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Factors Influencing Employee Retention in the Transport and Logistics Industry

2020; Scientific Research Publishing; Volume: 08; Issue: 06 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4236/jss.2020.86013

2327-5960

Yvonne Sishuwa, Jackson Phiri,

Scheduling and Timetabling Solutions

Employee Retention is a process in which employees are encouraged to remain within an organization for the maximum period or until the completion of a project. Successful organizations need to do more than just hire the right people but retain the right people for the job. Failure to retain employees results in the loss of knowledge, experience, customer relations and technical skills which are taken to another organization. The aim of this study was to identify some of the major factors that affect employee retention in the transport and logistics industry servicing one of the largest mines in Africa, based in one of Zambia’s rural areas, Solwezi. The objectives of this study were to identify the major factors influencing employee retention in the transport and logistics industry, to develop a framework based on a Causal Model and recommend possible solutions that could lead to improvements in employee retention. The study used a mixed methods approach comprised of the quantitative and qualitative methods. The computed sample from the population was 171 but only 144 respondents successfully participated in the study. Quantitative data was analysed using the statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Content analysis was also used to analyze data from the interviews with the key respondents. The findings established that retention was affected by job satisfaction, organizational commitment and workplace structures. However, individual characteristics did not have a significant influence on employee retention. From the findings, it was recommended that strategies aimed at improving the workplace structures, job satisfaction and organizational commitment be implemented to promote job security and career development, which were cited as some of the major factors influencing employee retention.