recommendations for further research include more studies on why teachers remain in low turnover districts, and did teacher’s preparation (alternative vs. traditional) affect retention.

Talented employees are leaving small businesses in the search for more lucrative opportunities where their talent is acknowledged, valued and able to grow. Dealing with voluntary talent turnover decreases profitability and becomes a roadblock for achieving strategic goals. Businesses incur additional costs to find and replace talent to maintain continuity. However, the time and money spent replacing talent does not guarantee turnover will vanish. What were the stimuli that caused disengagement? Were they strategically managed? Did employees leave because the initial stimuli were not addressed? These are all questions that can lead to decisive actions focused on reducing talent departure. The goal of a small business should be to find a balance where employee values are met and human capital levers are strategically managed; consequently adding value to small businesses by reducing unnecessary costs due to turnover. / text

The purposes of this study were twofold. The first was to construct a modified model of the voluntary turnover process that clarifies the antecedents of turnover intentions and turnover behavior. The second was to investigate empirically the proposed model's validity by assessing the influences of nine variables of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job search, intention to stay in the organization, and six demographic variables as potential predictors of employee voluntary turnover.

Background Contemporary business faces many challenges in constantly adapting to the ever-changing nature of the market. One of the most important challenges is obtaining the best workforce available in order to create competitive advantages and retain competence in the organization. In order to succeed with this task it is imperative to improve retention in the organization since it is very ineffective to lose employees with high competence and very costly to replace that competence. One business highly influenced by these changes is Call centers and it is important to assess the possible ways they can improve retention. Purpose The purpose of the thesis is to explore and elaborate upon how motivational factors induces turnover intention in employees in a Call center. It aims to discover the interplay between different factors and to facilitate the factors in order to improve retention. Methodology The study is of inductive nature and uses a qualitative method. The execution of the empirical gathering is with interviews in order to provide a deeper understanding of the motivational features influencing turnover intention. The interviewees are employees that recently left an organization operating in the Call center context. Conclusions The findings shed some light of the wide range of features influencing turnover intention as well as providing some insight to which one is of particular importance in the specific context. Other findings in the study argues that the different features influencing turnover intention compensate for each other. Which provides some further practical use in the strategical work to improve retention trough motivational aspects. It also provides some suggestion that will aid to decrease turnover intention.

Hotel leaders face reduced profitability because of high employee turnover. Using Herzberg's 2-factor theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that some hotel human resources managers used to reduce employee turnover. Data were collected from 5 hotel human resources managers in Massachusetts through face-to-face, semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Data analysis using Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and developing data-based conclusions resulted in 3 emergent themes: a retention strategy, a compensation strategy, and a training and development strategy. The findings indicated that the employee recruitment process, fair employee compensation and benefits, a focus on employee development, and recognition and appreciation of employees were pivotal strategies human resources managers used to reduce employee turnover. The findings may be valuable to hotel general managers, human resources managers, authors of training manuals, and hiring managers for creating strategies to reduce employee turnover. The implications for positive social change include the potential for hotel general managers to lower unemployment rates and improve the quality of life for the local community through lower employee turnover.