Motivational factors of employee retention and engagement in organizations

Retention is the process of physically keeping employee members in an organization as it is one of the key fundamentals that are necessary for organizational success. In a globalized environment, retention and engagement of high prospective employees are a huge challenge to organizations especially in times of high turnover rates. In many cases, even engaged employees are sometimes dissatisfied with the outcomes of organizational performance which may lead them to look elsewhere. Due to these reasons, this theoretical paper investigates motivational factors that influence employee retention and examines their impacts on both organizations and employees. This paper argues the motivational factors that are crucial in influencing employee retention are financial rewards, job characteristics, career development, recognition, management and work-life balance. Thus, organizations should formulate appropriate retention strategies in a holistic manner to reduce turnover rates, and these require a commitment from employers, but it will be well worth the investment in the long term.