How Do Employee Attitude Surveys Contribute to Staff Turnover Intentions in a University Setting?

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of employee attitude surveys on academic staff turnover intentions in chartered universities in Kenya. The specific objectives were; to determine the extent of employee attitude surveys practices among universities in Kenya; assess the level of turnover intentions among academic staff in chartered universities in Kenya, and determine the effect of employee attitude surveys practices on turnover intentions among academic staff in chartered universities in Kenya. The study was anchored on the Universalistic theory and the Unfolding model of voluntary turnover. A positivism research philosophy guided the study, and a descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. The study obtained primary data from a representative sample of 364 academic staff members drawn from 15 chartered universities in Kenya. The study found that employee attitude surveys have been practized to a low extent and produced correspondingly low staff turnover intentions. Two dimensions of employee attitude surveys significantly negatively affect staff turnover intentions. The study called on future research to apply more robust statistical techniques anchored on mixed methods design for a more comprehensive explanation of the direction of the causal effects of attitude surveys on staff turnover intentions.