ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN KENYA, A SURVEY OF PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NAKURU TOWN

Human Resource Management refers to the management of people in organizations. It comprises all major activities in the working life of an employee from entry to departure from the organization. HRM ensures efficient and effective use of skills, talents and competencies within the organization. Since it is a major concern of organizations today to retain their Human Resources to acceptable levels, the study sought to assess how HRM Management practices influences employee retention in selected private secondary schools in Nakuru town. The schools under the study seem to experience high turnover often resulting from the Teachers Service Commission which advertises posts every year. The variables under study were employee development, working environment, counseling and leadership styles. The target population was 400 teachers in all the private secondary schools in Nakuru Town. The study employed a descriptive research design using both closed and open ended questions to collect data. Data was analyzed with the aid of SPSS and the results will be presented in tables. The findings indicated a positive relationship between employee development, working environment, remuneration and leadership style with employee retention. Remuneration had the strongest positive relationship (r = 0.61) which was deduced to mean remuneration plays a significant role in enhancing employee retention. The study recommends that private schools must strengthen their employee development systems, continuously upgrade their working environment, structure and enhance their remuneration schemes and encourage open and listening leadership in order to enhance employee retention.