Exploring Employee Turnover Intentions in Private Tertiary Institutions, Ghana: Implementing Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory in Practical Context

Employee turnover intentions in Private Tertiary Institutions in Ghana can be influenced by several factors. The turnover rate of hardworking employees remains one of the most frustrating and persistent issues facing most organizations. While there is a global demand for competent workers, organizations have little insight into how best to retain their workforce. Employees’ decision to quit their current job is referred to as turnover intention. Whereas, the number of employees joining or leaving the organization at a particular period is regarded as employee turnover. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing workers intentions to quit their current jobs for other employment opportunities in Ghana. Also, this paper aims to apply Herzberg's motivation and hygiene factors to provide a conceptual foundation for strategic planning to tackle the ongoing turnover intentions in education. This is a qualitative study where 18 participants were interviewed using the snowball approach. The representation of participants were management, faculty and administrative staff in selected Private Tertiary Institutions in Ghana. The findings reports that turnover intentions sprout as a result of job insecurity, inadequate resources, poor work conditions, low motivation, and poor salary. Further, it was ascertained that despite the cost of turnover in terms of hiring and training; the worst outcome is the human capital flight of accumulated expertise and core competence transferred to the new job. Hence, it is critical that employers implement attractive systems and strategies to reduce employee turnover and retain the best talent.