Employee retention strategies and turnover intentions: the role of perceived supervisor and organizational support

Purpose This paper considers the joint influences of employee retention strategies, specifically job-entry retention strategies (JERS) and on-the-job retention strategies (OJRS), on employee turnover intentions (TOIs), together with the mediating roles of employees’ perceptions of organizational support and supervisor support. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 387 employees of selected organizations from the public and private sectors and two non-governmental organizations is analysed using correlation, hierarchical regression and PROCESS techniques. This research considers a low-income, otherwise called a developing country (Uganda) with distinct management and retention challenges, unlike high-income or developed countries that existing literature has generally focused on. Findings The findings confirm that the grouped retention strategies particularly JERS and OJRS, perceived organizational support (POS) and perceived supervisor support (PSS) are all negatively associated with TOIs. PROCESS Bootstrapping techniques confirm an indirect effect of OJRS on TOIs through POS alone and also sequentially through PSS and POS. In contrast, there is no significant evidence of either POS or PSS mediating JERS and TOIs. Practical implications The findings have implications for policy and practice, especially in improving the integration of the design and management of job-entry and on-the-job human resources (HR) retention strategies, and the related role of supervisor and organizational support, towards reducing TOIs. Issues pertaining to decision authority, performance management and feedback, open communication, involvement in decisions affecting one’s own job, career support and promotional opportunities, job security, pay and training; are all crucial, especially when strategically integrated for retention, and can be strengthened through strategic alignment with the job and organization. Originality/value The study’s grouping of JERS and OJRS and the mediating effects of employee perceptions of support provides a more holistic approach compared to separately focusing on individual HR practices and strategies.