Perception of factors influencing labour turnover
Date
2011-04-15
Authors
Horak, James Dirk
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Abstract
The ongoing war for talent has resulted in many companies focussing more
time and effort on retaining their employees, and understanding why they leave
so that a successful retention strategy can be developed. Information
technology (IT) has become a critical tool in ensuring the success and
competitiveness of companies, but as many IT leaders understand, it is the
people and not the systems alone that are the key factor. The context of this
research is therefore to understand the perceived factors that influence the
labour turnover of IT workers in South Africa.
A single case study approach was used focussing on the IT developers in a
single, large company operating in the financial and insurance services sector.
Data was gathered from exit interviews, market information, and face to face
interviews with both past and current employees. This data was evaluated
against the findings of the literature review.
The initial findings of the research indicated four main factors that contributed
to the turnover of IT workers, these being promotions and career growth,
technology and skills development, financial factors, and management and the
working environment. The impact of these factors differed amongst the
employees when factors such as gender, race and age were taken into
account, indicating that any company focussing on retaining its employees
required a deeper understanding of the reasons behind staff turnover
Description
MBA - WBS
Keywords
Talent management, Retention of staff, Information technology