| Abstract | Retaining a skilled workforce and decreasing unwanted employee turnover is an economic and service delivery necessity for organisations. Key to operational and
service delivery excellence is high employee retention. Many studies have investigated the job satisfaction/turnover relationship with regards to employee retention. This study builds on these works to investigate employee retention from a different angle by
examining employee perceptions of workforce retention strategies to determine if any aspects of the strategy have an influence on employee turnover intention. The test site
for this study was Queensland Health. The 3000 nurses targeted were from 63 sites in 8 Health Service Districts within the organisation. Survey methodology was chosen as
the most appropriate for the geographically spread sample. Three motivation theories were adapted and applied to workforce retention strategies to identify retention factors
and these were included in a conceptual framework to test the relationships. The survey looked at awareness of, participation in, and perceived effectiveness of, 28 workforce retention strategies offered by Queensland Health and how these might influence an employee’s intention to turnover. The relationship between retention factors and
turnover intention was also investigated, and demographic variables were included to determine if they affected the relationship between retention factors and turnover
intention. The study’s findings confirmed that of the cohort of nurses surveyed, most were aware of, and had participated in, one or more of the workforce retention strategies listed. The
major obstacle in the respondents’ awareness was their lack of knowledge of which workforce retention strategies were being offered, mostly due to lack of promotion. The
ranking of the effectiveness of workforce retention strategies exposed a preference for those that provided a monetary advantage, and to a lesser degree, a professional
development opportunity. The study also revealed that there was a positive relationship between retention factors and decreased turnover intention. Further to these findings, a
number of themes emerged consistently and strongly regarding nurses’ perception of turnover intention. These included; lack of support, lack of leadership, high workload, shortage of staff, bullying and no recognition of the role. These results have important implications for practical improvements in Queensland Health. The findings have set a solid foundation for further investigations and expanded research opportunities, whilst shedding a little light on this complex relationship. |
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