介紹—Introduction
 
這篇文章論述一個公司員工保留的問題，并研究了對這一問題造成的影響因素有哪些。研究員工流動所用到的有關學術和方法論進行了討論。曾有很多關于“員工的保留”這一話題的研究，本文對其中的一些理論作了評論。本文表明了對“問題”層面上有很多的研究，至于集團層面則沒有。
 
本文著重于找出員工流動的主要原因，員工流動定義為是員工說明自己的情況，然后自愿辭職。從經理的角度來看，他們疑惑的問題是“員工流動率達到了怎樣的一個層次，管理部門需要做怎么樣的努力去挽回?”文章從員工最有利的角度看待員工流動率的問題。
 
研究方法—Research Methodologies
 
很多相關的研究讓公司明白員工頻繁的流動給公司成本造成的影響。新員工花費的成本是普通員工年薪的兩倍半。這些費用是很少會專門做會計記錄的。因此，員工流動花費的成本數據能夠顯示，成功保留員工的策略是很重要的(Ramlall, 2004)。
 
介紹—Introduction
 
This essay will review employee retention in organisations, and will look at the issues that affect this. Academic and methodological offerings on the study of the antecedents of aggregate turnover are discussed. There have been numerous published studies on employee retention; some of these theories will be reviewed. The paper has revealed there are numerous studies at the individual level, but not at the group level.
 
The paper focuses on the reasons for aggregated employee turnover. Aggregate employee turnover is defined as voluntary resignations, and reviews the overall picture. From a manager's perspective, the manager's question, "what level of turnover should management make every effort to achieve?" Finding a most favourable point of aggregate employee turnover is hypothetically possible.
 
研究方法—Research Methodologies
 
There is a great deal of research which will demonstrate to organisation the true cost of a high employee turnover. The cost of replacing employees who have left can amount to two and half times an employee's annual salary. These costs are hardly ever specially identified in any accounting records. Therefore, turnover cost data have to be used to reveal the success of retention strategies over time (Ramlall, 2004).
 
There is also the knowledge that is lost with the worker who leaves the organisation. This is the knowledge and skills that is used to meet the requirements and the customers' expectations of the service. Organisations cannot take a reflexive approach towards knowledge management; as an alternative they should seek to maintain the competitive advantage and increase systems to control the value of knowledge (Ramlall, S. 2004).#p#分頁標題#e#
 
There has been many flaws in the previous methodologies of why employees will seek alternative employment (Glebbeek & Bax , 2004).The majority of previous research examines the question of why employees voluntarily quit organisations. This has offered many methodologies, none of which has identified the same set of indicators of when and why this will happen (Maertz & Campion, 2004).
 
The research on the understanding of individual employee turnover, and how this decision was reached, will assist managers, but they will not have the capacity to continually review employees. This line of research contributes to our comprehension of the connections within the organisational context, for example attitudes, skills, and behaviours (Glebbeek & Bax 2004). Therefore it is important for organisations to understand the aggregate employee turnover (Gould-Williams, 2003).
 
An additional, less researched issue in retention is "treats turnover", this is not just an individual's behavioural situation or incident, but a collective phenomenon, through the shared context, of interactions, cognitions, and characteristics of the joint members. Individuals within organisations will interact with each other, and pass on feelings and beliefs (Boorstin, 2005). This methodological approach offers an insight into the organisational setting, of why people leave (Maertz & Campion, 2004).
 
In "treats turnover" methodological approach, the research is in line with the way managers think and consider their employee retention in their organisations. For example consider Domino's Pizza, prior to David Brandon joining as CEO their employee turnover rates were 158%, per year. They had 125,000 employees, so ~200,000 (158% of 125,000) employees were leaving each year. They introduced a training program, which has seen this rate of employee reduced to fewer than 90% (Brandon cited in Boorstin, 2005, 28).
 
This is a good example of the manager's perception of employee turnover. The organisation is not worried with the countless of motives affecting each individual decision to leave, but has focused the organisational resources in reducing the overall turnover rate (Boorstin, 2005). There have been some new methodologies that established the significance of managing aggregate voluntary turnover. Some of these conclude that increased aggregate turnover is connected with declining organisational effectiveness (Shaw et al, 2005).
 
Theorists, consultants and managers, would be under a misleading assumption believing that the conclusions derived from studies of individual turnover apply to aggregate turnover in the same way and or with the same concentration (Gould-Williams, 2003). These are two separate issues and must be treated as such, within research and frameworks (Glebbeek & Bax, 2004).
 
The exploratory literature on the previous circumstances of aggregate turnover is minimal, in comparison to the volume of research in individual voluntary turnover; this is significant for the academic and methodological challenges (Glebbeek & Bax , 2004). As a result, it cannot be assumed that the circumstances, background and attitudinal drivers of individual turnover are also the driver of aggregate turnover. There is little evidence to prove that there is a similar set and circumstances and therefore this will lead to the same result (Gould-Williams, 2003).#p#分頁標題#e#
 
The insufficiency and shortage of studies on the drivers of aggregate turnover prevents conclusions from the mainstream research. The drivers and the motive behind a large number of employees leaving (Gould-Williams, 2003) is not fully researched. The strategic human resource management literature, focusing on the human resource systems, is a primary precursor of aggregate turnover. As communal occurrences are drivers of aggregate turnover, theoretically they will exist and be measured at the same collective level (Klein et al, 1994).
 
The aspect of this is important when studying employee turnover rate (Delery & Shaw, 2001). Communal behaviour is the sharing of common experiences, which result from common procedures, policies and practices, for example when practices are used to employee behaviour in the organisational context. Teams will form this communal bonding, and this will lead to the sharing of feelings, which are either negative or positive (Morgeson & Hofmann, 1999).
 
As a result the addition of HR practices, introduces least reliable theoretical contributions, due to the different studies on different organisations, all organisations are different (Maertz & Campion, 2004). First, previous models of the antecedents of aggregate turnover have rarely included the HR systems that likely have a strong homogenizing effect on the experiences, interactions, make-up, and thus turnover of the organisational unit members (Delery & Shaw, 2001).
 
While there is a great deal of evidence that HR practices is related to organisational performance, the principal variables have not been sufficiently tested or explored (Wright & Gardner, 2003). These variables will affect employee commitment and therefore employee turnover (Maertz & Campion, 2004).
 
A number of theorists have discussed that almost every models of individual employee turnover are derived from March & Simon's (1958) classic book, Organisations (March & Simon's (1958) cited in Trevor, P 2001). The book discusses individual employee voluntary turnover decisions, with the simplicity of movement to another organisation and the apparent appeal of leaving the organisation (Trevor, 2001).
 
Employee retention models based on desirability of movement have been mostly studied (Gould-Williams, J 2003). The employee's attitudes, for example their job satisfaction and commitment to the organisation are drivers of organisational exit. If either of the two is low, will increase the employee intention to leave. These traits can develop in an employee over a period of time, or even shortly after recruitment. It is vital for organisation to understand the general feelings of an employee, so that it can maintain their current knowledge base (Lee et al, 2004).
 
One area of research that is gaining interest is the methodology mainly based around studying how an employee's attitudes affect their turnover behaviour (Maertz & Campion, 2004). The research in organisational commitment, predominantly in effective organisational commitment, is a most important part of this research, and this is where the methodology is effective (Meyer et al, 2002).#p#分頁標題#e#
 
Whilst the earlier methodologies of organisational commitment go back to Becker's (1960) with the view of "side bets," contemporary organisational commitment studies, on the whole on effective commitment, is understood as a "psychological bond" - a member of staff has with his or her employer. Employee commitment increases as the "psychological bond" grows stronger Becker's (1960) & Allen(1997).
 
Commitment is defined as "the willingness of social actors to give their energy and loyalty to social systems". Related to the amount of commitment, is the emotional condition of bonding, loyalty, and the effort that is used for the employer, this gives direction to the behaviour of the committed employer. This behaviour includes following instructions, which will benefit the organisation and its mission. The attitude and behavioural consequences of an effectively committed employee is continuous employment with the employer (Meyer & Herscovitch, 2001).
 
The most up to date methodologies on Becker's (1960) model is the relationship between individual effective organisational commitment and the actual employee turnover (Becker's (1960) cited Meyer et al, 2002). This has identified a relationship between the individual employee organisational commitment and the tangible employee turnover, which correlates with the commitment of the individual employees (Meyer et al, 2002).
 
To put forward that joint commitment is a significant precursor to collective employee turnover - a new methodology. A team is made up of a collective goal directed combination of individuals, for example for a project, department, or a business unit, can have shared goals. In the organisational context they interact to carry out interdependent tasks. The individual employees are joined through their interdependent tasks to complete the project (Wright & Gardner, 2003).
 
Mutual effective organisational commitment is the shared frame of mind or pattern of attitudes and a mutual psychological position, among a collective group of employees concerning their common employer. This is characterised by feelings of allegiance and a need to spend physical and psychological energy in assisting their employer to reach the organisational goals (Meyer & Allen, 1997).
 
With Lindsley, Brass, and Thomas (1995) methodology, the collective group of employees is a social entity, able to have opinions, feelings, and behaving as a single entity. The collective attitude and feelings of loyalty are separate from attitudes and beliefs of the individual employees, when they are not component of the collective group (Lindsley, Brass, and Thomas (1995) cited in Batt et al, 2002).
 
The individual level methodologies of the employee turnover process puts forward that the individual compare the incentives, for example reward and status, they receive from their employer, to their own contribution in return (Maertz & Campion, 2004). Employees will always discuss these issues with others; to compare their worth and value to the organisation. Therefore the organisation must accept they cannot control this aspect of employee behaviour (Wright & Gardner, 2003).#p#分頁標題#e#
 
When likely or tangible contribution is exceeded, the risk of turnover is higher. A driver of this force hypothesises the employee's attitude towards the job and the organisation. When there is a negative attitude, this results in greater estimates of the costs of their contributions. This can result in an exit decision, increasing employee turnover (Glebbeek & Bax, 2004).
 
The theoretical methodologies which look at the connection between collective attitudes, including commitment, and collective turnover, is not as advanced as the work on the individual level that has been completed. The major research was the "quasi-experiment" in a single organisation (Meyer & Allen, 1997).
 
Hulin (1968) researched the changes in job satisfaction and turnover prior to and after changes in HR practices. The conjectural framework supposed homology involving the mechanism which connects individual job satisfaction with individual turnover and the aggregate employee job satisfaction, in the organisation, and the succeeding employee turnover rate (Hulin (1968) cited in Batt et al, 2002).
 
The results from Hulin's (1968) methodologies concluded that team job satisfaction is connected with later reduction in employee turnover rates (Hulin (1968) cited in Batt, R et al 2002). Successive studies, which have examined the connection between shared commitment and group turnover rates, are reliant on the hypothetical framework, which connects the employee between commitment and turnover (Simons & Roberson, 2003).
 
Ostroff's (1992) methodologies of collective commitment and employee turnover, was the first to propose that "supra-individual" issues connect collective commitment and aggregate employee turnover rates. Instead of an express connection, Ostroff (1992) research concluded that collective commitment forms the patterns of interaction among team members (Ostroff (1992) cited in Simons & Roberson, 2003).
 
This is firstly, individuals with a higher level of defined and explicit levels of commitment who communicate these feelings to individuals with lower levels of commitment. Secondly, the patterns of communication produce common norms of behavioural expectations; as a result, they affect individual and collective behaviour (Glebbeek & Bax, 2004).
 
As a consequence employees working in a team with strong either positive or negative effective commitment, can, following a succession of interactions with other team members, regulate their feelings and behaviours, and bring them into line with their colleagues (Allen, N & Grisaffe, D 2001).
 
Ostroff's (1992) methodology contradicted the previous study, this study established a well-built negative relationship between group commitment and employee turnover intentions. The results of Koys' (2001) research into the relationship between aggregate job satisfaction and employee turnover were weak (Ostroff (1992) cited in Simons & Roberson, 2003).#p#分頁標題#e#
 
Simons and Roberson's (2003) research pointed to a weak negative relationship between collective commitment and organisational employee turnover rates. Their methodology identified no positive correlation, only when the employee had a negative commitment did this behaviour transfer to some other members of the team (Simons & Roberson, 2003).
 
Based on the three theoretical methodologies discussed, the link between individual effective commitment and individual turnover intention will be at team level. The communication of these feelings and behavioural potentials among collective group members are the forming of group norms (Glebbeek & Bax, 2004).
 
Within organisational structures there are a countless combinations HR to manage the employees into, during, and out of separate teams, business units and divisions. One of the criticisms of previous methodologies is no two studies have researched the identical set of HR practices, or measured in the same method, when studying HR systems of practice. There are some similarities, when they are reviewed as with a common dimension framework (Appelbaum et al, 2000).
 
In these methodologies, the first dimension is the amount of resources that are there in HR practices, which are proposed to improve the employee's knowledge, skills, capability and competencies (Glebbeek & Bax, 2004). These also include the recruiting, training, selection, and the socialisation of the employee (Batt et al, 2002).
 
The next dimension is the amount of resources in functioning HR practices; these will motivate discretionary employee effort, creativity, and behaviours. These consist of the incentive reward schemes, plans, performance bonuses, and performance management. The final dimension is the amount of resources in HR practices to offer opportunities for the employees to partake in substantive decision-making (Glebbeek & Bax, 2004).
 
The methodologies connecting HR practices to effective organisational commitment is comparable to the amount of research on commitment and turnover. There is a large amount of theoretical and pragmatic studies at the individual level, but little on the collective level (Gould-Williams, 2003).
 
The previous methodologies of individual affective organisational commitment are characteristically clustered into organisational factors, for example the structure, sector or size. The personal characteristics are also grouped together for example the gender, age, or length of service and their work experiences (Batt et al, 2002).
 
From these methodologies, researchers have established that it is the work experiences to be the most robust precursor to the individual effective commitment. The HR practices produce a set of standardised work experiences amongst employees, which can lead to feelings of collective commitment (Glebbeek & Bax, 2004).
 
總結和討論—Conclusion & Discussion#p#分頁標題#e#
 
This paper concluded that it is vital to gain effective employee commitment by all employees, this is not achievable, and so the aim for the organisation should be to gain effective employee commitment from the majority of employees.
 
There are great costs involved to an organisation when their aggregate employee turnover is running too high; this includes a loss of organisational knowledge. This can affect their customers through a reduction in service, which in turn will affect the organisational reputation.
 
The aggregate employee voluntary turnover is the physical evidence of a large number of decisions regarding quitting and staying across a set of individuals over time. Whilst individual turnover decisions are of immense importance to direct supervisors, manager's attention is on controlling the aggregate turnover of teams, divisions and business units.
 
Previous methodologies suggest a negative relationship between collective effective commitment and aggregate voluntary turnover. The previous research results conclude that the aggregate turnover and strategic HR is connected.
 
HR practices when broken into functional collections, results in differential effects of specific affective commitment and turnover with the different frameworks. Each HR collection can and will affect employee attitudes and behaviour.
 
The collective effective commitment is connected with aggregate voluntary turnover but there are many methodologies on - under what conditions these associations exist? Previous research concluded that effective employment commitment is communicated from less to more engaged team members.
 
The previous methodology on employee turnover focused mainly on the individual turnover and does not reflect in aggregate voluntary turnover. This research will assist the supervisors in their work, but cannot offer a managerial overview of the problem.
 
There are quite a lot of limitations to these studies that need to be considered in evaluating the aggregate voluntary turnover. There is a need for more research to be completed on the aggregated effective employee commitment, which will reduce the overall aggregated employee turnover.
 
There needs to be a clear divide between the two approaches to studying employee commitment and employee turnover. Some theorists will try to use an individual framework to study the aggregate turnover; this is distinct and should remain separate.
 
Therefore this paper concludes that there are insufficient methodologies on the aggregated employee turnover. This should be researched in further studies, using the three HR combinations for separate studies.