Employee turnover: causes and retention strategies

The research aims to determine the factors determining employee turnover and foresee possible management techniques for employee turnover management in the organization. The following research methods were applied: analytical, descriptive, quantitative and statistical. After using a quantitative research strategy and based on the respondents' (n=294) assessment results, the possible extent of employee turnover in the organization and the respondents' attitude toward work in the organization were identified, as well as the causes impacting employee turnover were specified based on which possible techniques for decreasing the employee turnover in the organization were determined. After analyzing the employee attitude toward work in the organization, the research data showed that even though a large number of respondents felt successful in their work and assessed the work in the organization as interesting and attractive, more than two-thirds (64.7%) of the research participants admitted that employee turnover in the organization is high. Even 51.7% of respondents were very often or often thinking about changing their jobs in the last half year. The research found that failure in job expectations, the lack of motivation and the professional skills required were the main personal factors impacting employees' willingness to change jobs. On the other hand, uncompetitive salaries and limited opportunities for career and professional development, as well as underestimation of work results and efforts, ignoring the individual needs of employees, restricted possibilities to show initiative and participate in decision-making processes and lack of room for self-expression and realization of one's personality are considered the most critical external reasons determining employee turnover in the organization. Based on the research results, it could be stated that employee turnover management requires complex decision-making at the organizational level, which covers the creation of a favourable psychological microclimate, the employee recognition and evaluation for their efforts, the creation of a flexible approach to the singularities of work organization, ensuring the relationship between colleagues and the manager and fostering its feedback. Moreover, in employee turnover management, it should be appropriate to ensure personal and professional development, improve the motivation system, and provide opportunities for choosing a flexible workload and schedule.