Overview

Original Research

THE INFLUENCE OF CAREER PATHING PRACTICE ON EMPLOYEE RETENTION: EVIDENCE FROM A LEADING ORGANISATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

NOORAIN MANJOO 1, ASHNEE RAJLAL 2, and REWARD UTETE 3.

Vol 18, No 02 ( 2023 )   |  DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/BN62C   |   Author Affiliation: Student, Durban University of Technology, Department of Human Resources Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, South Africa 1; Senior Lecturer, Durban University of Technology, Department of Human Resources Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, South Africa 2; Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Zululand, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law, Richards Bay, South Africa 3.   |   Licensing: CC 4.0   |   Pg no: 1151-1164   |   Published on: 20-02-2023

Abstract

While the issue of employee retention has been widely researched and linked to gamut of valued work-related aspects, no study to date has empirically examined the influence of career pathing practice on employee retention. Career pathing practice has largely been overlooked and disconnected in the employee retention literature. Recently, an alarming number of employee turnover has been reported in call centre organisations predominantly caused by poorly defined career pathing practice. There has been an unanswered question of how career pathing influence employee retention. The present study fills a critical void by investigating the overlooked impact of career pathing on employee retention. The overarching purpose of this study was to investigate the influence career pathing practice on staff retention with specific attention given to a call centre organisation. The study adopted a quantitative research approach and tapped into correlational research design. A pre-coded closed-ended questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale was sent to the sample (234) identified from the target population of 586 call centre staff of the selected organisation situated in Durban and Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Both inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the collected data. Linear regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis. The prime finding of this study indicated that career pathing practice has a significant impact on employee retention. The findings also indicated that ineffective career pathing processes are highly likely to influence an employee’s decision to seek alternate work opportunities. The findings revealed that career pathing was not fully implemented in a manner that satisfy employees. Thus, for organisations to arrest the outflow of employees, it is vital that managers devise strategies which are geared towards promoting career pathing practice.

Keywords

career pathing; employee retention; career growth; call centre organisation; staff competition