Employee Retention: Human Resource Strategies

Introduction

Background of the Study

Over the last few decades, the concept of human resource management (HRM) has continued to attract the attention of scholars, corporate leaders, policymakers, and other experts in the business and management realms. As competition in almost all sectors and fields continues to increase, employees have become one of the most valuable assets for most companies across the globe (Meyer & Xin, 2018). Without a dedicated, motivated, skilled, and knowledgeable workforce, few organizations are likely to retain high competitiveness and performance rates. Organizations ought to retain such a workforce at all times if they are to survive in the rather dynamic and competitive world (Pandita & Ray, 2018). Specifically, extant literature demonstrates a strong link between the retention of a highly skilled and dedicated workforce and customer satisfaction (Ivana, 2020). Organizations that attract, recruit, train, and motivate employees and retain them over long periods are likely to experience high performance, leading to improved service and product provision that satisfies customers (Pandita & Ray, 2018). The ability of a firm to achieve a competitive edge over its rivals in the market depends on the capabilities of workers within a firm (Meyer & Xin, 2018). Successful firms have realized that attracting and retaining customers requires a sustainable pool of highly talented employees (Meyer & Xin, 2018). As firms struggle to remain customer-centric, they must understand that it all starts with attracting and retaining the right employees.

Problem Statement

Despite the a significant challenge facing many human resources (HR) leaders and company managers is retaining employees. They often counter issues associated with employee retention, such as performance, productivity, and availability (Wilkinson & Dundon, 2021). Human resource strategies are evolving as competition continues to be stiff across different industries. When new employees are hired, it takes time and resources to train them to understand practices and culture within the firm and how to ensure that customers are satisfied (Torrington et al., 2020). As such, it is in the interest of a firm to ensure that skilled employees are retained within the firm for as long as possible. Ivana (2020) asserts that many firms have ignored the need to treat employees respectfully and with dignity, just as they treat their esteemed customers. They believe that as long as workers are paid a fair salary, they will always remain loyal and committed to the firm (Torrington et al., 2020). Such managers would ignore the well-being of their employees and instead focus on meeting customers’ needs at all costs.

Many organizations are constantly in search of talented and skilled employees. Torrington et al. (2020) indicate, workers with these qualifications can quickly move from one company where they feel unappreciated to another where they believe they can achieve their full potential (Torrington et al., 2020). In such an environment, it becomes necessary for a firm to redefine its human resource strategies (Rodríguez-Sánchez et al., 2020). Rodríguez-Sánchez et al. (2020) argue that it becomes essential for an employer to provide employees with a value proposition that they (employees) would find attractive. They have to treat their workers in the same way that they do their customers (Anwar & Abdullah, 2021). In this thesis, the researcher seeks to assess human resource strategies that a firm can use to attract and retain employees.

The motivation for the Study

Creativity and innovation have become critical success factors in highly competitive industries worldwide. Pandita and Ray (2018) argue that the ability of a firm to meet the needs of its customers effectively depends on the creativity and innovativeness of its employees. Workers are expected to develop unique ways of solving the challenges that they face. Creativity helps develop superior products in the market (Torrington et al., 2020). It also helps in cutting down the overall cost of operation, enabling a firm to increase its profit margin without having to increase its profits. Creativity and innovation are only possible if a firm manages to attract and retain talented employees (Sims & Bias, 2019). There is a need for a firm to see an employee as a customer and employer-ship as a value proposition. This way, there will be motivation to find ways of making them satisfied and committed to the firm’s success (Sims & Bias, 2019).

The study seeks to identify various ways a firm can attract and retain talent. There is a general perception that the only possible way of attracting and retaining customers is to offer them attractive remuneration (Alzyoud, 2018). Although an attractive salary is one of the most essential factors that help in attracting and retaining top talents, sometimes a firm may need to do more than that (Alzyoud, 2018). Culture remains one of the most defining factors that determine the ability of a firm to retain its top talents (Stewart & Brown, 2020). Once attractive salaries are used to attract them to the firm, they need a culture that allows them to be creative in their undertakings (Stone-Romero & Rosopa, 2020; Sims & Bias, 2019). In this study, the idea is to assess these various techniques and how they can be used collectively to ensure that employees feel valued by the employer.

Research Questions

Strategies that an organization uses to manage its employees define the level of satisfaction. In this research, the primary interest is to determine the human resource strategies that a firm can use to attract and retain customers. As such, the following is the primary research question that guided the process of data collection and analysis.

Main research question:

• What are the customer-centric strategies that define the ability of a firm to attract and retain top talents?

Sub-questions:

To achieve the objective set in the primary question above, the researcher also developed the following sub-questions:

1. What are the main reasons that often lead to a high employee turnover rate in an organization?
2. What are employees’ expectations towards the employer within a firm?
3. What is the appropriate value proposition for employees that can help attract and retain top talents within a firm?

Literature Review

Overview of the Chapter

The previous chapter has provided a background of the research and the questions that will guide the process of collecting data. In this chapter, the focus is to provide a detailed review of the relevant literature in the field. According to Anwar and Abdullah (2021), when conducting research, it is essential to start by reviewing the relevant literature. The authors also reveal that a literature review helps understand what other scholars have discovered in that field. The literature review not only provides background information but also enables a researcher to avoid duplicating already existing information. The field of human resource management has attracted many scholars over the years (Wilkinson & Dundon, 2021). As such, one can make the mistake of duplicating the existing information. To avoid such a challenge, the study needs to be narrowed down, and a literature review conducted to identify existing knowledge gaps.

In this chapter, the researcher will examine and analyze the extant literature from previous studies on human resource strategies as they relate to the concept of employee sustenance. First, the review will examine the existing understanding of the theoretical and conceptual framework that forms the basis of this particular study and identify the hypothesis thereof (Pandita & Ray, 2018). Secondly, the chapter examines the definitions and meanings of human resource management and HRM strategies, their evolvement over time, types, theories, applications, and implications in organizational management (Pandita & Ray, 2018). Third, the review analyzes the concept of retaining employees, including the associated issue of employee turnover, implications, solutions, and theoretical perspectives. Then, the review examines the link or relationship between HRM strategies and the concept of retaining employees (Ivana, 2020). Finally, the review reveals the gaps in the existing knowledge about the relationship between the two concepts, which is the basis for conducting this study, whose aim is to contribute to narrowing or filling the particular hiatus.

Conceptual and Theoretical Framework

Noteworthy, many theoretical perspectives support the relationship between HRM strategies and employee retention in an organization and industry. The universalistic perspective, the social exchange theory, the ability, motivation, and opportunity (AMO) theory, the contingency theory, and the fully integrated model support this relationship (Hamadamin & Atan, 2019).

Human Capital Theory

The human capital theory forms the conceptual framework for this specific study. The human capital theory, developed in the early 1960s by Schultz and improved by Becker, suggests that education and training have an impact on raising the productivity of workers by imparting essential skills and knowledge (Papa et al., 2018). Hence, training and educating workers raise their future income by increasing their ability to earn in their lifetime (Ashton, 2018). The theory asserts that the expenditure that the company undergoes in training and educating the employees is costly and should be treated as an investment because the aim is to increase personal income (Aboramadan et al., 2019). From this perspective, human capital is treated similarly to physical means of production, such as equipment and machines, given that organization’s output partly depends on the rate of return on its human capital (Hamadamin & Atan, 2019). This implies that human capital is a means of production in which additional investment is expected to improve organizational outputs.

Nevertheless, the human capital theory has been criticized for assuming that worker education and training will necessarily guarantee employee retention. It has been argued that the developers of this concept failed to consider the transfer of learning (Hamadamin & Atan, 2019). The duration of training and education does not necessarily assure that the employees will stay longer in the organization (Aboramadan et al., 2019). Even though there is such an assurance, the organization might not be sure of its effectiveness because highly-skilled, knowledgeable, and educated employees are likely to search for better employment opportunities and leave the company anytime.

As Ashton (2018), notes, Schultz developed the human capital theory to demonstrate that human capital is a product of investments and the most distinctive and significant aspect of an economic system. Schultz further studied the relationship between investing in employees and the ability of a firm to address the concerns of HRM and human capital in relationship with profitability (Ashton, 2018). As Schultz indicates, the HCT model has three key constructs- investing in employee education, on-the-job training, and internal migration of employees for job advancement (Aboramadan et al., 2019). The most critical aspect of the model is that individuals are inseparable from the skills and knowledge they acquire (Papa et al., 2018). Therefore, HR leaders must continually invest in developing value for their employees because the rate of return yield is highly profitable (Aboramadan et al., 2019). An organization that invests in employees’ education, as well as on-the-job training, is likely to achieve enhanced individual expertise, knowledge, and productivity. Moreover, HR leaders need to provide their employees the opportunities for training and education, which will facilitate internal migration for job advancement and retention of workers (Ashton, 2018). Consequently, the HCT model forms the conceptual framework and the foundation for the analysis of research findings related to the HRM strategies that companies use to retain their employees.

Social Exchange Theory

Developed by George Homans, the social exchange theory (SET) defines social exchange as the exchange of tangible or intangible activity and, more or less costly or rewarding, between two parties (Hamadamin & Atan, 2019). This theory is based on a sociological and psychological perspective, which asserts that social exchange and stability are a process of some negotiated exchanges between the two parties. With its roots in economics, sociology, and psychology, this theory features assumptions of structuralism and rational choice theory. SET establishes that human relationships are formed through the use of a subjective cost-benefit analysis as well as a comparison of the available alternatives.

Concerning HRM and employee retention, SET views employment relationships as a function of economic and social exchanges. From an economic perspective, the exchange relationships involve the exchange of economic or financial benefits to the employees in return for their efforts in helping the firm achieve its objectives (Aboramadan et al., 2019). This relationship depends on formal contracts between the organization and its workers, which are often legally enforceable. On the contrary, social exchanges tend to be voluntary. They can be initiated by how an organization treats its employees as it expects them to reciprocate by performing to the best possible level. This theory posits that individuals will attach themselves to their organization, expecting to gain some rewards from the firm (Hamadamin & Atan, 2019). Accordingly, employees enter the organization with particular desires and goals and specific skills. They expect to find a working environment where they can utilize their knowledge and skills, achieve their goals, and satisfy their desires. When employees perceive that the workplace environment created by the firm helps them achieve these objectives, they are likely to stay longer (Papa et al., 2018). On the contrary, an organization that fails to provide rewards for the workers’ efforts sufficiently creates a working environment that does not support achieving the employees’ objectives, which is likely to decrease worker retention.

Therefore, SET suggests that employees tend to respond to perceived favorable working conditions by behaving in a manner that results in some benefits to the organization. Similarly, they tend to retaliate against conditions that do not satisfy them by engaging in work attitudes that harm the employer, such as lateness, poor performance, absenteeism, and even preparing to quit (Papa et al., 2018). Regarding retention, SET suggests that employees exchange their loyalty, attachment, and identification to the organization for specific incentives (Papa et al., 2018). Therefore, the decision by an employee to become and remain a member of a firm is primarily determined by that individual’s perception of the fairness of the balance between personal contributions and organizational inducements (Papa et al., 2018). As such, employees have to believe that they are treated fairly for them to commit their loyalty and identity of the organization.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in relation to strategies for retaining employees

The concept of treating employees as customers makes it necessary to use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to determine how best they can be cared for within an organization (Akella et al., 2021). This theory identifies the different needs of different people who have achieved a given social level in life (Akella et al., 2021). At the lowest level of the pyramid are basic needs identified as physiological needs. These are employees of a firm who are on a minimum wage, and their concern is to earn income to meet these needs (Flynn et al., 2022). In many cases, these are immigrants, some of whom may be in the country illegally and are keen on getting jobs that can enable them to meet their basic needs. When handling these employees, the management should ensure they get their salaries and wages at the right time. Paying slightly above the minimum wage may be one of the best strategies for ensuring that they are retained and remain motivated at their work.

The second tier on the ladder is the individual seeking safety and security needs. The assumption is that these employees can find employment in other companies but have limited skills. They may lack college certificates but are aware that their semi-skilled labor is needed by other companies (Meyer & Xin, 2018). Occupational health and safety are major concerns for these employees. They also value attractive salaries, which should be above the minimum wage. Beyond this stage are those who have belonging and love needs (Stewart & Brown, 2020). They are skilled employees with college degrees. Their services can be rendered to many companies; hence they may not have a problem switching employers. Retaining these workers requires a firm to create an environment that will facilitate their growth. Their effort should be publicly appreciated and rewarded to ensure they feel valued (Stewart & Brown, 2020). Just like in the other categories, they also need attractive remuneration that is beyond the minimum wage.

The next level of the ladder is esteem needs, as shown in figure 2.3. These are highly skilled and experienced workers who are the primary drivers of change and success of the firm. These are the employees responsible for creating creativity and innovativeness in the firm (Sharma et al., 2020). In many cases, their remuneration does not depend on the minimum or average wage in the country. Instead, they are paid based on the value that they offer to the firm. As such, it is common to find cases where their salaries are ten times more than their colleagues who were hired simultaneously. Hughes (2020) explains that for these employees, salary is no longer an issue that defines their satisfaction. Instead, they focus on the culture at the firm and how it aligns with their personal goals and aspirations. These employees need an environment where they can make decisions and define policies at their firm (Stewart & Brown, 2020). They do not need close supervision because they can make independent decisions that benefit the firm.

The pyramid’s apex includes those focused on self-actualization, which involves achieving one’s full potential. In many cases, these tend to be senior managers at the firm who have climbed the career ladder and feel that they have achieved most of the goals they set in their career path (Kurtz et al., 2019). Their goal may be to become the chief executive officer of the firm or the head of their departments (Stewart & Brown, 2020). When handling such senior managers, a firm should focus on creating an environment for self-fulfillment (Crawshaw et al., 2020). Beyond remuneration, these employees may be primarily concerned about mentoring junior workers who may succeed them in the future.

Review of Human Resource Mechanisms and Techniques for Attracting and Retaining Employees

HR best practices for employee retention

Human resource management has evolved because of changes in the socioeconomic and political environment (Pandita & Ray, 2018). Pandita and Ray (2018) explain that during the industrial revolution and many decades after that, autocratic leadership was the standard approach to governance in the workplace. Business owners and managers had absolute power, and employees had to follow strict rules and regulations. They had immense power over employees because of few employment opportunities and the legal environment that allowed such levels of exploitation at that time (Pathak & Rana, 2021). However, this trend is changing, and it has become necessary for firms to embrace strategies meant to protect the interest of workers and make them feel valued instead of strategies that force them to deliver. In this part, the researcher looks at some theories that can help attract and retain talented employees.

In the current competitive business environment, firms are under immense pressure to retain their top talents that can promote creativity and innovativeness. Mechanisms and techniques used to manage employees have also evolved. Crawshaw et al. (2020) explain that when skilled employee feels unappreciated within a firm, they can easily move to the next company where they feel that they can achieve their best potential. As such, HR must embrace best practices in managing employees (Torrington et al., 2020). Figure 2.1 below identifies some of the best practices for managing human resources within the workplace.

Directing a happy workplace has been identified as one of the critical techniques for managing human resources. Alzyoud (2018) explains that human beings are social and, as such, cherish an environment where they are happy. When employees are happy, they tend to focus better on their jobs and are always willing to make an extra effort to ensure that they excel in their assignments (Alzyoud, 2018). Attractive remuneration is one of the ways of ensuring that workers are satisfied and happy with their work. HR also needs to ensure that these employees are offered a conducive environment where they can achieve their full potential (Sims & Bias, 2019). Using punitive measures when a mistake is made should be minimized or eliminated. In case an individual makes a mistake, corrective measures should emphasize guiding them to ensure that they do not repeat the same in the future.

The open book management style is needed as a governance strategy within a firm (Stewart & Brown, 2020). This concept involves creating transparency within an organization by ensuring that the correct information is accessible to every individual within the firm (Stewart & Brown, 2020). It also involves empowering the employees through training to ensure that they can use the information made available to them when making various work-related decisions. This strategy makes employees feel appreciated (Sims & Bias, 2019). It ensures that they are actively involved in making both tactical and strategic decisions meant to facilitate the growth of the firm (Alzyoud, 2018). Transparency also helps in eliminating malpractices such as theft and misuse of resources by a section of the employees (Pathak & Rana, 2021). Everyone is expected to explain their actions and expenses to the relevant authorities as regularly as possible.

Furthermore, rewarding employees based on their performance is a powerful tool that enhances hard work and personal sacrifice among employees. In a workplace environment, people tend to put in different efforts when assigned specific tasks. Some individuals prefer to complete their tasks quickly, even if it means working extra hours (Flynn et al., 2022). Others may fall into the temptation of deliberately underperforming, especially if they know that the management is not strict with its supervision. In the past, lazy employees would be punished to ensure that they performed per the management’s expectations (Torrington et al., 2020). However, using such punitive measures is no longer effective, as an employee may opt to work for a different firm. Rewards have emerged as a more effective tool for encouraging employees to deliver.

Improving the workplace environment is strongly linked with high employee satisfaction and retention rates. The 360-degree performance management feedback system is also encouraged in the current workplace environment (Torrington et al., 2020). Providing performance feedback in the workplace is essential in enabling everyone to understand the progress that they are making (Sims & Bias, 2019). When using this tool, a firm will put several approaches to assessing personal performance. The first will be personal evaluation, where individual employees will be allowed to assess their performance and state whether they feel they have improved or dropped (Torrington et al., 2020). The second approach is the evaluation that is performed by peers, who can determine if their colleague in the workplace has improved or not (Meyer & Xin, 2018). The third evaluation should be done by subordinates, who can explain if their superior has improved in delivering their tasks. The fourth approach would be an evaluation by the superiors, who are expected to determine if their subordinates have improved (Stewart & Brown, 2020). The information from the comprehensive assessment should be made available with the aim of enhancing everyone’s performance.

Using a natural evaluation system is considered another best practice in the workplace. Pandita and Ray (2018) believe performance evaluation is a critical HR task. It helps employees to determine if they are making good progress in their respective places of work. The evaluation process should be as simple and transparent as possible. It should focus on specific aspects of performance, such as output over a given period, creativity and innovativeness, teamwork, quality of work, and related parameters (Anwar & Abdullah, 2021). The goal is to ensure that employees can identify their areas of weakness and address them.

It is suggested that sharing knowledge is a critical human resource mechanism that should be encouraged in the workplace. For example, Stone-Romero & Rosopa (2020) argue that the ability of employees to deliver excellent work is partly determined by the information that they have (Aboramadan et al., 2019). The right knowledge gives them power, especially when it comes to meeting the unique needs of customers. It is the responsibility of the management to gather market intelligence, process it, and then make it available to employees. Kurtz et al. (2019) warn that care should be taken when sharing critical intelligence with employees. Some of them may share the information with rivals, especially those who are currently dissatisfied with the firm and are keen on moving to another company.

Highlighting performers is encouraged as a means of motivating hard workers. As social beings, people value public praise because it reaffirms their commitment and determination at work. According to Anwar and Abdullah (2021), sometimes highlighting performers is a better motivation than financial rewards. It creates a unique status for such performers within the firm. Employees would struggle to outperform each other to occupy such prestigious positions (Sims & Bias, 2019). HR should ensure that unhealthy competition where one tries to sabotage the other is discouraged as much as possible.

Recent studies demonstrate that various strategies can be applied to achieve this objective. According to Anwar and Abdullah (2021), open house discussions and feedback are other essential HR practices that must be encouraged. The concept of open-door policy has gained massive popularity not only in the United States but also in other parts of the world (Torrington et al., 2020). Managers should create an environment where employees can easily share their views with their superiors (Gallardo-Gallardo et al., 2020). It is also important for supervisors to pass information to subordinates through discussions instead of strict instructions where employees are not expected to question anything.

The figure below also encourages the management to pleasure employees with the unexpected. The goal, in this case, is to ensure that workers remain happy and committed to the firm. An end-of-the-year trip to a holiday destination is one of the ways of offering them unexpected benefits (Stone-Romero & Rosopa, 2020). The firm can also consider giving unexpected bonuses to the employees as a way of appreciating their hard work and commitment. Consequently, this is an approach for demonstrating to the workers that they are valued within the firm and that they should continue making positive efforts.

In this study, the focus was to identify and discuss HR strategies for attracting and retaining employees. It involved viewing employees as customers who need to be taken care of effectively to ensure they remain loyal to the firm (Stone-Romero & Rosopa, 2020). In the section above, various HR best practices have been identified and discussed. In this section, the focus is to narrow the discussion to the most important strategies that can market the firm as being the most conducive for employees (Stewart & Brown, 2020). Doing so will enable the firm to attract and retain some of the most talented workers.

Happy Workplace Environment

Creating a happy workplace environment is one of the critical marketing mechanisms that a firm should use to attract and retain top talents within an organization. Accomplishing specific tasks can sometimes be demanding and stressful for employees (Crawshaw et al., 2020). When the management puts unnecessary demands and introduces punitive measures, employees can get even more frustrated. They would easily consider moving to other jobs where they feel appreciated (Hamdan et al., 2021). To avoid unnecessary employee turnover, a firm should focus on creating a happy workplace environment.

A happy workplace eliminates most stressors and issues likely to impact employees and their performance negatively. As Anwar and Abdullah (2021) state, it requires the firm to be concerned about the lifestyle of their employee both at work and when they are at home. Challenges that an individual faces in their private lives directly affects their performance. As such, sometimes, the firm will be forced to investigate specific challenges that affect an individual when they are out of work (Stewart & Brown, 2020). If possible, such challenges should be addressed to ensure employees can focus on their assignments. In the workplace, there should be healthy competition where everyone is committed to helping their colleagues to facilitate the overall success of the organization.

Remunerations and Rewards

The primary reason why a majority of people have to report to work every morning is because of the need to earn a living. They need the monthly payment to ensure they can pay their bills and meet other financial obligations (Torrington et al., 2020). As such, the significance of remuneration and rewards in motivating employees cannot be overlooked when assessing ways of attracting and retaining employees. According to Pandita and Ray (2018), some of the best-performing companies in Silicon Valley are known to offer attractive remunerations as a way of attracting and retaining some of the top talents in the industry. Therefore, understand that one of the defining factors when an employee is looking to settle with a specific employer is the pay.

Firms have developed ways of rewarding top-performing employees to retain them. First, there is the basic salary that everyone gets as defined by their job group (Meyer & Xin, 2018). However, the difference comes in terms of the allowances and other benefits relating to one’s performance. The approach is effective because it creates an atmosphere of fairness (Meyer & Xin, 2018). Employees will know that as long as they are in the same job group, their basic salary is the same. However, the net pay will directly depend on the output of an individual employee (Crawshaw et al., 2020). Thus, the main goal is to attract and retain self-driven, highly-skilled employees keen on getting high remunerations because of their commitment and hard work.

Employee Empowerment

Empowerment is another marketing strategy that can help a firm to attract and retain talented employees. The goal of every individual within a given company is to climb the career ladder to the highest office possible (Pathak & Rana, 2021). The highly ambitious and talented employees often strive to become the chief executive officers at their firm. With such a high target, they will be willing to sacrifice their time and make an extra effort to ensure that they excel in tasks assigned to them. They will want to identify specific challenges that affect their firm and try to find unique solutions (Bilgin et al., 2020). They will also try to promote creativity and innovativeness within their sphere of influence.

Such ambitious goals can only be realized if such committed employees are empowered. One of the ways of empowerment is to take them through regular training (Stewart & Brown, 2020). When new best practices emerge in the industry, they will need to be trained effectively. When there are emerging technologies that are meant to revolutionize the industry, these workers will need some form of training. Griffin (2022) explains that training can be conducted at work or in institutions of higher learning. When the goal is to enhance the tactical skills of the employee, then on-job training is often the most desirable (Griffin, 2022). On the other hand, an employee may need to go for further studies if they are targeted for promotion because that will enhance their ability to make strategic decisions.

Empowerment also involves allowing employees to make critical decisions in their sphere of influence (Kurtz et al., 2019). In an environment where strict instructions flow from the top and subordinates are not expected to make decisions, growth becomes a significant challenge (Kurtz et al., 2019). Such employees’ ability to make independent decisions become diminished. As such, the top management should decentralize the decision-making processes. The firm should also promote a culture where workers are involved in critical policy development processes, if it will affect everyone (Akella et al., 2021). Such steps will create a perception and a culture that every single employee, irrespective of their position within the firm, has a role to play in defining policies and strategies to achieve the company’s vision.

Application of Leadership Styles in Retaining Employees

Transformational leadership is one of the governance theories that have gained massive popularity in the recent past (Sims & Bias, 2019). According to Fazey (2020), this governance approach makes a major shift from the traditional approaches that were considered punitive towards employees. Instead, it focuses on five main pillars, as shown in figure 2.2 below. The first pillar is identified as modeling the way. Instead of a leader issuing an instruction to employees about what they are expected to do, they will provide an example by undertaking that duty (Sims & Bias, 2019). An employee will then understand what is expected of them by observing what a leader does. This way, subordinates will know that what is expected of them is possible and realistic. The leader is expected to encourage the heart of employees instead of using threats (Reed, 2019). Subordinates should realize that they are part of the system and that the firm’s success will be theirs too.

This theory also emphasizes inspiring a shared vision among employees. Anwar and Abdullah (2021) explain that it starts by aligning the vision and expectations of employees with the overall vision of the firm. This way, the firm will ensure that what it seeks to achieve is in line with the vision of the firm. It requires the creation of an organizational culture that aligns the focus of employees with the vision of the organization. Transformational leadership also enables subordinates to act (Gallardo-Gallardo et al., 2020). Instead of constantly issuing instructions that have to be followed strictly by the employees, the management should grant them the opportunity to make some critical decisions. This approach to managing employees creates a sense of responsibility (Gallardo-Gallardo et al., 2020). It makes subordinates feel valued and respected by their superiors.

The last pillar, as shown in the figure below, is the need to challenge the process. One of the most defining principles of transformational leadership is the need to promote continuous growth (Torrington et al., 2020). Instead of setting new limits for employees and insisting that they have to achieve them, the firm will need to make its employees realize that they have more significant potential than the current output. They should realize they can deliver more excellent results (Werner, 2022). The leader should then encourage them to achieve their full potential without using threats. Using the five principles of transformational leadership will create a sustainable environment for the employees.

Using Marketing Mechanisms in Retaining Employees: Application of the Loyalty Ladder to Employee Retention

The loyalty Effect

The loyalty ladder, shown in figure 2.4 below, is a concept often used to classify customers based on their level of engagement with a company. When employees are treated as customers within an organization, this concept can define their level of engagement in the company (Hughes, 2021). Although the loyalty ladder, as first described by Adrian Payne in the late 1990s, directly applies to customers, it can also be used to determine how employees move from prospectus job seekers to a company’s trusted employees and later its advocates. In his research, Fred Reichheld used the loyalty ladder to create a relatively new concept known as the ‘Loyalty Effect’, which applies to employees (Reichheld & Teal, 2017). According to Reichheld’s view, the basic premise in the loyalty effect is that some organizations enjoy loyalty premium over competitors, owing to their ability to create a pool of loyal customers, loyal employees, and loyal shareholders (Reichheld, 2018). Reichheld argues that the loyalty of one group affect those of others (Werner, 2022). For instance, an increased loyalty in one of the three groups will increase the level of loyalty of the two others. Using the case of employee loyalty, Reichheld (2018) argued that if a company is able to create happy employees, then they will serve the customers diligently and respectfully, which in turn will make the customers happy (Werner, 2022). In the same manner, happy customers will always return, which will boost the performance of the company in profitability and value for the shareholders (Reichheld & Teal, 2017). Furthermore, a company that improves the network of its shareholders or owners means that it will also make them happy, implying that they will also strive to ensure that the employees are rewarded for their performance as well. Reichheld argued that the loyalty effect is a cycle in which improvement of the level of loyalty in one group will improve the level in others and the cycle continues (Reichheld & Teal, 2017). Moreover, Reichheld argues that loyalty leaders have the ability to reap such benefits as low cost of capital, higher employee engagement, and increased customer lifetime value.

Creating Loyal Employees up the Loyalty Ladder

Payne’s loyalty ladder has five levels starting from the lowest similar to a common ladder. In this case, at the lowest level of the ladder are the prospective employees who are likely to be hired by the firm (Werner, 2022). They may be job applicants waiting for an appointment, employees of other firms who are keen on joining the firm, or fresh college graduates who are just joining the job market (Werner, 2022). These employees present opportunities currently lacking at the firm, and human resource management is keen on addressing the deficit. The ability of a firm to attract these employees directly depends on remuneration and how the current employees are treated (Werner, 2022). The HR department will need to place a job advertisement to inform them of a job opportunity within the firm (Crawshaw et al., 2020). It is the only stage in the ladder where the focus is on attracting the top talents in the job market.

The second class of employees on the ladder are the customers, also referred to as first-time purchasers. In the context of employees, these are the newly recruited workers. They have come from other companies or colleges and are joining the firm (Sharma et al., 2020). They are yet to learn about organizational culture and practices within the firm. This is the initial stage of HR management, where the focus is on retaining, as opposed to attracting, the talent (Kurtz et al., 2019). They have to understand the unique environment that the firm offers and how they can achieve career and personal growth within the firm.

The next stage on the ladder involves considering clients or repeat purchasers. In the context of employees, these are workers who have been with the firm for about a year (Stewart & Brown, 2020). It is not guaranteed that they will remain with the firm, but they are committed to their work. They have the right skills and expertise needed in the workplace, and the firm is keen on retaining them (Werner, 2022). They are ambitious employees committed to achieving career growth, and as such, the HR unit has to put in place measures to retain them. Besides attractive remuneration, their employees require an enabling environment where they can climb the career ladder (Griffin, 2022). They need assurance that while at the firm, they will be able to achieve personal growth.

The fourth class of customers on the ladder are supporters who always try new products of the firm. In the context of employees, these are individuals who have stayed with the firm for over five years (Torrington et al., 2020). They have played critical roles in enabling the firm to achieve its current levels of success (Kurtz et al., 2019). Also, they have embraced creativity and innovativeness as a way of developing new products or ways of serving customers in a better way (Griffin, 2022). They feel responsible for the firm’s success and are willing to make extra commitments to ensure that the desired level of organizational growth is realized. For these employees, HR needs to create an environment where they can remain innovative in what they do (Kurtz et al., 2019). There should be incentives meant to reward creativity and innovation. At the same time, these employees should not be punished when they make mistakes to remain innovative.

At the apex of the ladder are the brand advocates, also known as brand champions or ambassadors. These are employees who have been at the firm for over 10 years and have taken leading roles in ensuring that the firm is successful (Hughes, 2021). The majority of such employees would be holding leadership positions within the firm and are capable of making critical decisions about the direction of the firm (Gallardo-Gallardo et al., 2020; (Griffin, 2022). They include the chief executive of the firm and the top managers, who are expected to give the right image of the firm to the external stakeholders. They may also include non-management employees who are so satisfied with working for the firm that they feel they need to convince others to join the company. They will convince their friends to join the firm because of the specific benefits and opportunities that they enjoy (Hughes, 2021). While maintaining the current environment that these employees like, HR also needs to monitor the industry trends and ensure that positive change is introduced to enhance the level of satisfaction of these employees.

Chapter Conclusion and Identification of Knowledge Gaps

The review of the relevant literature indicates the relationship between HRM strategies and employee retention in organizations. The conceptual and theoretical perspectives provide the basis for the study to be grounded. In this case, the rationale is to demonstrate a strong relationship between the various strategies that HR leaders can adopt and retain employees. This review indicates that remunerations and rewards, employee education and training, establishing a happy workplace environment, employee empowerment, and using transformational leadership are essential HRM strategies that can attract and retain employees. Furthermore, the review demonstrates that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is an effective model that can explain the needs of employees and how HR leaders can focus on satisfying them, which will result in worker satisfaction and retention. Nevertheless, the review does not indicate the most customer-centric strategies that companies have used to achieve the objective of attracting and retaining employees. Moreover, the information in the extant literature is generalized to large populations of organizations and industries, which creates the need for a focus on specific firms and industries and in specific sectors.

Data and Method

Chapter Overview

The previous chapter proa vided a literature review to help understand what other scholars have found in this study. This chapter focuses on a detailed explanation of the methods used to collect and analyze primary data. According to Jacobsen (2021), primary data enables a researcher to address knowledge gaps and possible conflicts in the existing body of knowledge. As such, it was essential to explain the ontological and epistemological motivation of the research. This chapter enables readers to understand the process used in this study to develop knowledge. Besides explaining research design, this chapter also explains issues relating to the confidence, relevance, reliability, and validity of the study (Jacobsen, 2021).

Ontological-Epistemological Motivations and Research Design

Ontological-Epistemological Motivations

Humans are always curious and strive to achieve more knowledge by finding answers to challenging questions about the world, life, existence, ethics, law, arts, the universe, and other aspects. It is the nature of humans to observe phenomena as they happen in nature and seek to determine why, how, when, which, and what about their occurrences (Debele, 2019). In conducting this study, the researcher was motivated by some ontological and epistemological reasons Aityan (2022). First, it is worth noting that the researcher, as a student of business and management, has some knowledge about the problem of high employee turnover rates as well as specific HRM strategies that could be used as a solution (Debele, 2019). The researcher has adequate knowledge about the problems that many companies face due to high employee turnover rates Aityan (2022). At the same time, the researcher understands that such a problem is mainly internal to specific organizations, as many fail to establish strategies that will increase employee retention. It is also worth noting that the researcher understands the problem of the employee turnover rate is highly researched and studied. Nevertheless, the researcher is also aware that the relationship or link between HRM strategies and employee retention is a phenomenon that should be studied within specific organizations (Debele, 2019). The researcher wishes to understand this link as it occurs in a specific organizational setting and not the generalized concept developed in the previous studies. Moreover, the researcher draws motivation from personal experience, having worked in an organization where employees were less likely to stay for over a year for various reasons (Debele, 2019). As such, the researcher wants to answer the question of why and how this problem was taking place and the way it can be resolved using effective HRM strategies.

Epistemologically, the motivation to conduct the research came from the urge to study the current understanding of the relationship between HRM practices and employee retention. The idea is to know how the current knowledge has been developed and what that understanding is. In essence, the researcher wants to know how the previous studies were conducted and what knowledge they developed (Debele, 2019). Therefore, in this study, the motivation is to assess human resource strategies that a firm can use to attract and retain employees. Pragmatism is the most desirable research philosophy whose assumptions and beliefs can facilitate effective knowledge development in this study. According to Aityan (2022), pragmatism believes that a concept is accurate and relevant only if it supports action. Proponents of this philosophy argue that the world can be interpreted in different ways and that there is no single point of view that should be considered strictly acceptable. It also believes that sometimes there can be multiple realities when assessing an issue.

When assessing human resource strategies that a firm can use to attract and retain employees, it is possible that one can identify various factors related to employee satisfaction, such as reward, remuneration, level of happiness, empowerment, and others (Gallardo-Gallardo et al., 2020). This philosophy is particularly relevant because it allows a researcher to use mixed-method research (Symbaluk, 2019). It makes it possible to explain the phenomenon using qualitative and quantitative data. This philosophy considers the research question as a critical determinant of the assumptions guiding data collection.

Explanation of the Chosen Research Design

A researcher needs to explain the research design and how the choice flows from the ontological-epistemological motivations of the study. The descriptive research design was chosen as the most preferred design for the study. According to Vetter and Sullivan (2021), a descriptive research design is a research approach aiming to obtain information that systematically describes a given phenomenon, situation, or population. Since the researcher wants to explore a phenomenon that affects a given population (companies experiencing employee turnover rates) and understand why it happens, the study is informed by the ontological motivation to examine the reason behind the observed occurrence (Vetter & Sullivan, 2021). In the same way, the study is motivated by an epistemological reason, given that the researcher wants to study what is known and what is not known and how to study the unknown (Vetter & Sullivan, 2021). Therefore, the best way to achieve this objective is to use a qualitative, descriptive approach.

This design is effective when a researcher is focused on answering questions of what, where, when, and how (Nunkoo, 2018). The design is aligned with the ontological-epistemological motivations of the study, as Nunkoo (2018) suggests. One of the critical questions that the researcher seeks to answer in this study is how a firm can treat employees as its customers to attract and retain top talents (Hennink et al., 2020). Firms have been keen on giving their clients premium products and services, especially in highly competitive industries (Hennink et al., 2020). However, some of these firms ignore the need to offer the best treatment to their top-performing employees as a way of retaining them. In such workplaces, it is common to find cases where the rate of employee turnover is significantly high (Stewart & Brown, 2020). Understanding how to treat employees as customers will make it necessary for a firm to improve the workplace environment to be more conducive for them.

The design makes it possible for the researcher to answer what the primary concern is in an investigation (Hennink et al., 2020). In this case, it was necessary to determine what makes it necessary for a firm to treat its employees as customers. Traditionally, the approach taken to manage employees has always been different from that taken to attract and retain customers in a highly competitive environment (Nermend & Łatuszyńska, 2020). Changes witnessed in human resource management are making it necessary to redefine the approach that a firm takes in managing its employees. This design will make it possible to determine what has changed, which makes it necessary to view employees as customers who have to be attracted and retained.

The study will also focus on answering the question of when it is necessary to use the proposed strategy of treating employees as customers. Eden et al. (2019) explain that successful managers understand the significance of being as flexible as possible when using various strategies for managing employees. When it comes to treating them as customers, it is necessary to determine when to draw the line. Sometimes it is beneficial to let go of an employee, significantly when their presence negatively influences other workers. It should be clear when such an employee should be let go and how that needs to be done (Hashimzade & Thornton, 2021). The ability of this design to answer these critical questions made it the most relevant for this study.

The descriptive research design was also chosen because it supports both qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyzing data. When answering the question of how employees can be treated as customers, a researcher can use descriptive statistics to outline the benefits of this strategy when managing workers (Searle et al., 2021). When explaining when it would be appropriate to use the strategy, a researcher can use qualitative analysis to provide a detailed explanation (Eden et al., 2019). A reader will understand when it would be appropriate to keep an employee and when it becomes necessary to let them go (Searle et al., 2021). The primary goal remains to have a pool of highly skilled, talented, and self-driven workers who can help a firm to achieve its vision, mainly when operating in a highly competitive business environment.

Brief Description of the Process of Data Collection and Analysis

Data collection process

When the research design has been defined, the next step is to collect data from the field. According to Hennink et al. (2020), when conducting a study, data is often obtained from both primary and secondary sources. In this research, secondary data was collected from books, journal articles, and reliable online sources. Secondary data formed the basis of the information presented in chapter 2 above. It made it possible to understand what other scholars have found out in this field (Searle et al., 2021). Secondary data was used throughout this document to support various arguments and claims made. Primary data was obtained from a sample of individuals to address the identified knowledge gaps. Primary data collection was done in several steps, as discussed below (Hennink et al. (2020).

The first step was the development of a questionnaire. Kara (2020) argues that there is a need to develop an effective tool that can facilitate the process of data collection. The tool creates a standard form of interviewing respondents. It ensures that specific questions are presented to the respondents (Kara, 2020). In quantitative research, a questionnaire is often developed in a way that responses of the participants can be assigned values needed to conduct a mathematical analysis. The researcher developed the questionnaire after conducting a literature review. The tool had three distinct sections. The first section of the questionnaire focused on determining the demographical background of the respondents. The second section focused on the academic qualifications and experience of the participants. The last section focused on understanding how and when to treat employees as customers. This section used a mix of both open-ended (unstructured) and closed-ended (structured) questions that could be analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively (Andrew et al., 2019). The document has been attached to the appendix of this document.

When a questionnaire has been developed, the next step is to develop a sample. Nunkoo (2018) advises that one should select a manageable sample based on the time available, the availability of the participants, the number of questions, and the approach that is to be used in the collection of data. In this study, simple random sampling was considered appropriate because the targeted population knows to provide reliable responses to the questions. A sample size of 50 participants was chosen as the number made it possible to saturate data to desirable levels.

The last stage in this process is the actual data collection process. When participants have been identified, the researcher will have to collect data from them using the tool that had been developed (Hennink et al., 2020). The sampled participants were all from the same institution, and as such, a face-to-face interview was considered appropriate. Kara (2020) explains that although the time-consuming, face-to-face interview is the most effective way of collecting primary data. A researcher can collect non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and body language when a participant responds to each question. The physical interactions also limit the chances that the respondent may lie (Hennink et al., 2020). Those who could not be interviewed within the time available participated in phone interviews.

When collecting data, it is often advisable for a researcher to embrace ethical practices. When data is collected from an organization, Tan (2018) advises that a researcher should ensure that the necessary approvals are obtained. In this study, organizational approvals were unnecessary because the data collected was not organization-specific. Respondents also required no approval to take part in the study. The need to protect the identity of the participants is another ethical requirement that needs to be observed. Eden et al. (2019) explains that when handling a controversial or emotive issue, individuals can be victimized or subjected to criticism if their views contradict that of the majority or those who are in positions of power. The identity of participants in this study was hidden because of these concerns. The researcher also reminded all participants that their involvement in this study was voluntary. The significance of the study and the reasons why they were chosen was explained to them.

Once data is collected from secondary sources, the next step is to conduct an analysis. The data analysis method should depend on the goal the researcher needs to achieve, as Nunkoo (2018) advises. In this study, the aim was to assess customer-centric human resource strategies that a firm can use to attract and retain employees. The study investigates how customer management strategies can be used in managing human resources within a firm. Mixed method analysis was considered the most appropriate strategy for processing primary data (Nunkoo, 2018). It is necessary to discuss the relevance of using the two data analysis methods.

Qualitative data analysis was needed to explain when and how it would be necessary to use customer-centric strategies in managing employees. Using unstructured questions, the respondents were asked to explain in detail how these customer management strategies can be used in HR strategies. Direct quotes from the participants were used to develop patterns (Macioszek & Sierpiński, 2021). The patterns were then used to develop themes directly responding to the questions. A quantitative approach to processing data was needed to understand the significance of such strategies in enhancing employee attraction and retention. Quantitative analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel. Data was quantified and then entered into the spreadsheet, and the output was presented as graphs and charts.

Confidence

When conducting quantitative research, it is always advisable to explain the confidence intervals or levels. It helps the reader to determine the level of reliability of the study and how it can be applied, especially when it is necessary to use the document to inform a significant policy decision. In this study, a confidence level of 95% was considered appropriate. In this case, 95% of the population would select an answer within this confidence interval (Eden et al., 2019). This confidence level was chosen based on the statistical theory conducted in chapter 2 of this document.

Reliability and Validity of the Study

The concepts of reliability and validity are critical for readers who may want to use the study’s findings to make policy decisions. Symbaluk (2019) explains that reliability focuses on the consistency of a given measure, primarily focusing on whether the same outcome can be reproduced when conditions are the same. To ensure reliability, the data collection tool was developed and tested before being used. The goal was to ensure that every time this tool was used, it produced the same results. The same approach of analyzing the data would then be used to produce the same outcome. The validity, on the other hand, refers to the level of accuracy of the measure used, focusing on whether the outcome is an accurate representation of the measure (Hennink et al., 2020). To ensure that this measure was achieved, the researcher made sure that data was collected from individuals who are knowledgeable in this field.

Generalizability

It is also essential to determine the generalizability of the study, given the fact that a reader may want to apply it in different contexts. Kumar (2019) notes that generalizability involves determining how relevant and valuable the outcome of a given study is for a broader situation or group of people. Hennink et al. (2020) argue that a study can only be generalized if it holds to the general population. The findings of this study can be generalized to the entire population of employees. It is specifically relevant to employees in western countries where democracy in the workplace has become widespread as autocratic governance becomes increasingly uncommon. Information presented in this report can also apply to firms in communist states if they are keen on attracting and retaining top talents in highly competitive industries.

Identification of the Main Themes

When conducting the literature review, some important themes emerged that the study will examine and use to inform the questions in the questionnaire. These themes appear in and shape the relationship between HR strategies and employee retention in organizations as shown in table 1.

Table 1. Identifying the themes and their meanings

The relationship between these factors indicates the dependent, independent, and modifying variables as shown in figure 4.

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Appendices

Questionnaire

Dear Sir/Madam,

It is with great humility that we invite you to participate in this study that focuses on investigating human resource strategies of attracting and retaining employees. Literature shows that employees, just like customers, should be offered a great value in the workplace to ensure that they are satisfied. Kindly answer the following questions to the best of your knowledge.

Section 1: Demographical Background

Kindly select your age group from the list below

• 18-22 Years
• 23-26 Years
• 27-30 Years
• 31-33 Years
• Over 33 Years

Kindly state your nationality?

• Dutch
• Foreign National

Kindly state your gender

• Male
• Female

Section 2: Educational Background and Experience

Kindly select from the list below, your highest academic qualification?

1. High school diploma
2. College diploma
3. Degree
4. Master
5. Doctorate
6. Other (kindly specify)

What is your relations to human resource management?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

How long have you been engaged in the position stated in question 2 above?

1. Less than a years
2. 2-4 years
3. 5-8 years
4. 9-10 years
5. Over 10 years

What is your current management position at your firm? (Only meant for those who are currently holding managerial positions in their respective firms) Please describe………………………………………………………………………..

Section C: Human Resource Strategies of Attracting and Retaining Employees

How do you think employees should be treated as customers within an organization?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

What is the appropriate value preposition for employees that can help to attract and retain top talents within a firm? (Kindly provide a short explanation).

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are the main reasons that often lead to high rate of employee turnover within an organization? (Kindly provide a short explanation).

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do you think about the above value preposition would be universally acceptable for employees across different industries?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What are the expectations of employees towards the employer within a firm? (Kindly provide a short explanation).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What are the effective strategies that a manager can use to determine expectations of its employees?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Is employee satisfaction is directly proportional to their performance within an organization? Please explain

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Do you believe that employee satisfaction is directly proportional to their creativity and innovativeness within an organization? Explain…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

What are some of the specific challenges that individual managers and organizations face when trying to ensure that employees are satisfied? (Kindly list them).

1. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

How can managers and organizations address the identified challenges that affect the level of satisfaction of employees? (Kindly provide a short explanation).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Based on your knowledge and experience, how can a firm manage the conflicting interests of different stakeholders to ensure that employees remain satisfied?

• Similarities

1. 1. ………………………………………..
   2. ………………………………………..
   3. ………………………………………..
   4. ………………………………………..
   5. ………………………………………..

Thank you for taking your time to respond to the above questions.