Social Work Professionals' Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover

Social Work Professionals’ Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover by Jamilla Jenkins Nelson MA, Liberty University, 2014 BS, Limestone College, 2012 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University March 2019 Abstract Some social work leaders in the United States lack strategies to successfully reduce employee turnover, which is detrimental to the profitability of an organization. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore effective strategies that social work professionals used to reduce employee turnover. The targeted population included 10 social work managers from organizations in South Carolina who experienced employee turnover and implemented successful strategies to overcome it. The conceptual framework was Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. Triangulation was used to increase the reliability and validity of the data. Data were collected from semistructured in-depth interviews with managers who spent at least 1 year in a managerial position at a social work agency and a review of agency documents. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: job satisfaction was key to reducing employee turnover, positive working environment, and management. Reducing employee turnover contributes to social change by providing social work leaders with valuable insight that can lead to improved organizational growth, increased profitability, and enhanced sustainability, which might promote prosperity for local families and the community.Some social work leaders in the United States lack strategies to successfully reduce employee turnover, which is detrimental to the profitability of an organization. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore effective strategies that social work professionals used to reduce employee turnover. The targeted population included 10 social work managers from organizations in South Carolina who experienced employee turnover and implemented successful strategies to overcome it. The conceptual framework was Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. Triangulation was used to increase the reliability and validity of the data. Data were collected from semistructured in-depth interviews with managers who spent at least 1 year in a managerial position at a social work agency and a review of agency documents. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: job satisfaction was key to reducing employee turnover, positive working environment, and management. Reducing employee turnover contributes to social change by providing social work leaders with valuable insight that can lead to improved organizational growth, increased profitability, and enhanced sustainability, which might promote prosperity for local families and the community. Social Work Professionals’ Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover by Jamilla Jenkins Nelson MA, Liberty University, 2014 BS, Limestone College, 2012 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University March 2019 Dedication I have been truly humble through the process; I thank God for giving me the strength to conquer all of the adversities that I encountered along the way. To my family that encouraged and supported me along the way, thank you. To my children, Jiaé and Jayden, this is evidence that you can do whatever it is that you put your mind to do in life. To my mother, Georgetta, thank you for filling in the gaps when I was not able to and being my biggest supporter and believing in me. The race is not given to the swift and the strong but to the one that endures to the end. Acknowledgements The journey through the doctoral process required prayer, dedication, and hard work. I thank God because he allowed me to finish this process. To my mother, Georgetta, words cannot express how much I appreciated your encouragement and motivation for me to continue working on both good and bad days. To my daughter, Jiaé, I am so thankful for all of the words that you spoke during the process and giving me that extra push you have been my inspiration. To my son, thank you for being so sweet and kind. To my chair and mentor, Dr. Gergana Velkova, I greatly appreciate your patience, kind words, and most of all your expectations to provide the best work possible. Your commitment and expertise pushed me to do more. I extend my thanks to all of the committee members and the Walden University doctoral program for your guidance and valuable feedback. I extend my gratitude to all of my extended family members who have been just as excited as I am for me to finish the process. I also would like to thank my colleagues who encourage me and was quite understanding during this process. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who provided prayers and support to me throughout my journey.