Effect of Employee Engagement on Employee Turnover Intention in Hotels within Eldoret Town, Kenya

Abstract

Employee turnover is a common problem in the hospitality industry and it is not country specific. It accounts for employee turnover of between 60% and 300% annually. The main purpose of this study was to determine the effects of employee engagement on employee turnover intention in selected hotels within Eldoret town. This study was guided by Expectancy Theory. A cross-sectional research design was used in selected non-rated hotels within Eldoret town. The target population was the non-managerial cadre of staff accounting for 365 employed staff. Stratified sampling was used to select the hotels that participated in this study. Proportionate random sampling was used to select 187 participants from the sampled hotels and a questionnaire was employed to gather data from key informants. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. Descriptive statistics, standard deviation, percentages and inferential statistics were used in representation of data. there is a significant positive correlation between employee engagement and employee turnover intention (r=0.411, p=0.000). Thus, an increase in employee engagement activities led to rise in employee turnover intention. It also recommends that Department of Hospitality Management uses the University of Eldoret outreach services to conduct awareness seminars for hotel practitioners on the necessity of honoring the psychological contract. Lastly it recommends replication in all non-rated hotels in Kenya to receive a complete national picture.