HOW DOES EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATION CONTRIBUTE TO STAFF TURNOVER INTENTIONS IN A UNIVERSITY SETTING?

Abstract

The study aimed to establish the effect of employee representation on academic staff turnover intentions in chartered universities in Kenya. The study was anchored on the Universalistic Theory, the Harvard HRM model, and the Unfolding Model of the Voluntary Turnover model. A positivist research philosophy guided the study and used a descriptive crosssectional survey design. The study population was 17210 academic staff in chartered universities in Kenya, from whom a sample of 364 academic staff was drawn. A multistage sampling technique was used. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings were presented using tables, charts, and graphs. The results revealed that employee representation significantly negatively influenced academic staff turnover intentions in universities in Kenya. The study's findings offer insight into the situational positioning of employee representations in influencing academic staff turnover intentions in Kenyan universities and managerial and epistemological insights for managers and scholars in HRM, respectively. The findings further contribute to policy development on employee representation and retention.