FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN STATE CORPORATIONS IN GREECE
by
Efthymios Galopoulos Student id: s1739506
Supervisor: Vasileios P. Karakasis Second reader: Dr. Valerie Pattyn
Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs Institute of Public Administration
Specialization: Economics and Governance
at
Leiden University March 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE ... 4 INTRODUCTION ... 4 1.1 Background ... 4 1.2 Problem Statement ... 7 1.3 Research Objectives ... 9 1.4 Research Questions ... 10 1.5 Significance... 10
1.6 Scope and Limitations ... 10
1.7 Organization ... 11 CHAPTER TWO ... 12 LITERATURE REVIEW ... 12 2.0 Introduction ... 12 2.1 Explanatory Review ... 12 2.2 Conceptual Framework ... 33 CHAPTER THREE ... 34 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ... 34 3.1 Introduction ... 34 3.2 Research Design ... 34 3.3 Variables ... 36 3.4 Study Population ... 36
3.5 Sample Design and Size ... 37
3.6 Data Collection ... 37
3.7 Validity and Reliability ... 39
3.8 Data Analysis and Presentation ... 39
CHAPTER FOUR ... 42
RESULTS ... 42
4.1 Introduction ... 42
4.2 Data Presentation ... 42
4.3 Turnover Data ... 43
4.2.1 Voluntary Turnover Data ... 46
4.1.2 Performance and Employee Turnover Management ... 47
4.3 Organization Climate Survey (OC) ... 49
4.3.1. Item Level ... 49
4.3.2 Factor level ... 51
CHAPTER FIVE ... 55
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATION AND FURTHER STUDIES ... 55
5.1 Summary ... 55
5.2 Conclusion ... 60
5.3 Recommendations ... 66
5.4 Further Studies ... 67
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background
The sovereign debt crisis and the consequent bailouts for Greece have directed the attention of the international and scholarship communities to the capacity of government in Athens to implement structural reforms As the key organization for service delivery, state corporations’ performance has been the subject of examination. The effect of the crisis reignited the debate about the scale and scope of public rebuilding and its ramifications for the workforce in Greece. The financial crisis occasioned austerity measures focused on expenditure and waste reductions with the expectation of addressing the general public deficit. Since the pay bill of the public sector comprises of over fifty percent of public spending, accomplishing deficit reduction, has significant consequences for the workforce and aggregate pay bill. Drawing on previous experiences, the present government is expected to take advantage of the recent crisis to build up a pro-austerity frame, which has legitimated profound cuts in the employment within the public sector, which in its turn ought to take into consideration employment relations.
The consequences of the abovementioned agenda and responses of unions, as well as the prospects and limits of employment and restructuring under the austerity conditions will be reviewed. The present study provides an auspicious chance to survey the present state of affairs and the prospects for turning these organizations more ‘fit for purpose’. It surveys the state of affair of employee relations in Greece and distinguishes hidden congruities in the public sector.
There is a significant association between employee retention at the job place and how an organization performs. Employee retention can be defined as the process where employees are encouraged to remain with an organization or an employer for a maximum period or until the expiry of their contract (Gary, 2011). It is an organizational strategy to create appealing, challenging, satisfying and motivating workplace policies, systems, programs and practices whereby employees are self-motivated to stay in their jobs although they have immediate opportunities available to them elsewhere (Golden, 2012). Generally, the commitment and retention of the employees at any given workplace including state corporations in Greece are affected by various factors. Matters such as job satisfaction, working environment and opportunities that allow for career development are important in any organizations.
In human resource management, the problem of employee turnover is an area that should critically be looked into to ensure the organization achieves its goals and objectives. Cohen (2013) defines turnover as the rate at which an employer gains or loses employees. Turnover also refers to the percentage of employees leaving an organization for whatever reasons. The labor market allows a different environment for organizations and workers. This is to say that while some organizations are being established others are closing, with jobs being created while others are being destroyed, hence contributing to the movement of employees between firms. Employee turnover can, therefore, be also defined as a consequence of the reallocation of labor (George & Cory, 2016).
The costs incurred due to employee turnover include costs of recruiting, selecting, orienting, training and workshops held for new employees in an organization. These are termed as direct costs. The indirect costs include; the costs spend on education, lowered self-confidence, stress and even reduction in social capital. It is difficult for an organization to achieve its goals
due to high staff turnover. It was reported by industries in America that they had been spending more than $11 billion per year due to voluntary and involuntary turnover (McEachem, 2015). These costs were spent due to termination, advertisement, recruitment and the entire selection process. Employee turnover continues to be one of the most unappreciated and undervalued issues facing business leaders. It is costly and disruptive to any organization and is caused by difficult working conditions, lack of motivation, poor work-life balance, career stagnation, lack of involvement by management and weak recruitment structures (Zhang, 2016).
In Greece, there are different organizations under the state corporations whose main roles are to ensure that citizens are in a position to access appropriate services when they need them. These factors include individual ones, i.e., gender, marital status, education level and firm factors that include reward practices such as remuneration, recognition, and opportunities for career development. Loiseau (2011) illustrates that employee retention can utilize both monetary and non-monetary mechanisms. Monetary ones have financial aspect as the key elements such as the issuance of more money. Monetary compensation is directly linked to employee satisfaction and affects their performance positively (Kalimullah et al., 2010). Non-monetary employee retention mechanisms are also important as money is not always a priority. These strategies include recognition of employees’ work, providing flexible working arrangements, balance between work and life, formal wellness programs, employee development among others.
Employers and organizations, in general, should design systems and work environment that allows employees to be more productive, committed and loyal. Support systems are
important in the workplace to foster commitment and to pay attention to what employees need to work best. It is considered prudent for organizations to come up with an effective employee retention strategy while factors that determine retention should be established in order to achieve
a proper planning. In coming up with these factors, exit interviews for employees leaving an organization is necessary to understand the reasons why they leave the organization.
Knowing factors that lead to retention allow for effective retention strategies to be outlined catering to specific needs. In the long run, proper retention strategies lead to an improved organizational culture that can be maintained by employees. Progress in the career is not a destination; it is a continuous journey at the workplace. When an employee progresses the benefits are achieved by the organization too. Employees are given a chance to get ready for higher positions while the organization develops a pool of qualified and committed staff. Through career development, staff retention and motivation are achieved (Robbins, 2010). The processes used in progression also allow the employees to set achievable targets and acquire skills required for target job vacancies. Performance of employees also highly depends on the skills and experience they have. According to the literature, those who have developed and advanced themselves in their careers tend to be more satisfied with their jobs and perform better and, consequently, improve the effectiveness of the organization (Baguma & Rwabwera, 2010). 1.2 Problem Statement
The recent economic crisis that faced Greece is considered as the primary turning point for the employee relations in the public sector, and Greece is part of the push towards European social model. However, it is not the first time that the public sector’s focus is on radical change, related to public management and privatization as part of market shifts. There are still
considerable doubts about the claims put forward for the proposed changes with regards to cost reduction and enhancement service quality. Misgivings have been articulated by policymakers, frustrated by their failure to modernize the sector. Employee retention is a challenge that is pressing in the human resource management sector. Competition in the workplace is so high that
it’s become a challenge to attract, motivate and retain employees, especially the talented ones. Effective management and utilization of human resource determine the success of an
organization. When staff is not managed well, turnover arises, which is costly and affects the economic ability of an organization. The world has become so competitive and organizations need to have employees with proper skills for them to compete favorably. Retention of
employees has become a major concern for most organizations (Gomez, et. al., 2010). The cost incurred in replacing employees is very high since it involves processes such as recruitment, selection, orientation and training which take time and resources, yet limited research findings are available on that issue. The atmosphere at the workplace should provide employees with a chance to grow and develop in their career (Drake et. al., 2007). It is an opportunity for
employees to achieve a perfect job performance and get a chance in an organization to express their ability and contribute to the achievement of the mission and vision of the organization. The performance of employees in Greece is a concern, especially in the corporate sector. State corporations face a lot of challenges in their quest to achieve their goal of integrating and
coordinating development agencies that undertake development activities in their regions. These corporations focus a lot on getting resources for development and have a little look at strategies and factors that influence retention of their employees.
In Greece, there are different organizations under the state corporations whose main roles are to ensure that the citizens are in a position to access appropriate services at their time of need. These corporations are usually not profit-seeking but put the interest of citizens at hand and work for the general public good. These institutions are unique not as other private firms and supply services to the public. These institutions, however, suffer challenges that include technological and human resource including financial challenges. Employee retention is one of the challenges
they face due to globalization and firms that are being internationalized. The employee retention strategy is one of the most critical issues facing the sector due to a high staff turnover, thus facing a crisis. Employee turnover in these firms has been on the increase that has affected the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery to citizens. Professionals are immigrating in search of greener pastures while others prefer the private to the public sector. This has as such created constraint in terms of numbers, skills, and distribution in the sector. Employees are overburdened and overstressed thus making the retention strategies most difficult. Turnover of employees has disrupted teams, raised costs, reduced productivity, and resulted in the loss of knowledge and reduced quality of services. Although the government has tried to employ strategies to retain workers in state corporations, the problem of employee turnover is still experienced. Mechanisms such as the collective bargain agreement have been used in the quest to retain employees. Still, there has been no study conducted to assess the extent to which the various strategies have affected the rate at which the employees leave or join the corporate sector.
1.3 Research Objectives
The general objective of the exploratory study is to establish factors that influence employee satisfaction within Greek state corporations. The study will explore the relationship between psychological contract and the level of satisfaction, as well as the relationship between work motivation and employee satisfaction.
The specific objectives are:
1. To explore the relationship between psychological contract and level of employee satisfaction within state corporations in Greece
state corporations in Greece 1.4 Research Questions
1. How do psychological contracts impact the level of employee satisfaction in state corporations in Greece?
2. How does work motivation impact employee satisfaction in state corporations in Greece?
1.5 Significance
The study will be a guide for the policymakers in their policy-making process in coming up with policies that aid state corporations employee retention. It will be a way of tackling employee turnover which is a great concern for most employers now especially with
globalization and intensive competition. The findings will help in the management of employee retention strategies and give an overview of what to consider in employee retention decisions. The management of state corporations especially in employee retention will be equipped with information to aid decision making. Upcoming firms could use the findings from the study to best handle employees and reduce employee turnover. The importance of employee retention will be emphasized in the study findings for the employee to understand the value of retention in the state corporations. Programs that support career progression and development constitute one of the strategies that are employed in order to improve the employees’performance and achieve retention in the long run. The study, therefore, will provide guidelines and recommendations for state corporations in Greece to utilize in order to improve the performance of their employees and their retention. It will provide a framework upon which state corporations can use to achieve employee retention.
The research is aimed at establishing how different factors influence employee retention in the state corporations in Greece. This will look into both the individual and firm factors that contribute to employee retention. The study is limited to the retention factors in the state
corporations in Greece and does not look at what other industries use in Greece. However, it will provide an overview of what could be expected if such a study is conducted in other sectors. 1.7 Organization
The paper will be organized into chapters and each section will tend to a specific aspect of the project. The first chapter provides an introduction in the subject of employee retention in state corporations in Greece in relation to the changes within the working relations in public sector as a result of the financial crisis as well as a presentation of the objectives and questions of the study.
The second chapter provides an opportunity to review the literature on the factors affecting the employees’ retention in state corporations and private firms around the world and, especially, the impact of the psychological contracts on the level of employees’ satisfaction as they have been examined through scholarship.
The methodology embraced in the study is addressed in the third chapter, where the design of the research is presented in addition to the method used in data collection and the characteristics of the sample of the study.
The results that have emerged through questionnaires and interviews conducted are presented in the fourth chapter as well as the statistical analysis of them, while discussion analysis of those results is presented in the fifth chapter.
Finally, within the sixth chapter conclusion are drawn on the subject, which is under investigation within the present study.
CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction
The chapter provides an opportunity to review the available literature on the factors that have been proved to influence the employee retention in state and private corporations globally while the conceptual framework of the present study is also presented. Employee satisfaction, work motivation, and psychological contracts are some of the key words that were used in searching literature on the subject being addressed.
2.1 Explanatory Review
Author Factors Conceptualization/operationalization
Hall (2001) Career advancement Improves the employee’s desire to continue working in an organization
Kim et al. (2005)
Human resource policy
Organizational direction
Plans, formula or
methodologies to ensure the stay of competent employees
Critical through stimulating skilled labor Important for employees’ satisfaction
Retain best employees
Warren (2006)
Mentoring A way to identify, develop and deploy talented and experienced employees
Ongori (2007)
Remuneration and benefit packages
Retain or attract employees and ensure good performance Walsh & Taylor (2007) Flexibility of the organization to the professional growth of employees
More determinant than good salary and other benefits
Amos et al. (2008)
Skill recognition
Training
Enhances positive behavior, good work ethics, increases teamwork and raises rates of retention
Enhances growth, prosperity and retention for both employers and employees
David (2008) Orientation
Coaching
Poor orientation makes employees leaving quickly
Increases motivation and retention
Aswathappa (2008)
Behavior or culture within an organization
Compensation
Working environment with
Increases commitment and trust
growth and development opportunities Encourages retention Mac Entee (2009) Relationship with management,
compensation, growth and development opportunities, support from management
Psychological factor important to motivate workers to be retained more than the salary
Rampur (2009)
Job satisfaction Pay, benefits, pay satisfaction
Seber (2009) Individual factors (gendere, marital status, education level) and firm factors (wages, promotions, economic situation)
Married employees make job-related decisions with family in mind and tent to stay more
Handleman (2009)
Job satisfaction Correlation between income and happiness
Samuel & Chipunza (2009)
Presence of training and development opportunities, guarantee of job security, freedom to be innovative, interesting and challenging
Reasons behind long stay of staff in South Africa
working environment
Allen (2010) Money or cash rewards
Support from management
Primary retaining strategy, acts as security, recognition and achieves commitment and retention
Enhances growth, prosperity and retention for both employees and employers
Provides feedback to employees
Patterson (2010)
Commitment Directly affects retention rates
Bloom & Van Reenen (2010)
Employees’ surveys Enable oranizations to gather information on motivations, engagements, and satisfaction of the employees
Oyeyemi (2011)
Job satisfaction Pay and reward system
Loisseau (2011)
Job satisfaction Pay level influences employees’ motivation
Irwin (2011) Clear roles, responsibilities and job description
Ko (2012) Job enrichment
opportunities, socialization opportunities and proper workplace characteristics
Improve performance, strengthen principal values and add value to employees’ abilities
Pareek & Rao (2012)
Orientation Poor orientation make employees less effective and even make them leave the organization soon
Descombe (2014)
Employee surveys Essential to give employers the opportunity to come up with programs focusing on specific issues that may reduce employer retention rates.
Raghuram (2014)
Mentoring Reduces absenteeism and turnover, reduces the intention of staff to leave
Zhang (2016) Job satisfaction Motivation the main countermeasure to address turnover
Figure 1: Factors affecting employee retention
There have been studies undertaken in other parts of the world to look at factors affecting employee retention in different case studies, but none has tackled employee retention factors in Greece, more so in State corporations (Golden, 2012; Seber, 2009; Bloom, & Van Reenen, 2010). Oyeyemi (2011) opines that job satisfaction among physical therapists in Nigeria is extremely low and that most employees were not satisfied with their jobs because of low pay and lack of a reward system. The author recommends that measures addressing the problem and
boosting employee morale are necessary. Sharing similar concerns, Gary (2011) reviewed and conducted a conceptual analysis of the process of employee turnover. His findings are critical in evaluating the state of employees in Greece in terms of turnover.
At the same time, Handelman (2009) assesses the correlation between income and happiness. Moreover, Loiseau (2011) evaluated some of the causes of job satisfaction with pay level being an important factor with employee motivation appearing on top of the list. Rampur (2009) predicted turnover based on attitudes towards pay, benefits, and pay satisfaction amongst entrepreneurs and employees in Lithuania and Estonia and established a correlation, while Zhang (2016) reviewed the influence factor of turnover, and considered motivation as the main
countermeasure to address it. The findings were critical in informing the current study and finding the existing research gaps between service orientation and job satisfaction, as well as how such deficits could be tended to. The study further looked at the importance of employee retention at private companies and identified productivity, motivation, and benefits as the countermeasures. However, little has been done to look into factors that affect employee retention at the state corporations, considering the focus of Greece government to streamline human resource at the driver of productivity and economic stimulus. On that backdrop, the key question for the study is which are the factors that influence employee retention in state
corporations within Greece? By answering the aforementioned question, the study will seek to find strategies to enhance state management of its human resource to subsequently address the problem of high employee turnover.
Employee retention
According to Seber (2009), employee retention can be defined as the efforts put by an organization to create an environment where employees remain employed in the organization
through policies and other mechanisms that increase retention. Zhang (2016) shed more light, adding that an organization spends less on training and hiring new staff when they retain their employees. He reinforces the idea by stating that a strong staff is achieved through employee retention and when sharing of knowledge among the staff is possible. MacEntee (2009) echoes these sentiments, indicating that high retention rates attract other employees into the organization and that customer service is also improved through such stability. The assertion is supported by insisting that relationships between employees and customers are enhanced to ensure there is continued sponsorship of the organization (MacEntee, 2009).
Aswathappa (2008) believes that loyalty goes hand in hand with commitment in a workplace, indicating employee retention and commitment are parts of a strategy that measures the health of an organization (Aswathappa, 2008). Conducting exit interviews with employees who leave an organization provide valuable information on possible ways to encourage loyalty to an organization. There are factors that drive employee retention that include the culture of the organization, benefits and pay, career development structures and the strategies laid down by an organization. Organizations that cannot afford to retain their employees suffer high economic consequences and their productivity is reduced. This can make their competitor stronger and can even be phased out of competition due to loss of talented employees. Retention of greatly skilled employees is a survival mechanism for most organizations not forgetting state corporations. It has been noted that proper employee retention strategies, if implemented, are able to improve productivity and increase the time of stay for employees much more than what pay could do. Retention has an aspect of commitment, trust, customer liking and even employees being ready to recommend others to the organization, and Aswathappa (2008) views behavior and the culture within an organization as critical employee retention.
Retention
Similarly, MacEntee (2009) believes that retention is also affected by similar
mechanisms. Employees weigh the cost and benefits relating to an organization when deciding whether to leave or stay in it. The major areas that affect retention are the relationship with the management, compensation, growth, and development, working environment and support of management. It takes more than just pay to enable employees to be retained in an organization. The psychological cost is important to motivate workers to be retained in the organization. An unhappy employee will definitely leave a firm even if the pay he/she receives is high (MacEntee, 2009). According to (Seber, 2009), the factors that influence employee retention can be divided into two main areas i.e. individual factors that look into gender, marital status and even the education level of employees and firm factors which include wages, promotions and even the economic situation.
Personal and firm factors
Seber looks at these factors deeply and concludes that married persons make job-related decisions with a view of family in mind. They consider the kinship ties they have and familial responsibilities. Such concerns make them stay in a job for longer compared to the unmarried counterparts. For the firm-related factors, in terms of wages, for employees who feel underpaid, they are more likely to leave employment upon sighting a better deal. One scholar found that wages not only serve as a reward for work done by employees but also a motivation and incentive for employees to be retained. Compensation is a high contributor to the retention process. Employees get affected by the available compensation packages where attractive packages encourage them to stay in an organization (Aswathappa, 2008). Matters of salary or wage, incentives, and benefits encompass compensation for employees. Rewards being given as
recognition of good work done by employees can also be seen as compensation. Rewards
Monetary rewards, such as pay raises and bonus, directly affect the performance of employees. An employee who is well rewarded feels valued by the employer and organization (Markova & Ford, 2011). These employees are more likely to work harder and better as they are more motivated. Some of the reasons that affect productivity in an organization are inadequate reward and recognition system. Motivated employees in an organization are productive and more willing to work in order to achieve the goals and objectives of an organization. Rewards could be financial which are extrinsic in nature or non-financial which are intrinsic. Remuneration is what an employee receives compensation for the work done that is able to meet their basic and
luxurious needs (Amos et al., 2008). Employee job satisfaction and performance are highly affected by remuneration programs. Organizations strive to provide competitive remuneration and benefits packages in order to retain or attract employees and still ensure good performance in the organization (Ongori, 2007).
Money or cash rewards are a primary strategy used to retain employees (Allen, 2010). It is not always about high salaries but a good and fair salary has a positive relationship with the intention of employees to remain in an organization. Employees feel the need to understand the working of the pay system in terms of pay raises and how the system is administered. This allows them an ample time to understand when to expect a pay rise depending on the level of education or achievement they have gained. According to Allen (201), provision of financial rewards act as security, recognition and it improves the self-worth of employees and in return achieves commitment and retention of employees especially if done fairly. Financial rewards include bonus, promotional the workplace, tips, gifts, commissions among others (Allen, 2010).
Flexible benefit packages such as medical insurance, time for vacation, housing, flex time among others ensure retention of employees. The benefits are accorded as per the needs of employees.
Pay is more than the monetary value; it recognizes the value the employees contribute to an organization. Companies attract employees through other benefits more than the salary and wages (Rampur, 2009). Non-financial rewards could be appreciation, social recognition, and praise among others. Presence of work-life policies in an organization is another non-financial way of ensuring employees is retained in an organization. These policies include a flexible work schedule such as part-time working, sharing jobs, leave policies, post-natal care provisions and even allowing employees to handle familial responsibilities such as payment of school fees among others. Employees who are provided with such policies are more committed to their work and are more likely to be retained in an organization. However, for the lock-in effect in some of the organizations, employees are left with an option of focusing on their work more than their families (Allen, 2010). In this situation, employees feel their social needs are not taken care of and might opt out of an organization. The working environment can also affect employee retention (Aswathappa, 2008). An environment that provides growth and development
opportunities for employees encourages employee retention. An organization with a culture of openness and shared information affects retention as well. Growth and development is yet another component of retention. Employees are more likely to be retained in an organization that foresees the future of their employees. Employees need to know their roles and responsibilities and clear job description for them to grow. Promotion is not the only way for career
advancement but opportunities for professional growth need to be established (Irwin, 2011). The role of employers
management needs to help their employees set some life goals and focus on how to achieve them and see how these goals fit into the entire vision of the organization. The final area is support or lack of it from the management. It is necessary for seniors to support their juniors to achieve success. Support can be achieved through various ways such as; providing feedback to employees, provision of rewards and recognition, counseling of employees who need it, mentoring and coaching and an environment that organizational values are inculcated into employees (Allen, 2010).
Employees are an important asset to any organization; their performance generally affects the success or failure of an organization. The first few weeks can be quite challenging for any employees and they can determine whether an employee will stay or leave. The reception an employee gets can affect their perception altogether and affect their settling in the organization. It is therefore important from the very beginning of their employment that strategies to ensure employee retention are considered. Well-defined goals and objectives of an organization can influence retention of employees. In a study by Kim et al (2005), they found that organizational direction was important in employee satisfaction and commitment. Retentions strategies are therefore the plans, formula or methodologies used by organizations to ensure that the competent employees stick around over a given period of time and they include, among others, the
provision of career development opportunities and attractive compensation packages. As soon as the employees feel dissatisfied with the current employer or the job, they switch over to the next job. It is the responsibility of the employer to retain their best employees. A good employer should know how to attract and retain good employees.
Career development
abilities of the employees, preservation of the current skills and making employees ready for future tasks upon promotion. According to Torrington and Hall (2007), methods such as training, career mentoring, job orientation, and career advancement are avenues through which career progression can be achieved (Torrington & Hall, 2007). Ko (2012) adds that career progression programs are used by the organization for various reasons such as improving the performance of employees, revealing the corporate culture for salespeople, a way to strengthen principal values and add value to the abilities of their employees (Ko, 2012). Presence of job enrichment
opportunities, socialization opportunities, and proper workplace characteristics can be another strategy to retain employees. Walsh and Taylor (2007) in their study established that even though good salary and other benefits are important, the flexibility of an organization to the professional growth of employees determined whether they stay or leave an organization.
Training
Training is a process that improves the capabilities of employees in the quest to improve their contribution to the organization. Hammer (2000) defines it as planned, organized
experiences that allow for gaining and expansion of competencies of employees. Knowledge, skills, and attitudes of employees to perform tasks are improved through training and
development. Training focuses on skills and knowledge whole development looks at the aspect of attitudes. Development works on preparing employees for more challenging future
responsibilities through building on their capacities (Origon & Nzonzo, 2011). Training is based on four steps i.e. analysis of what skills are needed for a specific job; determination of the training needs and establishing a training program; implementation of the training plan and; evaluation of the success of the program. The need to train arises when newcomers enter an organization when there is a shortfall in employee performance, the needs in an organization
change or individuals themselves express the need to get trained (Cole, 2011). Training is one element used by organizations to offer promotions for their employees.
Two scholars, Samuel and Chipunza (2009) sought to find out the reason behind long stay of staff in some organizations in South Africa. They found that four areas were mentioned to retention and performance of employees. These four areas are; the presence of training and development opportunities; guarantee of job security; freedom to be innovative at work and finally challenging and interesting work and its environment. Another study also established that training achieves retention of knowledge which is used to improve the performance of
employees (Pinnington, 2011). The confidence and attitudes of employees are enhanced through training thereby their motivation is also boosted. These elements improve the productivity and efficiency of the employees.
Thomas et. al. (2003) in their study findings, found that most employees stated that the training should be structured in accordance with feedback presented by employees. The participants in their research reported that the management offered training that did not meet expectations of the employees. Their feedbacks were not considered when planning the training. Advances in the technological sector mean that organizations face new challenges that are technology related and therefore continuous training in this sector is important to mold competencies and abilities of employees (Lynton & Pareek, 2010).
Training can be an on-the-job or off-the-job. On-the-job training is the most common method used to train employees due to the advantages it has. The method is less expensive, flexible, motivates employees and to arrange for it is quite easy (Bakari, 2008). This is where an employee is placed on a specific job and taught skills to do the work. Some of the ways for on-the-job training include coaching, job rotation, issuance of instructions, giving committee
assignments and internship training. Off-the-job training allows for the development of
employees away from the field of the job. Some of the ways in off-the-job training include case study, incident method, role play, in-basket method, business games, conferences, lectures and simulation among others (Gomez, et. al., 2010).
Evidence supports the conclusion that access to regular training programs enhances growth, prosperity, and retention for both employees and employers. Employee turnover refers to the rate at which an employer loses his employees (Amos et al., 2008). It can either be involuntary where the employer instigates it or voluntary where the employee is the initiator. Involuntary turnover can be downsizing for an organization to meet the targets set by the shareholders or discharge due to poor performance or dishonesty from employees. Voluntary turnover could be in search of greener pastures or compulsory relocation even death. There are employee turnover issues that are beyond the management control while others can be intervened by the management. There is a general assumption that voluntary turnover is for individual needs while involuntary turnover is for meeting organizational needs (Ongori, 2007). It explains the percentage of employees that a company must replace in a given time and is usually costly for low paying jobs that have high turnover rates (Peterson, 2010). For an employer who has a high turnover rate in comparison to the competitors, it means employees in his company stay for a shorter time compared to other companies. The high turnover rates affect productivity especially when high skilled employees keep leaving the organization. The global average employee turnover rate is approximated at 15% per year (Allen, 2010). This varies across different industries and regions.
Career mentoring
Career mentoring is the situation where a senior or experienced employee is tasked with the role of supporting a new or inexperienced employee (Kakama, 2005). Some of the ways used
in the process include coaching, counseling, networking and facilitating. It could take a formal or informal approach and highly dependent on the development of a positive advisory relationship. Mentoring is a way for organizations to identify, develop, retain and deploy talented and
experienced employees (Warren, 2006). The process works to exchange wisdom, gain support, learn and increase employee performance and growth which makes it possible to achieve strategic objectives. The employee being mentored is expected to learn and better themselves in the workplace and also in their private life. The process helps learners acquire their personal approach to issues and find solutions for them (Hall, 2005).
Formal mentoring includes training done for mentors and the goals of the mentoring processes linked to the goals of the organization. These goals are measured and evaluated periodically to provide the necessary support to the mentoring program. In this method, both the mentor and mentee benefit in different ways. Mentors achieve personal and job satisfaction and their influence in the organization is increased. The skills and knowledge of the mentees are highly improved through the mentoring process. Mentoring programs have been associated with career development and higher wages for employees (Nzuve, 2007).
A study by Raghuram (2014) found a positive relationship between mentoring process and workers attaining desired attitudes at the workplace which reduces absenteeism and turnover. He also stated that comprehensive mentoring processes led to productivity at the workplace, reduce the intention of staff to leave and overall effectiveness in the organization. Mentoring is seen as the bedrock of acquiring skills that make it possible to compete effectively and improve the performance of the organization (Ramaswami & Dreher, 2012). Mentoring can be a good beginning point to build a pool of superior employee resources with great skills and capabilities (Hall, 2001).
Employees can request their superiors to assign to the tasks that are more challenging to them in the quest to advance them. Advancement can also be done through asking for help and advice from individuals who are more experienced. This will enhance their skills and allow them to gain experience. Employees can also take it upon themselves to find out which certificates can allow them to advance in their careers and pursue them. Sometimes organizations foot the cost of the tuition of their employees in their advanced training. Advancement in the career doesn’t have to be formally done such as promotion; it can be through a lateral move through job rotation. The performance of employees and their desire to continue working for the organization is improved through the advancement of careers (Hall, 2001). For an organization to be able to increase employees’ retention the company must be able to establish learning and working environment that is supportive in nature. The working climate, in general, refers to the environment in which the workers learn about their roles at work and where they work generally.
Job orientation
Job orientation, an aspect of job satisfaction, is the process where a new employee is prepared to take up the job. This process makes the employee cope with any insecurities and frustrations in the workplace. During this process, communication is major way to encourage employees to understand how the organization works and shares in the plan to achieve its goals and objectives. Orientation is one of the functions neglected in organizations. Organizations provide employee handbooks and issue files for new employees to read and orient themselves with the organization which is often not enough (Pareek & Rao, 2012). Lack of orientation makes new employees confused demotivated and lessens their productivity at work.
Inappropriate orientation makes employees less productive and may even make them leave the organization soon.
Orientation at the workplace help handle the anxieties new employees have and reduce the time they take in learning in the workplace, improve their attendance and consequently improve their performance. Pareek and Rao (2012) concluded in their studies that job orientation allows employees learn about their job, their supervisors, co-workers and the organization as a whole. Orientation contains a wide range of activities such as a tour of the workplace,
introduction of colleagues at the workplace, issuance of an employee handbook, assigning mentors to the new employee among others. Employee performance is highly influenced by these factors (Cowie, 2005).
According to David (2008), it is quite strange that job orientation is not valued by some organizations. He connects poor orientation with employees leaving the job quickly, constant misunderstandings and queries at the workplace and general productivity are negatively affected. Employees join an organization with a positive attitude and vigor to work hard but when faced with poor or no orientation their attitude changes quickly. They feel unimportant and less
motivated to work. Performance of employees is affected by their state of the mind and therefore for them to feel unvalued negatively affects their performance and consequently their desire to be retained by an organization.
Job flexibility
Job flexibility has been noted to be one of the main keys to employees’ retention at all ages. In a study done in the field of employee retention, David (2008) noted the flexibility at work which includes variation in work schedule will have the ability to better accommodate individual employees work time, the workload, responsibilities and the location of family responsibilities. Moreover, it has been pointed out that job flexibility gives the employees the empowerment so as to be able to facilitate a good balance between work and personal
obligations. Job flexibility has been reported to increase employees’ commitment, their
concentration at work, satisfaction, the employee's productivity, their loyalty and the capacity to work to the best interest of the organization.
Organization culture
In order for an organization to have a good employee development program, it is important to have a culture that will support them fully. To be able to increase retention of employees, an organization should have strong support from people in the management and should be able to serve as role models to the junior staff members. David (2008) established that managers should be able to serve as coaches so as to help the employees in their careers and give support in their efforts aimed at development. Coaching employees has value as it enables them to meet their set goals and gives the managers the opportunity to show that they care. This is an incentive that will increase employees’ motivation and eventually increase retention of
employees in an organization. Commitment
In previous studies, Ongori (2007) and Peterson (2010) showed that committed employees will stay in an organization for longer as compared to employees who are less committed. Furthermore, Peterson (2010) states that the more the employee is committed to the organization the less likely they are to terminate the organization. Employees with high
commitment to the company will have a higher intent to remain in the company. Have strong desire to go to work, and will have a positive attitude regarding their work in general. The commitment of employees will directly affect the retention rates of employees in an
organization. Additionally when an organization develops the philosophy of commitment to work the likelihood of the employees looking for employment elsewhere is lowered to a big
extent. Commitment additionally will have adverse effects on the level of performance at work and the retention of the workforce by the company in general. The general belief is that the more committed an employee is to the company organization the more they will perform in the jobs and this will give them satisfaction, therefore, increasing employees retention rates.
Recognition of employees’ skills
Recognizing the key skills of employees that help them accomplish in their work-related activities is an effective strategy for retaining employees. In previous studies done in the area of employees’ retention, it is noted that acceptance and acknowledging the individual work-related accomplishments will increase the rate of employee retention by an organization. Additionally, it has been noted that there is an increase in retention of employees in companies will eventually encourage employees input, growth, education growth and progress, teamwork and other factors beyond the traditional compensation that is a salary.
In another study conducted on the retention of employees by organizations it has been noted that personal recognition is priceless but on the other hand, verbal praises have the ability to increase employees’ loyalty to a company, motivates them and ensures that there is high retention of employees. As per Amos et al. (2008), skill recognition has the ability to enhance positive behavior, good work ethics, will increase teamwork, confidence among employees and eventually help raise the rates of employees’ retention in an organization (Amos et al., 2008). It has been documented that companies that provide cost-effective job flexibility options will gain from satisfying the core needs of their employees. Moreover, studies have indicated that a link between cost-effective flexible choices and the level of job satisfaction, accuracy,
productivity, recruitment and the retention of employees exists. On the other hand, it is evident that when organizations fulfill the cost-effective job flexibility this will, in the end, promote
employee retention. One of the methods of job flexibility is training and it has been noted that job training is important for personal and professional development. As much as the ability of employees to access training and development programs increases the employee's skills, in the long run, it will lead to organizational growth especially in areas where technology is highly relied upon.
Understanding the employees
Bloom and Van Reenen (2010) view employee surveys are one of the tools used in an organization to ensure that there is a high percentage of employee retention, because they will enable the organization to gather information into the motivations, engagements, and satisfaction of the employees of the organization in general. Denscombe (2014) considers the tool as
essential because when the organization and its management understand the perspectives and opinions of the employees, giving them the opportunity to come up with programs that will focus on specific issues that may reduce the employee retention rates of an organization.
Gary (2011) indicates that another tool useful for understanding employee retention in the organization is the exit interviews. The information is obtained by including exit interviews in the process of employee separation, and it gives the management the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the experience of the employees in the workplace. Katcher and Snyder (2007) perceive the interview as an opportunity for the administration to know the main reason as to why the employee wants to leave and the aspects of work that the employee enjoyed. The information gained during the exit interview will enable the organization to use the knowledge gained to make changes to retain the top talents of an organization (Albrecht & Andretta, 2011). The exit interview should provide an environment in which the employee will give honest answers that will help the organization. Allen (2010) believes that employee retention
consultants may be contracted as a tool to ensure that employee retention rates are high in an organization. These consultants can assist the organization in the processes of retaining best and top employees. Further, they can be critical in addressing issues contributing to the high turnover of employees in the organization. After the successful identification of the problems leading to high turnover, the consultant will suggest or institute changes that will aim at addressing the issue and help implement programs that will contribute to high employee retention levels (Amos et al. 2008; Aswathappa, 2008).
Employees’ empowerment
According to Handelman (2009), empowering the employees of an organization creates a sense of belonging, and a feeling of being a part of the organization. The empowered employees tend to have more confidence in their employer, and this will directly translate into better
performance (Irwin, 2011). This will also improve the quality of service offered to the customers and therefore increase customer satisfaction in the long run. In an industry that is competitive, it is imperative to retain the competent and capable employees to ensure organizational growth. When there is a high turnover in the organization, it will, in the end, affect the reputation and market image of the organization. In the case where an experienced employee resigns then the company will have to spend time and more to recruit and train a new employee to fill the space. Studies done in the recent past have indicated that lack of satisfaction at the workplace, low empowerment levels and moderate support from the management are the leading causes of high turnover in any industry. Organizations can avoid turnover and job blackout by making sure the human resource policy is focusing on giving more power to employees to ensure there is self-governance in the organization. It is, therefore, important to point out that human resource policy play a very critical role in employee retention and this will be through stimulating skilled labor
(Kim, et al., 2005). When setting goals, in an organization, it is essential for the management to involve employees as this will increase employee retention and empowerment as the employee will consider themselves more empowered knowing their job and set goals.
2.2 Conceptual Framework
The present study have examined the issues of employee satisfaction, work motivation and psychological contract in order to accomplice its objective, which constitutes to the examination of the impact of various factors on the employees retention rates within the Greek public sector. Within the study, there has been a correlation between the psychological contracts and the work motivation, on one hand, and the job satisfaction, on the other hand in order to draw some useful conclusions concerning the turnover rates in Greek state corporations.
The severe financial crisis that has occurred in Greece during the last decade should be taken into serious consideration while drawing conclusions on the issue that is investigated within the present study because it has been the cause of great structural changes within the Greek public sector, especially when it comes to job permanence, which was guaranteed for state employees before the outburst of the crisis.
The employee retention will be examined within the present study in correlation to various factors such as reward practices adopted by the state corporations and individual factors like gender and race. Moreover, the turnover rates within the risk groups, the turnover rates of the past 3 years (2015-2017), the voluntary turnover and the employees’ propensity to quit will be examined.
CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction
This chapter addresses dependent and independent variables, demographic characteristics of participants, and interview questions and how such questions related to hypotheses previously formulated were operationalized. The study hypothesized that psychological contracts have significant impact on the level of employee satisfaction in state corporations in Greece. Moreover, it hypothesized that work motivation impacts significantly employee satisfaction in state corporations in Greece. Psychological contracts and work motivation were correlated with employee satisfaction to establish whether there is a significant effect. The outcome will define the underlying relationship between these variables and their effect on employee turnover in Greece state corporations. The section is organized in the following format: research design, data collection approaches, and sample population and size.
The present study adopts cross-sectional analysis to analyze the data collected from key respondents in a representative population within state corporations in Greece to establish factors that affect employee turnover today. The approach was selected because the study needs to gather both qualitative and quantitative data, which describes the characteristics and nature of the factors that impact on employee study state corporations in the said country. The study will employ cross-sectional regression to sort out the existence and extent of causal effects of
employee turnover in state corporations in Greece on dependent variables (Creswell, 2009). The design will be applied to a representative sample and the findings of the study will be generalized to the entire population (Denscombe, 2014). For a more insightful understanding of the results, both quantitative and qualitative methods will be used in the study. The design was considered appropriate because of its ability to facilitate the collection of reliable data, depicting the true attributes and nature of factors that impact on employee turnover in Greece state corporations.
Variable Concept Performance
Measures
Questions
Dependent Variable Employee Retention Turnover What is the rate of employee retention at the company
Independent Variable Level of employee satisfaction
Employee
Satisfaction Index
In a scale of 1 to 5 what is the level of employee
satisfaction? Work motivation HR Metrics In a scale of 1 to 5
what is the level of employee motivation? Level of employee satisfaction Employee Satisfaction Index How do turnover management strategies affect realization of
increased organization efficiency? Level of employee
satisfaction
HR Metrics What could be your probable reason/s for leaving the
organization?
Work motivation HR Metrics Is administrative staff formally briefed on work organization?
3.3 Variables
The dependent variable in this study is employee retention while independent variables will be different factors such as the reward practices and employee participation factors.
Employee turnover is classified as voluntary, avoidable or dysfunctional, and both categories are undesirable and it is what the study seeks to address. For the study, measures include level of employee satisfaction, work motivation and employee retention. Level of employee satisfaction and work motivation were correlated with turnover to establish the impact on retention. The trend of the relationship was important in delineating how retention and turnover rates could be manipulated for the benefit of these organizations.
3.4 Study Population
Mugenda and Mugenda (2003) opine that study population is a specified or well-defined set of people, groups of households, services, firms, events or elements of interest and under investigation.. The target population for the study will be the state-owned corporations in Greece. The state-owned corporations that form part of the study population will include Athens Mass Transit System, Athens Metro, Hellenic Vehicle Industry (ELVO), Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation and KTEL, all located in Athens. Considering that the study employs convenient
sampling, it would be appropriate that corporations to be surveyed are within a single city. Key respondents will be selected from randomly chosen firms and their feedback will be useful in informing the study on the subject under investigation.
3.5 Sample Design and Size
A sample is a term used in reference to a section of a target population. It refers to a small group selected from the whole target population in which the study is undertaken and represents the target population in terms of characteristics and trends. Sampling refers to the process of selecting a representative part of the population. For this study, stratified sampling with the selection of the strata based on the sector of operations. The stratified random sampling method was chosen because of its contribution statistical efficiency of the study sample, providing adequate data for analyzing the various sub-populations while enabling different research methods and procedures to be employed among strata (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2013). It, therefore, follows that about 30% of the state corporations from each sector will be a good
sample. The use of 30% as the sample is considered according to the suggestion by Mugenda and Mugenda (2003) who allow it for descriptive studies. The respondents will be of age between 27 and 60 years. They will be from the Human Resource departments of Athens Mass Transit System, Athens Metro, Hellenic Vehicle Industry (ELVO), Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation and KTEL, all located in Athens. The participants will have educational qualifications ranging between tertiary to post-graduate and vast knowledge about the organization and HR strategies employed.
3.6 Data Collection
In the study, a self-administered questionnaire will be used in the collection of primary data. The questionnaire will include both closed- and open-ended questions to facilitate easy
administration. The questionnaire had two section, with the first section focused on demographic characteristics while the other containing measure on employee retention (see appendix).
Respondents were provided multiple choice questions and they were expected to indicate the degree to which statements represent the variable being measured to safeguard data quality. A five-point Likert scale was used to measure variables with structured questions designed to allow easy analysis, with scores of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 representing Very High, High, Average, Low, and Very Low, respectively. The scale will also be scored as: (1= Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree). The questionnaire was
administered in person purposely to safeguard the integrity of the study from bias. The
instrument was in two parts, with the first section handling biographic data of the respondent and the second addressing the finer details of the issues under investigation.
The questionnaires covered all the variables on the specific objectives using simple, clear and precise language that is understandable to the respondent. Closed-ended questions were used to predict the possible outcomes. The particular objectives guided the formulation of the
questionnaire. A questionnaire is an instrument used to collect data from a large sample, (Mugenda&Mugenda, 2003). Primary data was obtained using structured interview schedule administered on the selected employees of different state corporations in Greece. The interview guide instrument was also used for the senior management of the corporations to allow for clarification of information obtained from questionnaires. Use of interviews is a flexible method with high response rate and makes it possible to collect additional information. The study was conducted for the senior staff who have experience and whose ideas bring more to the research regarding the effect of various factors influencing employee retention in state corporations in Greece. The available data for this study will be mainly secondary data from reviewing books,
journals, articles as well as document analysis on retention issues in Greece. 3.7 Validity and Reliability
The instrument will be pretested prior to its administration to guarantee reliability and validity. Mugenda and Mugenda (2013) view that the objective of pretesting the data collection instrument is to ascertain that the statement of items within the questionnaire is clear and mean the same to all respondents. It is through the process that the ease of use of the instrument will be established, and any sensitive, biased or confusing items were identified, omitted or modified. Brann and Clerke (2006) indicate that the phase allows the refining of the test to weight on the clarity of questions and the determination of the average time necessary for its administration, as well as useful in the actual planning of the data collection process. Validity is concerned with the degree to which empirical measure or several measures of a concept accurately represent that concept (Neuman, 2006). The study variables represent the accuracy of the data. For this study, the instrument will undergo expert review from university supervisors to ensure that validity is achieved. According to the definition given by Mugenda and Mugenda (2013), reliability as a measure of the degree to which a research instrument yields consistent results or data after repeated trials. Reliability of the tools will be determined using the test re-test method and the Pearsons’ product-moment correlation coefficient formula used. A coefficient of 0.80 or more will deem the instrument reliable.
3.8 Data Analysis and Presentation
Analysis of quantitative data will be done using descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS version 20 and the qualitative data will be analysed in themes. Mugenda & Mugenda (2013) describes descriptive statistics as one that involves the process of computing a mass of raw data into tables, and charts, with frequency distribution and percentages. According to Brann
and Clerke (2006), thematic analysis is a method for identifying and analysing themes (patterns) contained by data. It looks across all the data to identify the main themes and give a summary of all the views collected (Quinn, 2012). Thematic analysis interprets different aspects of research and it simply organizes and describes dataset in details. Thematic analysis will be appropriate for this study because it was not grounded in any particular specific framework, and therefore, can be applied across a wide range of qualitative research approaches, making it flexible for use. 3.9 Ethical Considerations
Ethics are defined as norms of conduct that differentiates between what is acceptable and what is not acceptable when conducting a scientific investigation. Ethics are considered in any study to ensure the data collected is of high quality and the rights of the research are safeguarded. Matters of privacy and confidentiality of the information provided by participants will be highly respected and only used for the purposes of the research. The issue of ethics is very important because, despite the high value of knowledge gained through research, knowledge cannot be persuaded at the expense of the human dignity (Yuko, 2009).
Leedy (2005) categories ethical issues into four (4) classifications: protection from harm, the right to privacy, informed consent and professional honesty with colleagues. In addition, Kumar (2005) takes the issue of informed consent further, by arguing that it is unethical to collect data devoid of the knowledge of the subjects, and their expressed willingness and
informed consent to take part in a study. In social science studies, anonymity and confidentiality are essential ethical concerns to be taken into account. It is important for the scholar to protect the identity of individual’s information and ensure that data collected is reported honestly and source of information is not disclosed, except where the respondent has given his or her
privacy. Respondents will be assured that the information they provide will be treated
confidentially. Statements of confidentiality will be written in the questionnaires and verbally communicated during the administration of instruments.
In case of any benefits obtained from the study, the entire target population will benefit rather than just participants. Other important ethical issues, such as privacy and confidentiality of the information, will be clarified to the respondents. Anonymity and respect for the right to voluntary withdrawal will study safeguarded with participants treated with dignity before embarking on the administration of the research tools. The respondents will be given a specified time to respond to the questions, after which they will hand them over. Informed consent will be sought from respondents without coercing or enticing them to participate. The participation will be purely on voluntary basis and no punishment will be rendered on those who did not wish to participate in the study. Direct feedback on the findings will be given to the participants upon completion of the research. The process is necessary demonstrate the value of their participation and acknowledgment of their efforts. Before the study is conducted, the necessary approvals will be sought from the university and department in question, as well as from the approved ethical committees.
CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS 4.1 Introduction
The chapter focuses on inspecting the research findings to understand the issue of employee turnover in the state corporations in Greece. The study assessed the rate of work turnover at state corporations in Greece for three years, exploring the factors influencing employee retention, as well as ways used by organizations in order to address the issue of employee turnover and increase rates of retention. It was hypothesized that psychological contracts have positive and significant effect on impact the level of employee satisfaction, and that work motivation has great effect on employee satisfaction in state corporations in Greece. The data presented in this section was based primarily on questionnaires and interviews administered to members of the state corporations that were studied, as well as on literature on HR. The study established that it was essential to create a retention mechanism for state
corporations in Greece since the turnover rate is inside an acceptable range and the dysfunctional turnover is less of a concern.
4.2 Data Presentation
The examination relied on the responses documented from questionnaires and interviews administered senior management and employees, as well as directors. Literature informed all findings and observations. In the study, statistical analysis was conducted based on SPSS with descriptive (standard deviations, means, skewness, and kurtosis) and inferential statistics. Correlation coefficients were used in the determination of the relationships between factors and
variables, with 1.0 interpreted as a small effect, 0.30 as moderate effect and 0.50 as a significant effect with regards to the practical significance. The degree of importance was used in the determination of the level of significance of the outcomes. One-way ANOVA determined the differences among classes, with p < 0.5 as the level of significance and a Scheffe post-hoc test used in the determination of whether the groups were distinct. For the establishment of the percentage of variance within the dependent, which is explained by the independent variable, multiple regression analysis was used. For purposes of addressing the inquiry of whether independent variables (OC factors) had a significant effect on the dependent variable (desire to leave the organization), Beta (b) values were reported in the multiple regression analysis. 4.3 Turnover Data
The three-year data was gathered from the Greece state corporations to assess the issue of employee retention. The findings of the study established that employee’s rate of turnover differs throughout the years and tend to decrease with time. The table below displays data on turnover retrieved from Human Resource Information System (HRIS) from the organizations analyzed. The examination over a multi-year timespan yielded steady outcomes, with the overall employee turnover being the highest in 2016 (4.89%) in comparison to 2015 (4.70%) and 2017 (4.34%), the lowest turnover being represented by the last-mentioned. The primary reason behind the slight deviation mirrored in 2016 was two redundancies and ten voluntary early retirements. Table 1: Employee Turnover 2015-2017
Category 2015 Staff = 4,227 2016 Staff = 4,470 2017 Staff = 4,651
N Percentage of Staff Population N Percentage of Staff Population N Percentage of Staff Population Deceased 5 0.11 12 0.26 16 0.34
