Explore publications.

Employee retention remains a critical concern across corporate sectors due to its far-reaching implications for operational efficiency, institutional knowledge preservation, and sustained organisational performance. This systematic literature review examines contemporary approaches to addressing employee retention challenges, with a specific focus on the manufacturing, healthcare, and tech industries. Drawing on peer-reviewed publications from 1998 to 2025, the study identifies and synthesises the primary drivers of employee turnover, while evaluating evidence-based strategies employed to mitigate it. The findings reveal that while financial incentives continue to play a foundational role in employee retention, they are increasingly insufficient in isolation. Sector-specific dynamics, such as labour inflexibility in manufacturing, emotional burnout in healthcare, and innovation fatigue in technology-intensive environments, necessitate tailored and context-sensitive retention strategies. Emerging themes identified include the growing influence of employee engagement initiatives, adaptive leadership practices, flexible work arrangements, and the strategic integration of technology in supporting retention goals. Notably, the review highlights a significant gap in the literature concerning psychological and behavioural dimensions of retention. Despite their demonstrated importance, factors such as intrinsic motivation, emotional well-being, and workplace stress remain underexplored. Addressing these elements is essential to formulating holistic, human-centred retention models. The study concludes by advocating for industry-aligned, psychologically informed, and adaptable frameworks that can respond to the evolving dynamics of modern organisational environments.  

Entrepreneurial companies depend on their ability to create innovative and improved products and services and be capable of moving quicky in the event of market opportunities. Unless the appropriate people are present and well-managed, competitive advantages become hard to sustain. Lesotho agribusiness companies are not different. The government recognizes agriculture as a very significant sector due to its huge contribution to employment creation. Despite its significance, agricultural companies in Lesotho struggle with several Human Resource Management challenges that stem from both global agricultural trends and Lesotho’s specific context. This article examines these challenges through the lens of selected small scale farms within Maseru District. The findings of the study confirm that HRM challenges in small-scale family-owned farms in Lesotho are consistent with those outlined in broader agricultural literature. Issues such as job insecurity, casual recruitment, limited training, poor performance evaluation, and ineffective communication result in workforce instability and inefficiencies were identified. To address these issues, systematic recruitment practices should also be applied and these farms should implement written employment contracts for enhanced job security. Formal training sessions coupled with collaboration with agricultural schools would improve the skill set of employees.

This study provides a comprehensive review of recent academic literature (from 2017 onwards) that investigates the essential connection between workforce management and strategic business objectives. The review integrates a diverse array of studies that emphasise the complex nature of human capital, which includes employee skills, knowledge, motivation, and engagement, and their influence on organisational performance. A key focus of the discussion is the importance of leadership in establishing a clear strategic vision, nurturing a culture of communication, and encouraging employee participation in decision-making processes. Additionally, the study examines the transformative potential of data-driven human resource practices, such as people analytics, in identifying skill deficiencies, enhancing talent management, and facilitating evidence-based workforce planning. Despite these advancements, challenges like organizational silos, misaligned incentives, and resistance to change continue to pose significant barriers. The findings indicate that effective alignment necessitates a holistic approach that merges strategic HR leadership, continuous professional development, cultural flexibility, and transparent performance management systems. Practical recommendations are provided to assist business leaders and HR professionals in crafting and executing strategies that ensure employees' efforts are intentionally aligned with organisational priorities. The study highlights deficiencies in existing research, especially regarding the variations in alignment strategies across different industries and geographical areas, and advocates for additional empirical investigations to enhance comprehension. In summary, this review underscores that strategically aligned human capital can act as a significant catalyst for innovation, competitiveness, and organisational resilience in today's business environment.

Employee turnover poses a significant challenge for South African municipalities, particularly for retaining tacit organisational knowledge. Therefore, this study assessed how employee turnover impacts organisational tacit knowledge retention in South African municipalities. The study uses secondary data analysis to examine employee turnover in critical positions in various municipalities in South Africa, such as senior management and those earmarked as scarce skills. The findings of this study show that employee turnover significantly negatively impacts tacit organisational knowledge. The findings further revealed that turnover exacerbates the retention of the organisational knowledge gap within municipalities, often leading to diminished service quality and increased operational costs such as recruitment and use of service consultants. Furthermore, the study highlights the gap between rhetoric (policies) and actual practice (implementation) in addressing the issues of service quality and operational costs, noting that existing retention strategies and knowledge management approaches often need to be revised. Questioning the effectiveness of retention strategies, the paper suggests that municipalities require more proactive and innovative approaches to manage turnover and organisational tactical knowledge retention to enhance public service delivery continuity and organisational sustainability. Furthermore, municipalities should integrate retention strategies such as succession planning, continuous training, leadership, and mentorship programmes into a broader municipal governance framework.

This paper explores the relationship between talent management and dimensions of employee commitment at Nelspruit Banks, a major player in Mpumalanga Province. The paper uses a self-administered Likert-scale questionnaire to collect employee responses on talent management and its impact on normative, affective, and continuous commitment levels. The questionnaire was analysed using IBM SPSS version 28, 63 questionnaires were used for data analysis. This study employed both descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, and pie charts) and inferential statistics (Pearson product moment) to investigate the relationship between talent management and employee commitment. The main findings of the study indicated that talent management positively correlates with two employee commitment components. Notably, talent management positively correlated with continuance and normative commitment. These findings underscore the importance of talent management practices in fostering employee loyalty and retention. It is recommended that Banks consider implementing targeted strategies to foster a positive work environment, recognize and reward employee contributions, and provide opportunities for career development and growth. By focusing on these areas, the banks can strengthen employee commitment and improve overall organizational performance.

This study explored talent management and employee retention in South Africa's higher education sector, focusing on Institution X. Post-apartheid, South African higher education has faced numerous challenges, including attracting, managing, and retaining new academics essential for societal transformation. The study aimed to assess the relationship between talent management practices (recruitment, career management, rewards, management style, and talent development) and employee retention in this sector.The study's objectives were to examine the strategic orientation of talent management at Institution X, determine its contribution to employee retention, investigate challenges faced in talent management, and propose strategies to enhance retention. A quantitative research design was used, employing a self-administered structured questionnaire. The sample included 65 academic staff members, such as professors, lecturers, and junior lecturers, with data analyzed using SPSS. Findings indicated that talent management is neither a strategic element nor fully implemented within the higher education sector. This highlights a significant challenge in managing and retaining qualified academics, an issue prevalent since the end of apartheid. The study underscores the importance of understanding and improving talent management strategies to ensure the sustainability and quality of higher education institutions. Recommendations were made for reviewing and enhancing talent management practices for academic staff in the sector.

In recent years, there has been a lack of attention to the connection between crisis management and the HR (human resources) department. However, many researchers emphasize the importance of the human resources department in crisis management. The main objective of the research is the analysis of employees' perceptions regarding measures to improve decision-making when considering the behavior of human capital in in terms of maximizing economic efficiency, as well as the analysis of human resources management through the lens of policies and practices intended for management in crisis period. The quantitative method was used to conduct a survey and the qualitative method was used through the interview. These methods were based on aspects developed in the specialized literature and adapted for this context. The results of the study show that human resources management is crucial in Romanian companies, both in a normal context and in critical situations, highlighting a strategic approach to the role of employees in organizational success.

Global pressures have urged organizations to incorporate sustainable international human resource management (IHRM) systems to be socially responsible. This paper proposes that integrating IHRM with corporate social responsibility (CSR) and shared value may be the solution This study analyzes sustainability within the IHRM field, including other sustainable concepts to demonstrate the relevance of labor and employment relation within human resource management. Employment relations and the importance of developing IHRM strategies involving workers and managers to increase shared value are also explained in the study.  In turn, this integration enhances organizational performance and competitive advantage. Accordingly, this paper proposes a model to unleash the bridge between IHRM and employment relations in multinationals operating in emerging economies and proposes some propositions. Implications for research and practice are also discussed in the paper.

Human capital is a significant element in the attainment of sustained competitive advantage and economic survival of organizations. The study explored whether human capital mediates the nexus of human resource management practices and organizational performance. A field study was conducted among 11 internationally and 4 indigenously owned banks. The hypothesized relationships were supported by the data. The results show that the association between selective staffing with the levels of human capital was significant. The results also show that the levels of human capital influenced organizational performance significantly. The results further show that human capital mediated the nexus of HRM practices and organizational performance. The generalizability of the results obtained may be constrained since the present study focused on the banking industry. The study suggests the creation and maintenance of valuable human capital promote competitiveness and sustained competitive advantage. The study contributes to the extant literature by empirically evidencing that human capital mediated the nexus of HRM practice and organizational performance.  

This study aimed at identifying talent retention strategies for female academics in the higher education sector, paying particular attention to the Sub-Saharan context. Higher education institutions rely on the knowledge, abilities, and skills of their academics in order to keep abreast of the changing nature of higher education globally. These institutions of higher learning are required to be competitive and achieve their strategic goals in order to remain relevant in the sector. Studies have shown that female academics are leaving the higher education sector for the private sector for numerous reasons, including better salaries and further development. Additionally, some female academics are emigrating to European countries in search of greener pastures. Therefore, higher education institutions have to ensure that talent retention strategies are implemented to retain female academics, as well as to facilitate their progress to top leadership positions. The study utilized four crucial retention strategies identified in Kenya by Mutiria, Rukangu and Kubaison in 2015. These retention strategies include compensation and benefits, formal succession planning, training and development and career development opportunities. A quantitative research design was adopted for this study, whereby online questionnaires were completed by 112 female academics at a Sub-Saharan university. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 for Windows. The results revealed a significant relationship between the four identified strategies and retention. Thus, institutions of higher learning should effectively implement these strategies in order to retain talented female academics, considering the dynamics in the sector.

This research is based on the premise that entrepreneurs require and aspire to hire the best human talent existing in the territories and with it, experience a certain satisfaction with the contracts made. That is why the objective of this paper is aimed at identifying, through multivariate statistics, those variables that from the theoretical and practical order affect the management of human resources at the territorial level and its modeling through an analysis of structural equations, which allows interpreting its impact on the satisfaction of entrepreneurs. The main results evinced demonstrate in accordance with the autochthonous characteristics of the analyzed object of study, that the process is of a multifactorial nature, with a decisive influence on the Processes dimension, being also important those related to the Strategic and Environment dimensions. It can be said that entrepreneur satisfaction is a direct expression of the level of management granted to the process dimension (DProcesses). The present study addresses the nature of the relationships between the variables considered in the context of a particular territory. The results have indicated that there are relationships between the variables that ensure the management of human resources at the territorial level and the satisfaction of entrepreneurs.

The study examines the effect human resource planning has on the performance of public sector organizations in Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design with the collection of primary data using a questionnaire that was administered to 100 employees in the human resource department of the Ministry of Works and housing in Abuja, Nigeria. Correlation analysis using Pearson correlation was employed to determine the relationship between the variables and regression analysis was used to analyze the hypotheses with the aid of the IBM statistical package for social sciences. The result findings revealed that the multiple correlation coefficient indicates a strong correlation between the variables (R= 0.779). and that projected demand for workforce and recruitment and selection account for 60.7% of the total variation in organization performance. Of the two variables used, the recruitment and selection process account for the highest contribution to organization performance. Effective human resource planning in terms of projected demand for workforce and recruitment and selection will enable institutions to attract the right kind of people in the right numbers, improve employees' expertise, talents, and abilities, and keep them in the business. The study recommends that the recruitment and selection process should be open and transparent with little or no political interference to allow for the selection of applicants with the right expertise and skills into the workforce.

The aim of this study was to identify the impact of HR activities on competitive advantage in private schools. The study uses primary data collected with the help of a well-structured questionnaire that was developed and distributed among a sample of 92 respondents (49 female and 43 male), questionnaire results were statistically analyzed to test the hypotheses that were developed to identify the impact of HR activities on competitive advantages. Multiple regression analysis was used as a statistical tool and technique to identify five key elements: recruitment and reward system, training and skill development activities, organization climate, employee participation and empowerment; and effective communication system to determine competitive advantage in private schools in Jordan. The results indicated that there is a statistically significant effect of HR activities on the competitive advantage; On the other hand, there is no impact of other variables.

Managing career development across various industries constantly changes to address varying employees’ needs and it became more difficult with the career disruptions caused by the demands to deal with the environmental conditions, globalization, and output expectations. To keep up with these challenges, this study aims to propose a strategic career development model that will address the need to come up with a framework that will guide human resource management practitioners in identifying appropriate activities that will cater to the interest of employees.

Core values are critical to an organization’s identity, mission, strategy, and success.  Harmonizing personal values and the core values espoused by the organization addresses congruence gaps and ensures that the actions of employees are consistent and aligned with organizational strategies. This study aims to identify the HR management practices of a University in Manila, Philippines that promote the congruence between the personal values of employees and the core values of the organization.  The qualitative research methodology was utilized to identify practices in the areas of Recruitment and Selection, Performance Management System, and Training and Development that promote congruence of values.  Semi-structured interviews of key University officials were conducted using open-ended questions. A review of relevant and pertinent documents was also undertaken. The three identified HR functional areas are highlighted because these are critical in the selection, motivation, and retention of high-quality employees.  Leveraging HR management practices to promote congruence entails that the values of the organization are well-defined.  Employees must understand how these are translated into workplace behaviors and actions.  It must be clearly laid down how these relate to their performance and the impact these have on the achievement of the overall goals of the organization.

This paper examines various models of entrepreneurship in the recruiting, managing, and organizing of Human Resources of an enterprise or organization. It adds to the growing body of literature in entrepreneurship by reviewing literature that examines the relationship between entrepreneurship and the Human resource management practice. It examines the theoretical framework that underpins the relationship between HRM and entrepreneurship. The study introduces strategic HRM as an entrepreneurial strategy whereby employees are applied as instruments needed to fully accomplish organizational objectives. It concludes that in starting a new firm or maintaining an already established organization where resources are limited, entrepreneurship and the role of an entrepreneur becomes a crucial management function in the selection and personal development of the human resource competencies. Organizations are therefore encouraged to imbibe the role of entrepreneurship in the managing of Human Resources in order to drive innovativeness, lead change, and make continuous improvements.

The present article aimed at studying the relationship between project-based organization and competence management practices (recruitment, assessment, training, compensation and career management). The central question of our research is formulated as follows: To what extent does project-based organization influence competence management practices? To answer this question, we adopted a quantitative study. A total of 156 Tunisian project managers participated in our survey. We tested our hypotheses through a linear regression analysis. The results show that the majority of competence management practices, namely recruitment, evaluation and training, are more relevant to project-based organizations and thus the three first hypotheses are confirmed. However, other practices, like remuneration and career management, are insensitive to project activities.

The study sought to determine the influence of human resource planning on firm performance of firms listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya. The study was anchored on human capital theory and shareholder value maximization theory. The research design used was a cross-sectional survey while the study population constituted all the 68 listed firms at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) as in May 2017. The target population included the head of human resources and finance directors in all the listed firms. The sample size comprised of 136 respondents, and data was collected through structured questionnaires to meet the objectives of the study. Responses were tabulated, coded, and processed by the use of a computer Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) to analyze the data. Both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyze the data. To test hypotheses, a simple linear model was used to test significance between the independent and dependent variable. The study findings revealed that the relationship between human resource planning and firm performance was positive and statistically significant and hence rejected the null hypothesis. The study concluded that the type and strategy of the firm, succession planning, matching skills with jobs and skills inventory are human resource planning indicators influencing the performance of firms listed in the NSE. It is therefore recommended that firms should continue to practice and maintain adequate human resource planning as it plays a fundamental role in achieving the objectives of the organizations.

Human talent represents a source of competitive advantage. Yet the very people organisations would want to retain are the ones most likely to leave. What determines employee turnover is a vital question to organisations facing business continuity challenges. Through the prism of the Human Capital and Social Exchange theories, this study aimed at examining the influence of Talent Management practices on turnover intent among Research Scientists at the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi. Data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire formulated based on extensive literature review. The study targeted 128 employees designated as Research Scientists at the time of conducting this study. Results indicate very high levels of engagement among Research Scientists at NMK. Though respondents understand how their performance is evaluated, the link between pay and performance appears unclear to them. Ample learning and growth opportunities do exist but identification of training needs is not methodical. The study also revealed a clear dissatisfaction with the total compensation package. Although majority of respondents believed that advancement opportunities existed, they were less confident regarding existence of equal opportunity for such advancement. Regression analysis of results indicated that of the six independent variables studied, only employee engagement had significant relationship with employee turnover intent. The study concludes that employee engagement is a critical factor in keeping employees in the organisation. It is recommended that NMK develops effective retention strategies to ensure that Research Scientists remain engaged and committed. An integrated rewards scheme incorporating non-financial factors, career development and work-life balance should form part of the strategy. In addition, a formalised induction program as well as a systematic learning and development scheme with individualised plans needs to be put in place.

In the corporate world, humans are treated as ‘manpower’ or ‘resources that utilize other resources, however, this cannot be the only identity of humans or employees of the company. Rather, it must be considered that these employees are humans and humans have got certain rights those are to be fulfilled irrespective of every situation. Humans are beings not just mere resources. This is the time to understand this truth. Technological change has triggered and increased the standard of living but at the same time has deteriorated the humane values and inspired a profligate life style; therefore, the Standardized Human Rights policies like Universal Declaration of Human rights (UDHR) & International Labour Organization (ILO) need to be implemented in the organization culture by understanding the attitudes, attributes of human resources. The purpose of this Study is to investigate the HRM policies of the Technology Companies of Malaysia & of Bangladesh and to identify all the components and integrate all those components with the standardized Human Rights platforms, which are UDHR, ILO etc. To look for the behavior, attitude and analytical option of humans working inside the company due to technological advancements, changes and implemented HRM policies in the organization.