INFLUENCE OF TALENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN HOTEL INDUSTRY IN KENYA
Lydia Salima Yeswa - Master of Science (Human Resource Management), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Kepha Ombui - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
ABSTRACT
The current study sought to establish how talent management strategies influence retention of employees in Kenyan hotel industry. The study aimed at establishing how reward system, employee engagement, training and career management influences retention of employees in hotel industry in Kenya. The study was anchored on equity theory, Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory, human capital theory and resource based view. The target population comprised of 183 hotels in Kenya with ratings of one to five stars with the unit of observation being human resources managers of the hotels. Fishers formula 1998 was adopted in determining the sample size of 96 hotels while stratified proportionate sampling was used in selecting the hotels per region according to TRA classifications. The study used questionnaires formulated in a 5-point Likert scale in collecting primary data. The data collected was analyzed by employing descriptive statistics and inferential analysis using SPSS software version 21 and MS Excel Software. The results and findings will be presented in tables, figures and charts. The findings of the study revealed that Reward Systems, career development, employee engagement, and training positively and significantly influences the retention of employees in Kenyan hotel industry. The study recommends that the hotel industry should focus on enhancing reward systems since the practice has a positive significance influence on retention of employee in the hotel industry. The management of the hotels can achieve this by rewarding employees with reasonable salaries and wages, rewarding employees with performance bonuses, paying employees for overtime and holidays, rewarding employees with extended leave, rewarding employees with fair compensation, providing enough recreational facilities, paying salaries that match the work and matching the hotel’s salaries with other hotels’ compensations. The study also recommends that the hotel industry should focus on promoting employee engagements since the practice has a positive significance influence on retention of employee in the hotel industry. The management of the hotels can achieve this by practicing employee involvement and participation, involving employees in the process of making decisions, providing employees with mentoring and counseling sessions, having incentive schemes for employees and offering clear job expectation for all employees. The study further recommends that the hotel industry should enhance employee training since the practice has a positive significance influence on retention of employee in the hotel industry. The management of the hotels can achieve this by providing frequent training programmes, offering staff training opportunities, providing on and off the job training programmes, providing frequent seminars for training and conducting adequate training needs assessment. The study finally recommends that the hotel industry should aim at promoting career management since the practice has a positive significance influence on retention of employee in the hotel industry. The management of the hotels can achieve this by providing enough skills development opportunities to employees, providing equal opportunities for advancement to employees, providing career growth opportunities to all employees, encouraging personal initiative for career advancement and offering all the employees career advancement opportunities.
