Strategies for Improving Retention in The Gambia Civil Service

Abstract

Retention of expertise is a difficult task for managers nowadays worldwide, and The Gambia is no exception. Turnover is creating difficulties to adequately staff most of government institutions with properly train and skilled personnel. Gambia civil servants and teachers constituted the population of the present study. A convenient samplings technique was adopted for data collection. A questionnaire with 38 items was used. The study used a five point Likert-scale type ranging from, 1 (highly dissatisfied) to 5 (highly satisfied). Out of the 250 questionnaires dispatched, only 151 questionnaires were retrieved, which represents 65%. A quantitative method was employed and multiple statistical procedures were used to analyze the data. Results revealed that respondents’ were not satisfied with the payments, benefits, and the relationships with supervisors and colleagues. Recognition was found to be one of the most important variables that influence retention of female respondents while male respondents were more satisfied with the overall job. Intentions to quit the government and to search for a different job were negatively associated with variables investigated in this study. Recommendations were made in line with the research results of the study. To encourage retention, strategies that focus on both financial and non-financial rewards should be adopted. Implications of the study were discussed as well.