A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Award of the
Degree of Masters of Science in Human Resource Management (MSc-HRM) of
Mzumbe University.
The study used qualitative and quantitative approaches, which aimed to assess the
factors affecting employees’ retention at Ifakara Health Institute (IHI). The study was
conducted at Ifakara Health Institute under its five branches including Dar es Salaam
Branch, Bagamoyo Branch, Ifakara Branch, Mtwara Branch and Rufiji Branch.
There were 118 respondents who conveniently selected to represent various
population categories. A total of 64 current employees, 19 heads of unit and 10 exemployees
were interviewed. Only 93 respondents responded, while 25 respondents
did not respond. Questionnaires, interviews, and documentary review tools were
used in data collection. The SPSS software was used to analyze the primary data that
collected from the five (5) branches of Ifakara Health Institute (IHI).
The findings of the study revealed that, the high factors that influenced employees’
retention were; low salary especially to middle and lower cadres, status of
employment contracts which was a one year contract, end of projects as well as
financial situations of the Institute that resulted to termination/redundancy of the
contract of some employees so as to remain with few employees who’s the IHI was
able to manage to pay them and lack of implementation of employees strategies.
The results of this study identified that, the retained employees suffered from the
overloaded work as the result worked long hours and decreased efficiency and poor
work performance since the skilled employees left the institute.
Several suggestions were provided; retention strategies should target all staff
categories, as there was a tendency at Ifakara Health Institute for the staff at all levels
to leave the institution in order to maintain all level cadres in the institution. The
retention policy or scheme might be improved to enable the retention of employees at
Ifakara Health Institute. Although the project came to an end, the institute had to find
the mechanism of retaining the employees to stay in the institute by finding funds to
pay them. The study also recommended that Ifakara Health Institute had to improve
the employee’s salary especially to middle and lower cadre so as to motivate them
and make stay in the institute