Strategies to improve employee retention in medium-sized businesses in the Garden Route

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