Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2019 Strategies for Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover in Public Schools Peggy Teresa Proctor-Matos Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.edu/dissertations Part of the Business Commons, and the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact ScholarWorks@waldenu. Walden University College of Management and Technology This is to certify that the doctoral study by Peggy Proctor-Matos has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.
Review Committee Dr. Jorge Gaytan, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Carol-Anne Faint, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Cheryl Lentz, University Reviewer, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.
Walden University 2019 Abstract Strategies for Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover in Public Schools by Peggy Proctor-Matos MMHRM, University of Phoenix, 2007 BA, University of Scranton, 2002 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University December 2019 Abstract The oversight of systematic approaches to reducing voluntary employee turnover decreases educational institutions’ budgets and performance. In the United States, public schools spend over $2.22 billion annually in voluntary employee turnover costs. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies public school leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The population consisted of 3 leaders from 1 public school located in Georgia, with successful experience reducing voluntary employee turnover.
The conceptual framework for this study was grounded in Vroom’s expectancy theory. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and organizational documents and artifacts. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from the data collected: building a collaborative and supportive work environment, creating work motivation, and implementing incentives, rewards, and professional development.
The implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce the local government’s expenditures associated with the replacement of employees and to increase resources for supporting social initiatives and more effective instruction for students in the community. Strategies for Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover in Public Schools by Peggy Proctor-Matos MMHRM, University of Phoenix, 2007 BA, University of Scranton, 2002 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University December 2019 Dedication First and foremost, I dedicate the completion of this doctoral study to my Lord and Savior. Through him, all things are possible. To my husband and best friend, Edwin, you are my hero and number one supporter.
Thank you for always supporting my dreams. To my guardian angels, my Mom, Mary Ann, and sister, Carolyn, you are my light and inspiration. Thank you, Mom, for showing me the value of education. To my family and friends, your positive words were a source of motivation, which kept me focused on completing this study.
To my colleagues and mentors, many thanks for your support, guidance, and listening ear. you too have made an everlasting impact on making this journey a success. Acknowledgments Completing this doctorate was only possible through the grace of God, the love and support of family and friends, and the talented Walden University family. To my best friend, confidant, and mentor for 22+ happy years, my husband, Edwin, thank you for your unwavering commitment, love, and dedication.
I cannot begin to express how thankful I am to have you share my dreams. You sacrificed time and finances so that I could accomplish this educational goal. To my brothers, Charlie, Robert, and James, your belief in my intellectual abilities kept me motivated throughout the doctoral process. To my family and friends, I genuinely appreciate your support and encouragement.
Special thanks to Aretha, Beverly, Linda, Jasmine, Jarvise, Holly, Sharon S., Danessa, Maryann, Cecider, and Qushanda. To my mentor and friend, Dr. Regina, for her guidance and mentorship, which was invaluable to my success. To the Walden University family for a productive doctoral journey.
Jorge Gaytan, my Chair, thank you for your support, firmness, and steadfastness for excellence. Carol-Anne Faint, Second Committee Member, and Dr. Cheryl Lentz, University Research Reviewer, for your attention to detail and feedback. Your combined efforts contributed to the successful completion of this study.
To the research participants, your participation in this study helped me achieve this educational milestone. Table of Contents List of Tables. iv Section 1: Foundation of the Study. 1 Background of the Problem.
2 Nature of the Study. 6 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations. 7 Significance of the Study. 8 Contribution to Business Practice.
8 Implications for Social Change. 9 A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature. 9 Literature Review Organization. 10 Application to the Applied Business Problem.
12 i Other Supporting and Contrasting Theories. 51 Role of the Researcher. 54 Research Method and Design. 58 Population and Sampling.
62 Data Collection Instruments. 64 Data Collection Technique. 66 Data Organization Technique. 75 Reliability and Validity.
81 ii Transition and Summary. 84 Section 3: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for Change. 85 Presentation of the Findings. 85 Applications to Professional Practice.
113 Implications for Social Change. 115 Recommendations for Action. 116 Recommendations for Further Research. 123 iii List of Tables Table 1.
Demographic Characteristics of the Public School Leaders. School Profile and Employee Turnover Data. 92 iv 1 Section 1: Foundation of the Study School leaders must develop strategies to retain talented employees because high voluntary employee turnover decreases organizational performance and effectiveness (Cho, Rutherford, Friend, Hamwi, & Park, 2017). Job satisfaction plays a pivotal role in reducing voluntary employee turnover (Addai, Kyeremeh, Abdulai, & Owusu Sarfod, 2018).
By tailoring employee retention strategies to fit the organizational culture, school leaders may improve employee job satisfaction and reduce voluntary employee turnover (Ahmad & Ahmad Rainyee, 2014). In this qualitative case study, I explored the strategies that public school leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. Background of the Problem Voluntary employee turnover negatively affects an organization’s performance and financial resources (Al Mamun & Hasan, 2017). In 2005, over 285 million employees chose to leave their jobs in all business industries throughout the United States (U.
Department of Labor [USDOL], 2016). In the education sector, 3.9 million employees voluntarily left their jobs between 2006 and 2015 (USDOL, 2016). Public school districts spend over US$2.22 billion annually in employee turnover costs (Rumschlag, 2017). The cost of replacing one employee is between 15% to 250% of the employee’s yearly salary (Rahim, Civelek, & Liang, 2015).
Public school leaders may lack strategies to address voluntary employee turnover intentions to reduce replacement costs and increase employee retention. Voluntary employee turnover results from job dissatisfaction, poor career progression opportunities, poor work-life balance, and inadequate compensation and benefits (Al Mamun & Hasan, 2017). Enhancing employee 2 retention could help public school leaders secure and retain talented employees in their organizations (Lee, Hom, Eberly, & Li, 2017a). Public school leaders may also use employee retention strategies to improve job satisfaction, which may increase their employee’s work performance.
The focus of this study was to explore strategies that public school leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. Problem Statement Between 2006 and 2015, 3.9 million employees in the education sector voluntarily left their jobs (USDOL, 2016). The replacement cost of voluntary employee turnover in the education industry can range between 15% to 250% of an employee’s annual salary (Rahim et al. The general business problem was that voluntary employee turnover negatively affects educational institutions’ budgets, performance, and employee retention.
The specific business problem was that some public school leaders lack strategies to reduce voluntary employee turnover. Purpose Statement The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the strategies that public school leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The target population for this study consisted of three public school leaders from one public school located in Georgia with successful experience in using strategies to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce voluntary employee turnover in educational institutions, which might reduce the local government’s expenditures associated with the replacement of employees and increase 3 resources for supporting social initiatives and more effective instruction for students in the community.
Nature of the Study The three research methods available to researchers are qualitative, quantitative, and mixed (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2015). Researchers use the qualitative research to explore the what, why, and how of a research problem (Yin, 2018). I selected the qualitative research method because the goal was to explore the what, why, and how of voluntary employee turnover. Quantitative researchers use statistical data to examine the relationship among variables (Rutberg & Bouikidis, 2018).
The quantitative research method was not suitable for this study because the intent was not to use numerical data to examine the significance of relationships among variables. The mixed methods is a combination of the qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate complex research questions (Taguchi, 2018). To explore the strategies that public school leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover, I did not use analytical procedures to examine the significance of variables’ relationships or differences, which would have been the quantitative portion necessary for a mixed methods study. Research designs available to qualitative researchers included case study, phenomenological, and ethnography.
Researchers use a case study design to study an organization, group, or person to generate in-depth insights to explore the underlying issues of a phenomenon (Yin, 2018). I used a case study design for this study because the aim was to research a case organization to gain an improved understanding of a phenomenon, which was strategies for reducing voluntary employee turnover. 4 Researchers use the phenomenological research design to interpret the meanings of lived experiences of participants (Aagaard, 2016). The phenomenological research design was not appropriate for this study because the focus of the study was not to explore the meanings of participants’ lived experiences.
The purpose of the ethnographic research design is for researchers to study the culture of a group (Ellis, 2015). The ethnographic research design was not suitable for this study because the goal was not to study the behaviors and ritual traditions of a cultural group. Research Question What strategies do public school leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover? Interview Questions 1. What strategies have you employed to reduce voluntary employee turnover? 2.
What strategies have you instituted that, based upon your organization’s experience, motivated employees to remain in the organization? 3. How was the effectiveness of the strategies to reduce voluntary employee turnover assessed? 4. Based upon your organization’s experiences, what role, if any, do organizational incentives play in retaining skilled employees? 5. What is the single most crucial employee retention strategy in your organization? 6.
How, if at all, are the successful strategies reflected in the organization’s long- term employee retention sustainability plan? 5 7. What additional information would you like to provide regarding strategies your organization has successfully used to reduce voluntary employee turnover? Conceptual Framework The expectancy theory, developed by Vroom (1964), was the conceptual framework for this study. Vroom explored how perceived outcomes influence efficient job performance and workplace motivation. In the expectancy theory, the theorist indicated that employees demonstrate positive job performance when they perceive the results produced specific work incentives and rewards that justified the expected amount of effort to meet performance goals.
The fundamental constructs in the expectancy theory are (a) valence, (b) instrumentality, and (c) expectancy (Vroom, 1964). Valence is the importance employees place on incentives and rewards for achieving their organization’s goals (Vroom, 1964).