Employee recruitment and retention practices adopted by Barclays Bank of Kenya

Abstract

Organizations today are faced with challenges owing to the dynamism and complexities of the market. It is therefore important that they attract and retain the right employees in order to survive in the market, and to champion organizational goals. People are the assets on which competitive advantage is built, whether in the public or private sector, whether in the corporate world or in the world of education. The one thing that competitor organizations cannot imitate is people and their skills. The objective of the study was to determine the factors affecting recruitment and retention of employees in Barclays Bank of Kenya Limited. In trying to achieve the objectives of the research, the study adopted a case study design where interview questions were developed and administered the target respondents who were the human resource managers in charge of recruitment and retention. The study found that there are many factors affecting the recruitment and retention of employees. The factors are basically the same and related. Chief among the factors that influence employee recruitment are pay attractiveness, organizations external work environment, availability of qualified staff, organizations recruitment procedures and advertisement channels among others. The main factors influencing employee retention are job satisfaction, organizational commitment to employees, pay, conditions of service, staff welfare, , gender sensitivity, conflict management system, staff development, advancement opportunities, flexibility of work arrangement, job stress, employee attachment to the organization, training opportunity, responsibilities and commitment outside the organization. The study has made a number of recommendations which bank should implement in order to retain their staff. There is need to adopt appropriate recruitment policies which ensures that the best candidate are the ones hired for the right jobs