The following case studies show the importance of increasing job satisfaction and morale in organizations in building retention efforts. These studies also demonstrate other benefits associated with this effort:
Jail Staff
A national survey of 1,924 line-level jail staff looked to assess the impact of work-related variables and personal characteristics on the intention of employees to resign. Respondents represented 46 states and generally reflect the national line officer jail workforce in demographics. They showed that age, race, gender, or ethnicity did not primarily account for the job satisfaction of jail line staff, but rather, organizational variables. The organizational variables included a supportive work climate and empowerment/autonomy, with the most significant contributor being the employee’s overall work environment (Leip & Stinchcomb, 2013).
Border Patrol
A study of 868 Border Patrol agents examined the association between organizational justice and job satisfaction. Agents facing uncertainty focused more on fair supervisor treatment than their counterparts when considering how satisfied they were with their jobs. The focus on leadership signaled that their supervisors had their best interests in mind and gave them peace of mind that they would support them in the future (Wolf et al., 2018).
Organizational Commitment
A voluminous amount of research indicates that organizational commitment is associated with countless positive outcomes in the workforce. The commitment includes lower rates of job turnover (Jaramillo, Nixon, & Sams, 2005) and absenteeism (Mowday, Porter, & Steers, 1982; Price & Mueller, 1986) and increased job performance (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990).
Burnout
Organizational commitment can improve the quality of policing by reducing rates of burnout (Lambert, Qureshi, Klahm, Smith, & Frank, 2017).
Satisfaction
Affective and normative commitments, satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with promotions, and satisfaction with the work are significantly correlated with the intention of negative turnover.(Luz et al., 2018)..
Productivity
There is evidence that high job satisfaction leads to greater productivity. Research also shows that committed employees have less turnover intent. A study of 330 people in the Information Technology Enabled Service (ITES) industry showed that job satisfaction and organizational commitment decreased turnover intent (Kanwar, Singh & Kodwani, 2012).
Satisfied Officers
In a study of 147 patrolling police officers, committed and satisfied police officers were less likely to leave their organization (Ahmad, Islam, & Saleem., 2019).
Emotional Intelligence
A study of 193 police officers in Australia was analyzed. Emotional Intelligence leads to job satisfaction and well-being, with positive path relationships leading to employee engagement and organizational commitment, thereby affecting turnover intentions (Brunetto et al., 2012).
Covenant Healthcare
Covenant set out to bring about significant changes in the professional development, satisfaction, and retention of all staff. Senior executives in the organization sought to improve the Emotional Intelligence of more than 200 leaders. When evidence-based solutions were applied to soft skills, leaders in the organization began practicing their emotional intelligence skills to develop and engage their employees. The approach improved productivity and team cohesiveness in the organization (Talentsmart, 2022).
CarMax
During the 2008 recession, when companies were laying people off, CarMax decided not to follow that trend. They chose to invest heavily in employee programs. CarMax increased the training of their employees and other development programs. This investment in their employees led to existing employees earning raises and ascending the organization’s ranks. The approach CarMax took is consistent with research showing that first focusing on the people in an organization will lead to desirable results overall.
Hyatt
At the Hyatt organization, an employee in housekeeping stays for more than 12 years. In the last few years, the company rolled out a training program similar to that Magny Leadership already incorporates. Through this training, Hyatt has been so successful in its retention efforts that its number one source of new hires is via its Employee Referral Program recommendations..
Buffer
The Buffer team is another example of a company where culture change can drive employee retention for the better. Buffer’s retention rate is an astronomical 94%, and its turnover rate is only 5.8%. They have incorporated five more core values (already part of the evidence-based curriculum from Magny Leadership) into their daily work routine to ensure employees meet their needs.
Zappos
Zappos puts its employees first as part of its employee retention Strategy. The staff retention rate at Zappos is 85%, a number most police agencies aspire to reach. A common trend in companies with high employee retention rates is the transparency in publicly highlighting their company’s core values. They encourage individuality and creative freedom. They are intentionally proactive in recognizing employees for their performance while allowing them autonomy over their work without fear of being undermined.
Cadence
Another organization with high retention rates is Cadence (a software company). Cadence promotes respect and acknowledges people as their number one asset. They show this by fostering inclusion and welcoming professionals from multiple backgrounds and work experiences. The organization has received numerous awards, including Great Place to Work Around the world, Fortune’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, World’s Best Multinational Workplace, and features in lists for Best Workplace for Millennials (among others).
These organizations know how to employ employee retention strategies to increase engagement. Magny Leadership not only incorporates the same principles these organizations use, but we use additional evidence-based practices to help drive employee retention rates up.
- Ahmad, R., Islam, T. and Saleem, S. (2019), “How commitment and satisfaction explain leave intention in police force?”, Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 42 No. 2, pp. 195-208.
- Brunetto, Y., Teo, S.T., Shacklock, K. and Farr-Wharton, R. (2012), Emotional Intelligence, job satisfaction, well-being and engagement: explaining organisational commitment and turnover intentions in policing. Human Resource Management Journal, 22: 428-441.
- Jaramillo, F., Nixon, R., & Sams, D. (2005). The effect of law enforcement stress on organizational commitment. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 28(2), 321-336.
- Kanwar, Y. & Singh, A.K. & Kodwani, Amitabh. (2012). A Study of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intent among the IT and ITES Sector Employees. Vision: The Journal of Business Perspective. 16. 27-35.
- Lambert, E. G., Qureshi, H., Klahm, C., Smith, B., & Frank, J. (2017). The effects of perceptions of organizational structure on job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among Indian police officers. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 61(16), 1892-1911.
- Leip, L. A., & Stinchcomb, J. B. (2013). Should I Stay or Should I go?: Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intent of Jail Staff Throughout the United States. Criminal Justice Review, 38(2), 226–241.
- Mathieu, J. E., & Zajac, D. M. (1990). A review and meta-analysis of the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of organizational commitment. Psychological bulletin, 108(2), 171- 194.
- Mowday, R. T., Porter, L. W., & Steers, R. M. (1982). Employee-organization linkages: The psychology of commitment, absenteeism, and turnover. New York, NY: Academic Press.
- Ramalho Luz, C.M.D., Luiz de Paula, S. and de Oliveira, L.M.B. (2018), “Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and their possible influences on intent to turnover”, Revista de Gestão, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 84-101.
- Talentsmart (2022). Covenant Healthcare. Retrieved from: https://www.talentsmarteq.com/covenant-healthcare/
- Wolfe, S. E., Rojek, J., Manjarrez, J. V. M., & Rojek, A. (2018). Why does organizational justice matter? Uncertainty management among law enforcement officers. Journal of Criminal Justice, 54, 20–29.