A SURVEY ON THE PREDICTORS OF EMPLOYEE TURNOVER IN BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS IN CAMEROON

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Employee turnover refers to the rate at which an organization gains and loses employees, considering the duration of their tenure. High employees turnover places undue pressure on remaining employees, leading to increased workloads, decreased morale, heightened stress levels, and subsequent absenteeism. In addition, those who stayed often work extra hours to compensate for the departure of their colleagues. Whether employees leave voluntarily or are asked to leave by the organization, such turnover disrupts operations, team dynamics, and unit performance, incurring costs for the organization (Robbins and Decenzo, 2020).

Organizations that heavily invest in training and developing their employees suffer losses when employees leave. Excessive turnover can significantly diminish overall productivity and often indicates underlying issues within the organization. Every organization aims for high productivity, minimal turnover, and maximum profitability (Mello, 2018).

Successfully managing turnover is imperative to achieve these objectives. Managers must recognize employees as pivotal contributors to organizational productivity and develop a comprehensive understanding of turnover, including its causes, effects, and strategies for minimizing it (Hollman, 2018). Similarly, the success of any business organization is intricately tied to the job performance of its employees. The quality of the workplace environment profoundly influences employee motivation and performance. When employees are emotionally and physically invested in their work, their performance improves. Additionally, a conducive business environment reduces absenteeism, thereby enhancing performance in today's competitive business landscape. The business environment significantly impacts employee morale, productivity, and engagement, both positively and negatively. 

According to Phillip (2021), employee turnover disrupts the distribution of roles and responsibilities across different departments, as new employees lack the proficiency to effectively carry out organizational services. This significantly diminishes the quality of the organization's services, resulting in reduced levels of client or customer satisfaction. Consequently, the organization experiences a decline in sales income, leading to decreased organizational competence. On the other hand, new employees, lacking experience and proficiency in their assigned roles and duties, require both time and financial investment for selection, hiring, and training, exacerbating organizational expenses. Beyond that is the primary issue with employee turnover is the loss of highly qualified and skilled employees whom the organization has invested significantly in training and coaching for various job tasks. In response to high staff turnover rates, organizations have implemented various employee retention strategies, such as increased rewards management, opportunities for career growth, and enhancements in health and safety measures. However, these measures have led to heightened organization overheads and a recognition of deteriorating profit margins (Duncan, 2019).Therefore, a survey will be conducted on the predictors of employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Employee turnover has remained a persistent challenge for organizations, particularly in the realm of human resource management (HRM).  While HR plays a crucial role in recruiting, nurturing, and retaining skilled employees, thereby fostering long-term competitiveness (Joo et al., 2018). However, high employee turnover adversely impacts organizational performance and incurs costs associated with hiring and training new personnel (Chiat & Panatik, 2019). Furthermore, increased demands for recruiting, hiring, and training; loss of skilled and experienced personnel; and fewer opportunities for new and seasoned employees to share knowledge are all consequences of high employee turnover in HRM in business organization (Ju & Li, 2019). Studies show that higher turnover rates might cause business organization to lose as much as 40% of their yearly revenue (T.F. Mahan, D.A. Nelms, Y. Jeeun, A. Jackson, M. Hein, 2020). For instance, employee voluntary departures can have a detrimental effect on the operation of the company, require the hiring and training of replacements, and lead to the loss of technical experience (Srimindarti et al., 2019). Additionally, turnover intention is widely recognized as a significant concern among researchers, as it reflects employees' inclination to leave their current positions voluntarily. Presently, there are quite a large number of studies that have been done looking into the issue of the employee turnover. Some of these studies examines factors that lead to the retention of workers while others studied the factors affecting worker to quit an organization as seen above. Most importantly, all these studies focused on factors that could prevent employee turnover, and all of them agreed that there are many factors that could influence it, and further research needs to be conducted to discover other factors that could contribute to it. Hence, it is in the light of these that the study seeks to survey on the predictors of employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to survey on the predictors of employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon. Specifically, the study will;

Determine whether work-life balance influences employees turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

Determine whether workload influences employees turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

Determine whether job satisfaction influences employees turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

Determine whether poor work environment influences employees turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

Determine whether career management influences employees turnover in Cameroon.

1.4 Research Questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study:

Does work-life balance have an impact on employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon?

How does workload affect employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon?

To what extent does job satisfaction influence employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon?

What role does poor work environment play in influencing employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon?

How does career management contribute to employee turnover in Cameroon?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

Ho: There is no significant relationship between work-life balance and employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

Ha: There is a significant relationship between work-life balance and employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

1.6 Significance of the Study

Various organizations, stakeholders, management, financial institutions, and commercial banks will be informed of the study's findings. Employees will be given the chance to express their personal opinions about the organization's performance review process and offer suggestions for how the company could increase output. The management will also gain from the study since the results and suggestions from the respondents will be shared with them. They will learn about the advantages of a well-executed performance review and how it affects workers' productivity. Additionally, other students who may decide to conduct studies in this area will have the opportunity to use this study as available literature that can be subjected to critical review. Invariably, the result of the study contributes immensely to the body of academic knowledge with regard to the predictors of employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon.

1.7 Scope of the study

The scope of this study is boarded on a survey on the predictors of employee turnover in business organizations in Cameroon. Empirically, this study will determine whether work-life balance, workload, job satisfaction, poor work environment and career management influences employees turnover in Cameroon.

Geographically, the study will be delimited to managers of some selected business organizations in Douala, Cameroon

1.8 Limitation of the study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed. 

More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Employee: is an individual who works for an organization or company in exchange for compensation, such as a salary or wages.

Employee turnover: refers to the rate at which employees leave a company and are replaced by new employees.

Performance: is the accomplishment of tasks, activities, or functions with a certain level of effectiveness and efficiency.

Productivity: is a measure for efficiency that shows the proportion of input to output in a system or process.