Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover

Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover by Diane Krzan Merla MBA, Florida Institute of Technology 2009 BS, Monmouth University, 2003 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University August 2018 Abstract Businesses that fail to retain knowledgeable employees risk remaining competitive in the marketplace. Approximately 25 million people quit their jobs in 2016, overall. This single case study explored strategies business managers use to reduce employee turnover. The population for this study was 5 business managers from a business and technical personnel support organization in the information and solutions industry in the state of New Jersey who had experience with strategies to improve employee retention. The conceptual framework used in this study was systems theory. Data were collected from company archival documents and semistructured face-to-face interviews with 5 business managers. Moustakas’ modified van Kaam method was used for data analysis. Member checking helped to ensure credibility and trustworthiness in the interpretation of interviewee responses. Three major themes emerged: workplace environment, safety, and training. Strategies ascertained in this study may be helpful for business managers who develop ways to reduce employee turnover. The implications for positive social changeBusinesses that fail to retain knowledgeable employees risk remaining competitive in the marketplace. Approximately 25 million people quit their jobs in 2016, overall. This single case study explored strategies business managers use to reduce employee turnover. The population for this study was 5 business managers from a business and technical personnel support organization in the information and solutions industry in the state of New Jersey who had experience with strategies to improve employee retention. The conceptual framework used in this study was systems theory. Data were collected from company archival documents and semistructured face-to-face interviews with 5 business managers. Moustakas’ modified van Kaam method was used for data analysis. Member checking helped to ensure credibility and trustworthiness in the interpretation of interviewee responses. Three major themes emerged: workplace environment, safety, and training. Strategies ascertained in this study may be helpful for business managers who develop ways to reduce employee turnover. The implications for positive social change include retaining valuable employees in critical positions, reducing unemployment rates and unemployment compensation, and the potential to disencumber funds to support additional social services. Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover by Diane Krzan Merla MBA, Florida Institute of Technology, 2009 BS, Monmouth University, 2003 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University August 2018 Dedication First and foremost, I would like to thank God for the path he chose for my life. Although, education is my passion, completing a doctorate was never a thought in my mind as a child. I would like to dedicate this study to my husband Charlie N. Merla, my daughter Dr. Alyssa Lambrese, her husband Kevin, and my grandchildren Bentley and Violet, my son Nunzio Merla, his wife Melissa, and my grandchildren Charlie and Cooper, and my son Vito Merla and his girlfriend Julissa Arias. Thank you for your love, continued support through very late nights completing assignments, missing family functions, and for being my biggest cheerleaders! Without your understanding and encouragement, achieving this degree would have been much more difficult. Thank you to my mother and father, Juanita and William J. Krzan, II, for instilling the concept of education being a catalyst to open doors for my future and vocalizing their pride in my accomplishments. Thank you to my sister Kathleen (Krzan) Orsi and family, and my brother William J. Krzan, III. Your pride in me helped me through the very arduous process of achieving this degree. I hoped my sister would be present to celebrate my accomplishment with me, but she will be in spirit with me, from heaven. Finally, to my extended family and friends for your words of encouragement. Thank you for the confidence you showed in me. I greatly appreciate your support! I would also like to acknowledge that I am the fifth Merla family member to achieve a doctorate, to date. The first four Merla family members that achieved doctorate degrees include Dr. Charles Merla, DDS, Dr. Gerard Merla, DDS, Dr. Mary (Merla) Ramos, Ph.D., and Dr. Alyssa (Merla) Lambrese, DPT. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge Dr. Karin Mae, my chair, for your support and guidance through my doctoral journey. It was through your candid instruction that helped me to reach my terminal degree in business administration. Thank you for your continual encouragement! To Team Mae, through Dr. Mae’s positive encouragement we developed a team that encouraged, supported, and shared lessons learned throughout the process. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Rocky Dwyer, my SCM, and Dr. Neil Mathur, my URR for your expertise in furthering my scholarly writing. To Dr. Jason Matyus and Hector Arroyo, two fellow DBA students with whom we developed a team of support after meeting at our first residency. I cannot thank the two of you enough for your encouragement and guidance. To Hector, a special thank you for helping me understand the SPSS statistics software. To Jason Matyus, a special thank you for continually sending a health check and providing guidance well after you achieved your doctorate. I look forward to publishing with you in the future. I would like to thank my community research partner and interviewees that agreed to participate in my research. The information you provided helped to add to scholarly research on strategies managers use to increase employee retention. I greatly appreciate the time and effort you provided me.