Staff attraction and retention : a model for a Namibian state-owned enterprise

Abstract

In order for any organisation to achieve its goals, a committed workforce is essential. It has, however, become a great challenge for organisations to attract and retain employees as the power of success has shifted from organisations to employees. The organisation that is committed to attraction and retention of staff is likely to gain a competitive advantage, as staff members are satisfied and give optimum production levels. The purpose of the study was to determine and investigate factors that affect attraction and retention of staff at NIP in order to suggest possible interventions that could be employed to attract and retain staff in future. In order to obtain desired results, the researcher used a mixed-method approach. Questionnaires were distributed to all non-management NIP employees and semi-structured interviews were conducted with four (4) purposively selected NIP managers. Statistical analysis was used to analyse data, which was obtained by means of questionnaires, and content analysis was used for data that was obtained by means of semi-structured interviews. The study revealed that NIP staff members are dissatisfied with the company policies and practices, as the company does not always pay effective attention to them. Some of them indicated that they only worked as a means of survival; because of passion for their jobs; to save lives; and owing to the scarcity of jobs, since the industry is small.

It is, therefore, necessary to pay attention to factors that this study has produced as obstacles in the way of NIP to employ an effective recruitment and retention strategy for its employees.