Causes of employment attrition and retention in a state education agency

• Main Author: Madison-Harris, Robyn D
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Subjects: sociology, industrial and labor relations; sociology, organizational
• ISBN: 0549429700; 9780549429708

Organizations often encounter problems maintaining a stable workforce. This project focused on uncovering reasons for attrition and retention in a state education agency. Three research questions were addressed in the study: (1) What are the frequency distributions relative to current and former employees' demographics and the contributors to attrition and retention in the organization according to the data sets gathered from the human resources department? (2) What are the frequency distributions relative to current and former employees' demographics and the contributors to attrition and retention in the organization according to survey responses? (3) How will the data gathered from the human resources department and the surveys be used?
Surveys based upon affinities determined by a focus group were piloted with a review committee and a small group of current and former employees to advise on revisions. Revised surveys were disseminated to a larger group of current and former employees. Current- and former-employee human resources data from January 2002 to September 2007 were collected.
The study revealed findings similar to those in the literature with regard to attrition having occurred due to lack of the following: acknowledgement, communication, profession development, promotional opportunity, recognition, and effective leadership; and retention may have occurred due to the presence of these factors. Organizational leaders were offered recommendations for addressing attrition and retention.