Employee retention strategies in the context of organisational change ar a selected private health care provider in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate employee retention strategies in the context of organisational change at a selected private healthcare provider in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. The main problem revolved around poor employee retention, coupled with the many organisational changes taking place in the organisation over the last five years. This has to some degree affected service delivery at the healthcare provider. The study adopted a quantitative research design and pre-coded structured closedended questionnaires were administered to the target population. There are 500 employees at the private healthcare provider and the sample size for the research was 260. A survey method was utilised. The response rate of completed surveys received was 96% using the personal method of data collection. The responses were captured and the data was analysed utilising the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 for Windows. Numerous hypotheses were formulated and tested using Pearson’s Chi-square and Spearman’s rank order co-efficient. The key findings indicated that organisational changes had an impact on employee retention, which contributed to the effectiveness of service delivery at the private healthcare provider. The findings also indicated that employee retention strategies contribute to improved service delivery at the private healthcare provider. The recommendations suggest that the management of the private healthcare provider should strive to improve employee retention through effective communication; training and development; career development; providing incentives, rewards and recognition; embracing feedback from employees; and implementing employee suggestions where possible. The TURNITIN program was utilised to test the entire dissertation for plagiarism. The study concluded with recommendations for future research.