Centre name: ICS Learn

Candidate name: Remina Shefi

CIPD Membership 23142784 ICS student 20904611
Number: number:
Qualification title: CIPD Advanced Certificate in HR
Unit title(s): Investigating Business Issues in Unit code(s): 7IBI
Human Resources
Assessment number Summative Assessment

*Online Class Date *Tutor Name Carol

Margerrison

1st Submission Date Word Count

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Abstract
The research on practices that leaders should take to manage talent retention at RAKHH was
meant to create a platform where action would be required to reduce turnover. The problem at
RAKHH was that the employees were leaving the organisation with the trend rising. The leaders
had to be fully involved and support employees working in the organisation to solve the
retention problem. The leaders also got involved in developing relationships with the employees
to increase employee motivation, satisfaction, and commitment. A survey was conducted
among 94 respondents who had different leadership and management roles at RAKHH. A
questionnaire was developed to help determine the motivation levels and the actions that
leaders would take to support employee retention. The results should that talent retention
enhances increased levels of organisational productivity, employee commitment to the
organisation, high satisfaction levels, and subsequent improved organisational performance and
success. Recommendations were to employers, who were expected to motivate the leaders,
who after that would inspire and influence employees when seeking to motivate them. Leaders
should also take responsibility to create awareness about the opportunities available in the
organisation to enhance personal and professional development among employees, which is
significant in retaining employees. Creating a succession plan was recommended to ensure that
leaders and managers are well prepared for turnover. Finally, leaders are expected to engage in
practices effective to improve their relationships with employees to enhance their retention to
the organisation.
1.0 Introduction
Maxwell (2021) defines talent retention as the extent to which organisations and employers
retain employees within a specified period. This is expressed as a percentage of the overall
number of employees working in the organisation. Organisations that do not retain employees
experience high turnover rates. Turnover is defined as the proportion of people who leave the
organisation within a specific time. Turnover has a negative impact on organisational and
people performance. Organisations should strive to ensure that the right people are hired and
maintained in the organisation. Employers should seek to identify the motivating factors
considered to be the basis for high employee retention rates. Organisational leaders should take
responsibility to support employee retention strategies in the organisation. Organisations play
significant roles in determining how they keep the employees in their workplaces, and they
should therefore be keen to identify the actions they should take in promoting high retention
levels. This research proposal is meant to explain the effectiveness of leadership practices and
required changes that should be considered in the organisation to retain talent, with reference to
RAK Hospitality Holding (RAKHH).
1.1 Organisational background
RAK Hospital Holding (RAKHH) operates in the hospitality sector and works to manage
hospitality assets. Established in 2014, RAKHH invests and manages hospitality subsidiaries,
including hotels, spa, and resorts. It is an organisation that works to meet the global demands in
the hospitality industry to ensure that it achieves its goals and objectives. The employers work
to ensure that the business purchases, renovates, and manages hospitality assets for the
business subsidiaries. It operates as a business asset developer to facilitate easy adaptation of
the business to the market and the business operating environment (RAKHH, 2019).
1.2 Statement of the problem
RAKHH has been experiencing high employee turnover, which has dramatically affected
workers' proficiency in delivering organisational goals and objectives. The high turnover rate
affects the productivity and performance of the employees. Employers are also affected by the
trend because they have to get involved in hiring employees to replace those who have left the
company. According to De Sousa Sabbagha, Limo, and Martins (2018), employees leave the
organisations for many reasons, which will be evaluated to determine why RAKHH employees
leave possible cause of action to reduce the turnover rate. One of the main reasons employees
leave their workplace is a lack of employee satisfaction and motivation. Leaders should be
ready to identify the reasons behind the turnover rate of employees at RAKHH and identify
strategies that should be considered in retaining employees in the workplace.
1.3 Purpose of research
The research aims to identify the leadership practices and the required changes that should be
considered effective in managing talent retention at RAKHH.
1.3.1 Research objectives
1. To determine the leadership practices that impact employee motivation, satisfaction and
retention to enhance management of employee retention at RAKHH.
2. To determine the practices that RAKHH leaders and managers should work with to
improve employee relations and reduce employee turnover.
3. To provide recommendations on the strategies that would help support organisation
change to change the trend and increase employee retention levels.

1.4 Research questions

1. What leadership practices impact employee motivation, satisfaction, and retention to
enhance employee retention at RAKHH?
2. Which practices should RAKHH leaders and managers work with to improve employee
relations and reduce employee turnover?
3. What recommended strategies would help support organisation change to change the
trend and increase employee retention levels?

1.5 Justification of the study

Some organisations such as RAKHH experience difficulties in managing talent, which explains
why the turnover rate is high. The research was justified because the issue might be a
significant challenge to the organisational leaders and employers when not addressed.
Therefore, identifying leadership practices to reduce turnover is among the best cause of action
that organisational managers should look into to ensure that they develop suitable alternatives
to support them. The study helps determine why employees behave the way they do and bring
about actions necessary to intervene in the situation to increase employee retention rates.
1.6 Key stakeholders
Stakeholders are groups involved in one way or another in the different issues the organisation
is involved in. each group has different interests and play different roles in enhancing growth
and progress in the organisation. People professionals is the first group involved in RAKHH
operations, especially when dealing with people. In this research, attention is paid to people
professionals to identify actions they should take to support leaders through practices that
support high employee retention rates. Leaders and managers are the other groups of
stakeholders whose influence on RAKHH operations are robust and significant to all other
stakeholders. They are highly involved in enhancing international business operations for
RAKHH. Change agents are stakeholders who take roles in introducing change and supporting
employees through the change process. They work with the HR department and the general
organisation to enhance the practical completion of organisational roles and achieve business
goals. The final group of stakeholders are the employees, and they are highly considered in
determining the relationships between motivation, employee retention and performance. The
interactions with the employees helped the researcher identify why they would opt to leave
RAKHH and explain why they remain in the organisation for a long time. Solutions developed by
leaders and change agents should support the RAKHH business as it focuses on retaining
employees and reduce turnover rates among them.
2.0 Literature review
The literature review identifies concepts from different authors on the topic of research. This
evaluates the concepts of employee motivation, satisfaction, commitment, and retention in the
organisation. Different authors' insights on the leadership role and practices in providing support
were also evaluated and discussed in this review.
Relating employee motivation to performance
Motivation is a process that initiates the behaviour. CIPD (2021) has defined employee
motivation as the workers’ guide in achieving the goals and objectives set in an organisation.
The motivating factors may be intrinsic or extrinsic, and they are the basis on which a healthier
and happier workforce is developed. Employees within an organisation who are highly
motivated tend to be more satisfied. In the UK, two-thirds of the employees reported that they
felt satisfied in their workplace. This means that the employees’ involvement in their assigned
roles and responsibilities in the workplace is significant to promoting organisational success,
development, and competitive advantage.
Different employees have different needs and interest in the workplace. Motivating employees in
the workplace should be done to support these different needs in the diversified groups of
employees and other organisational stakeholders. According to Rozman, Treven, and Čancer
(2017), the ageing workforce, which is highly represented in the UK, should be motivated to
become more willing to work in a particular organisation. Evidence from research and
organisations show that aged and young employees have different motivating factors. The
different factors should be considered to create a platform where employees feel satisfied
working for a particular organisation. The levels of employee satisfaction and motivation
determine the levels of performance. Jindal, Shaikh, and Shashank (2017) explain the passion of
having a well-motivated and committed workforce, which is essential in creating opportunities to
promote employee well-being and good working relationships, which are also aspects of
employee well-being motivation. Paais and Pattiruhu (2020) assert that employees record high
satisfaction levels with a motivated workforce, which significantly impact performance. Among
the various motivating factors, intrinsic and extrinsic rewards shape the employees' career paths
and thus promote positive results from the employees to the organisation. In most
organisations, referred to as training, learning and development, it is also a practice
implemented in the organisation. It is among the HR functions that highly support employee
motivation and improves satisfaction levels. Novitasari et al. (2020) associate motivation with high
levels of engagement among the employees. An engaged and motivated workforce enhances
cohesiveness as the employees work together to promote performance. Pandit and Ray (2018)
confirm this by arguing that the employees experience some form of safety, which advocates for
them being retained in the organisation.
Retaining workforce
retaining staff is an HR function and strategy that all organisations strive to avoid the challenges
brought about by the high turnover rate among employees. Staff retention is defined as how
employers maintain employees in the workplace for a specified time. The employee retention
strategy is achieved when the employers reduce the turnover rate. The turnover rate measures
the number of people who leave the organisation within a specified time and is calculated as a
percentage of the total number of employees hired within a particular organisation (CIPD, 2020).
De Sousa Sabbagha, Limo, and Martins (2018) carried out survey research. The study results
confirmed that job satisfaction and motivation are intervention measures that should be used in
the organisation to help retain employees. Barrett and Holme (2018) further argued that
organisations run talent programmes to keep employees involved in the organisation and
assure them of their values to be part of the organisational workforce. This supports employee
motivation and promotes the employees' satisfaction as they work to deliver improved
organisational performance. Employees are more committed to organisations that record-high
performance. The employees also leave organisations where performance is reported to be
poor (Yu et al., 2019). Support to employees through the HR professionals should be provided
to the employees to make them feel comfortable working in an organisation. The process
determines HR professionals’ role in making the employees feel motivated and valued for being
participants in the organisation. For people professionals to promote employee motivation and
job satisfaction, they should keep the recruitment and selection process fair, just and outright.
They should also strive to develop the employees and gain more skills, knowledge, expertise
and competencies to carry out their assigned roles and responsibilities. Organisations that
invest in employees have a talented workforce, and the retention levels increase instead of
organisations that do not invest in employees’ needs and interests (Parashakti et al., 2020).
Leadership roles and practices in impacting employee retention
Leaders have many responsibilities in the organisation, and retaining staff is one they should
look into. They should take personal responsibility to provide support to employees and engage
them in practices that support their retention. Dirani et al. (2020) identify employee well-being as
one of the practices that leaders should consider to support employee retention. It is a
motivating factor that explains employees’ issues and challenges faced due to different
experiences, such as the covid-19 outbreak. Employees in the global workforce have been
affected by the pandemic. Leaders are expected to take action to support their well-being, help
them experience a sense of self and job satisfaction, and encourage them to continue working.
In case of a crisis, leaders have to adapt and change their leadership competencies. It is
essential because it provides the right kind of support to make the employees feel appreciated
and valued in the workplace.
Tian et al. (2020) relate with the fundamental need to develop opportunities to support
employees through the transformation process. The author proposes the need to involve
transformational leaders in helping the employees adapt to changing work situations. Creating
value through management helps promote levels of organisational communication. Citizenship
behaviour is also enhanced and managed effectively. Leaders also work to provide e emotional
support to employees, which are all aspects that enhance employee retention. Dirani et al.
(2020) has developed recommendations to ensure that they keep the employees developed and
engaged in the workforce. These help determine the extent to which employees are retained in
their places of work.
Organisational leaders should support developing opportunities to motivate employees, improve
their satisfaction and commitment levels, and listen to their voices and concerns. The
employees provide views of what they would consider necessary to them and the organisation,
which promotes how they maintain their relationships with their employers. Good employer and
employee relationships enhance retention levels, and this also promotes the development of an
organisational culture that supports high levels of employee involvement (CIPD, 2020).
3.0 Methodology
The methodology provides explanations on how to carry out the research and identify solutions
to the research problem. It provides the reason for choosing a particular research design on
completing the research and providing answers to the research questions. The methodology
describes the data sources, data collection methods and provides the formulation of the
research design. The research design to be used in this study is the qualitative and quantitative
research strategy. With these methods, the researcher sought to find out the motivational and
satisfactory factors that leaders should look into to retain employees for a longer time.

Quantitative research design

Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009) describe quantitative research as a research strategy
where numerical data is collected from research participants. Researchers use a deductive
approach to collect research data, where they seek to test a theory from the data obtained from
the research. The quantitative research design is objective, and the results obtained from this
research are logical and not biased. It is easy to collect quantitative data from large samples
because the respondents are just given questionnaires, and they return them after answering all
the research questions. The questionnaires are structured to help the researcher identify the
similarities of the results based on the responses they receive from the research respondents.
The researcher statistically analyses data collected from quantitative research. This is because
numerical data can easily be placed on tables, and calculations determine the percentage rate.
Researchers can easily compare research variables and ensure that they make the right
interpretations of the research question by statistically analysing the data. The data is analysed
from the mathematical or computational techniques that the researcher considers adequate.

Qualitative design

According to Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009), the qualitative research design is a data
collection strategy that generates non-numerical data. The purpose of collecting qualitative or
non-numerical data is to help the researcher understand the topic issue. The researchers seek
to identify in-depth answers as to what the respondents are explaining to the research question.
Researchers ask questions to steer respondents to provide detailed responses. The approach
to collecting qualitative data may be deductive or inductive. The deductive approach is where
researchers seek to test research theories. However, inductive research is where the
researcher analyses data patterns and uses the results to develop a theory relating to the topic
of study. This study will take the inductive approach to help analyse data patterns and develop a
theory on which motivating factors the employees should be given to make them feel satisfied.
The theory will help determine actions taken by leaders to enhance high degrees of employee
retention at the RAKHH Hospital. Different methodologies may be used to collect qualitative
data, including interviews with the respondents or in focus group discussions. Interviews may be
face to face or through telephone calls. When the researcher engages in an interview with the
respondent, how the respondent provides answers to the research questions contributes
significantly to help the researcher understand the concept of the answers provided by the
respondent. When the interviews are one-on-one, the researcher may have to observe the
respondents' body language to effectively take into account what he/she says about a particular
research issue. The data collected from qualitative research is subjective and cannot be
analysed statistically, as is the case with quantitative research. The reason behind that is
because the responses from qualitative research are not common to each other.

The use of multiple research in the study

The study to identify the leadership practices and the required changes that should be
considered effective in managing talent retention at RAKHH will use mixed or multiple research
strategies. This means that both qualitative and quantitative research strategies will be used to
collect data from the respondents. This means that the findings will be statistical and non-
statistical. The research procedure will be sequential, where quantitative data will first be
complete, and then the researcher will collect qualitative data. The researcher will develop
questionnaires to collect quantitative research data and conduct an in-depth interview with the
respondents to collect qualitative data. However, after collecting the data, the researcher may
use the mixed model approach to analyse the data. The quantitative data collected may be
qualitised and be converted to a narrative to explain the research variables and concepts. The
significance of mixed research is that the researcher gets better opportunities to evaluate
research findings (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009).

Research approach

The research approach to be used in this study is survey research. Vaske (2019)
identifies survey research as the research design method where researchers seek to obtain
information directly from respondents selected within a particular population. Surveys help
researchers obtain quantitative data. Surveys may also be conducted in interviews where the
respondents get to provide information to the research questions. Surveys are carried out from
a sample of the respondents, and the sample size has to represent the whole population
effectively.

Identification of research population and sample

The research population will be senior personnel taking different leadership positions in the
organisation. These will be senior managers, line managers, people professionals, supervisors
and team leaders who have been given different leadership roles to play at RAK Hospitality
Holding (RAKHH). A sample of 100 respondents was selected to participate in the research.
The researcher used probability sampling to identify research participants, and in this, every
senior person had an opportunity to participate in the research. Simple random sampling is
effective to give each leader a chance to participate in the study.

Data collection method

A questionnaire will be developed to help the researcher collect data from the respondents. The
questionnaire may be both structured and unstructured. The first part of the questionnaire is
structured with multiple choices where the respondents will be expected to choose one answer
from the available choices. Unstructured questions are open, and the respondents are not
restricted to choose any choices to answer the questions. Instead, they are expected to provide
detailed or comprehensive answers to the research questions. The researcher may follow up on
this to interview the respondents to obtain qualitative data.

Data interpretation

Data will be interpreted sequentially, where the codes that emerge from qualitative data are
transformed into quantitative data, and quantitative data is interpreted using the quantitative
research method. The researcher will provide narration to the quantitative data obtained from
the respondents, and the qualitative data may also be quantified to help the researcher
understand the research topic better.

Ethical consideration to research

Researchers are expected to seek ethical approval from the organisations where they intend to
carry out the research. For example, the researcher is expected to seek approval from RAKHH
before engaging the employees in the organisation for study. When seeking approval, the
researcher provides details of the reasons for the research and the data collection techniques
that will be used to obtain information from the respondents. Therefore, the researcher gets
access to the organisation and is confident to engage the employees in the study.

Researchers are expected to be ethical while conducting the research proves. In this case, the
researcher has a role in ensuring they take into account the anonymity of the respondents,
ensure that they keep the information confidential, and ensure that the respondents are aware
of the fact that reasons why the research is being conducted. Researchers should also be
aware that just because they have been granted access to the organisation, it is not guaranteed
that the respondents will be prepared to provide full cooperation in answering the survey
questions. Thus, the researcher has to establish relationships with the respondents, create a
rapport with them and state your intention and expectations to help provide information to the
research topic. The researcher should also assure respondents of confidentiality in the
information they provide, and in some cases, this is done in writing. According to Saunders,
Lewis and Thornhill (2009), participation in research is enhanced when the research considers
the responses from the senior management in an organisation as opposed to when the
researcher has to be intrusive to the junior employees. It may take time for employees in the
junior positions to fully get involved in research as it would when the senior managers are
involved. Alternatively, in this research, the possibility of getting information is very high
because the respondents are the people taking different leadership positions at RAKHH.

Quality of research

Research ethical issues are significant to enhance the reliability and validity of the research.
Ethics in research determine the reliability of the research to ensure that meaningful data is
obtained from the respondents. This is possible only when the researcher identifies meaningful
data collection techniques and analysis procedures that would help produce the right research
results. Therefore, the researcher has to work using suitable methodologies to collect the data.
Ethics also determine data validity to ensure that what the research intended to assess has
effectively been assessed to support the research topic. The reliability and validity of data
determine the quality of research, which is an essential and most ethical consideration that the
researcher should look into while conducting the research (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
2009).

Limitations of research

The limitations of conducting primary research are that it may take a lot of time for the
researcher to complete the research process, considering giving out questionnaires,
administering and collecting the filled questionnaires from the respondents. The research might
be expensive, and some of the respondents may not be aware of why the research is conducted
and thus may provide irrelevant or dishonest answers. Sometimes while conducting the
research, the researcher must obtain prior information on the strategies taken by RAK to retain
talent for a longer time.

4.0 Results
All the respondents were expected to complete all the questions developed in the questionnaire.
Out of the 100 respondents selected to participate in the study, only six failed to respond to the
researcher. This means that the results used in analysing data on the research topic were from
the 94 leaders who responded after the questionnaires were issued to them.
4.1 Demographic characteristics

Demographics Frequency Percentage

Gender Male 58 62%
Female 36 38%
Total 94% 100%
Age Below 30 years 13 14%
31-40 years 36 38%
41-50 years 34 36%
Above 50 years 11 12%
Total 94 100%
Time in current Less than 2 years 10 11%
position 3-5 years 23 24%
6-10 years 47 50%
More than 10 years 14 15%
Total 94 100%
From the data represented above, it is clear that more males were represented in the senior
positions at RAKHH, with a percentage of 62%. Female respondents were only 38%, meaning a
gap between the male and female representation in the senior organisational positions.
38% of the respondents were between the ages of 31-40 years, and 36% were between 41-50
years. This shows that more than two-thirds of the respondents were between 31 and 50 years.
50% of the respondents, half the number, had worked as leaders at RAKHH for 6-10 years.
Only 11% had been in leadership for less than two years. The statistical information shows that
the responses were given by leaders who are well experienced and know about the
organisation and their people.
4.2 Level of employee motivation at RAKHH

Motivation level Frequency Percentage

Highly motivated 12 13%
Averagely motivated 68 72%
Not motivated 14 15%
Total
Of the total number of 94 respondents, 68 (72) felt that they were averagely motivated to work
at RAKHH. Only 12 of the total 94 respondents (13) felt that they were highly motivated. 15% of
the respondents felt that they were not motivated. This study showed that RAKHH was being
led by leaders who were themselves not motivated enough to influence and inspire others to
become motivated. This was a challenge that the employer should look into to ensure that the
leaders are highly motivated to create a motivated workforce.
4.3 Actions to motivate employees and increase retention rate at RAKHH
Respondents were requested to appropriately tick the degree to which they agreed that the
following actions would increase employee motivation and retention.
Actions to Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Total
motivate agreed disagree
employees and
increase
employee
retention
Employee 78 10 6 0 0 100%
training and 83% 11% 6% 0% 0%
development
Increased 64 18 10 2 0 100%
employee 68% 19% 11% 2% 0%
rewards
Improved 59 23 8 3 1 100%
employer- 63% 24% 9% 3% 1%
employee
relationships
Improving 88 6 0 0 0 100%
employee well- 94% 6% 0% 0% 0%
being
Work-life 92 2 0 0 0 100%
Balance 98% 2% 0% 0% 0%

Improved 61 20 9 4 0 100%
workplace 65% 21% 10% 4% 0%
communication

The respondent leaders were requested to state the degree to which they agreed that different
actions would promote employee motivation and further retention. Among the 94 respondents,
92 of them (98%) strongly agreed that by promoting work-life balance, employees become
motivated and tend to be retained at work for a longer time. The second issue that they firmly
believed to promote employee motivation, performance and retention were improving the
employees' well-being. This was represented by a total of 94% of the respondents. The third
issue was on training and developing the employees, represented by 83% of the respondents.
Employee rewards and workplace communication followed with 68% and 65%, respectively,
and the final issue that contributed to employee motivation was the employer-employee
relationship with 63%.
4.4 Leadership practices in maintain good relationships with employees
Respondents were asked to explain how they were able to maintain good relationships with
their subordinates. The question was open-ended, and the different leaders provided different
responses on how they create relations with the employees. One of the leadership practices
meant to improve employer and employee relationships is developing a good communication
platform. The employees are allowed to voice their concerns, and this makes them feel valued.
Leaders responded that they needed to be ethical, fair, transparent, and maintain good
relationships. These are practices that determine the decisions made by leaders as they get to
address issues presented to them in the workplace. These are practices that reflect the
behaviours of the organisational leaders, and through these, they can guide the employees
effectively. Other leadership practices that should be considered to help establish good
relationships in the workplace involve the employees in the decision-making process, ensuring
that the leaders provide job security to the employees, and reducing barriers in how the
employees relate to the leaders and share all the necessary organisational information.
4.5 Strategies to create a culture of talent retention at RAKHH
From the responses given by the respondents, the leaders identified several strategies that
should be looked into to ensure that talent is retained at RAKHH. Some of the leaders
responded that leadership starts with the recruitment process. When recruiting, people
professionals and line managers should be involved to ensure that skilled and knowledgeable
people are recruited for the different job positions in the organisation. Another strategy that the
respondents identified to help retain employees is to provide opportunities for employee
development and advancement. However, some of the leaders said that the employees did not
take the opportunity of the opportunities that the organisation provides to enhance their
professional development. Another strategy that should be considered in creating a culture of
talent retention is to provide compensation on performance-based. This involves engaging in
the process of providing payment to the employees who perform well. This motivates the
employees who have performed well and challenges the other employees to perform to be
rewarded and compensated in the same way. In organisations that value the employees' effort
and commitment to work, the turnover rate is highly minimised. This is an attribute that results in
the development of significant issues associated with increased employee motivation and
satisfaction levels. Few of the leaders identified that developing a brand that supports the
employees would be an excellent strategy to ensuring that talent is retained.
4.6 Discussion
Most of the employees agreed that work-life balance and employee well-being had an equal
contribution to employee retention and were the highest in response that the leaders agreed.
This shows that the employees are motivated when the organisation balances work and
employees' personal lives. When organisations look into employee well-being, they get to work
with people who understand their values. The psychological contract in the workplace is
positively promoted. According to Wong (2021), when employers and employees become
obligated to each other, they develop a relationship grounded on mutual trust. This is among the
most critical issues that impact employee retention in the organisation.
Among the leadership practices that the respondents considered to be effective in developing
relationships between employers and employees, communication was widely considered. The
leaders felt that when they communicate, they tend to respect other people's ideas and
opinions. This is in line with the views of Peters (2021), who argue that two-way communication
between employers and employees reduces challenges and scandals that may result in
employees feeling demotivated in the workplace. When every person's voice is listened to,
organisation get to benefit from a culture of people diversity and inclusion. Every person feels
valued, appreciated and represented. Communication enhances the development of
psychological safety among individuals. The workplace also becomes an open space for
conversations among all people. According to Cloutier et al. (2015), positive communication
fosters good employee relationship and commitment to the organisation, enhancing employee
retention to the organisation.
Being ethical is integral to ensuring that people learn of the most critical issues that enhance
effective management of challenges experienced among them. Green and Russell (2021)
ethical practices enhance the development of the best possible outcomes. When faced with
dilemmas, leaders should ensure they become critical thinkers and good decision-makers to
ensure they are transparent and just. This reduces any possibility of toxic relationships being
developed between them and the employees. Leadership practices have a significant impact on
high-performance working among the employees. In this regard, Caldwell and Floyd (2014)
argued that employers' responsibility is to ensure that they consider the elements of high-
performance work systems to make the employees more engaged in their work. This means
that there would be enough effort taken to support the employees through the challenges and
make them part and parcel of the organisational engagements and improved organisation
support.
When recruiting personnel, employers should ensure that they get the right people whose
values relate to the values in the organisation. This makes it possible for them to relate to the
organisation's culture, making them become integrated into the organisation, thus increasing the
possibility of employee retention. When the right people are recruited and absorbed into the
organisation, they become highly engaged and more willing to participate in organisational
activities (Aguenza and Som, 2018). A strong organisation does not just recruit suitable
candidates and leave them to work. Through the interactions with other organisational
stakeholders, a strong organisation works to create a learning culture to enhance personal and
professional development among the employees. Employers who provide learning opportunities
for their employees record higher retention rates. Their employees are more committed to the
organisation.
On the matter concerning the organisation's brand, RAKHH should work to develop a platform
effective to ensure that its brand is well represented in the labour market. This would create
opportunities to identify talent from the labour market and retain employees because people
always want to be associated with companies with established good reputations. According to
Peters (2020), technology and social media significantly impact the brand in the organisation.
Leaders should be aware of how to effectively use technology in the workplace and be keen on
ensuring that the issues spread on social media are well addressed. It is also crucial for the
organisation to look into the employee value proposition to keep the employees committed to
the organisation. The significance of the value proposition is that the leaders examine the needs
of the business stakeholders and make decisions to support all of them. The value-based
decisions make it possible for them to create a participatory employee engagement in the
organisation.
5.1 Conclusion
Most of the leaders at RAKHH are averagely motivated, with some of them are not motivated at
all. This is enough evidence that RAKHH has failed in getting its employees' needs and interest
is taken care of to make them feel motivated. The results show only 13% of the respondents
were highly motivated, meaning that there is much to be done to keep the leaders engaged and
make them part of the process to influence other employees.
From analysing the leaders' actions in making the employees become motivated, the leaders'
strongest opinions were that work-life balance and improving employee well-being are essential
attributes that associate with increased motivation levels among the employees. The lowest
percentage (59%) in response was related to employee relationships in the workplace. In
relation to this, the researcher requested the respondents to provide insight into the leadership
practices that the organisational leaders and managers should take to develop employee
relationships. Communication was considered to be an essential leadership practice where
employees can easily communicate and share their opinions with the leaders. Employees who
are listened to and whose opinions are considered in organisational decision making tend to
record high performances in their workplaces. The results also showed that some of the
leadership practices that would help improve employee relations ensure that the workers are
ethical in completing their roles and responsibilities, transparent, fair, and just in making
organisational decisions and decisions to support other people.
5.2 Recommendations

 The first recommendation is to increase motivation levels among the leaders. This can
be done by identifying coaches and mentors who provide a platform where leaders can
easily communicate on the issues that demotivate them. Through the identified coaches,
the employers get to know the cause of action so that they can motivate their leaders.

The results from the study showed that only 11% of the respondents were highly motivated.
This means that the employer had to work on the rest to ensure that they become highly
motivated to inspire them. This recommendation focuses on establishing a platform where
leadership and management development is enhanced to support organisational growth.
According to Hayden (2020), leaders and managers should be provided with formal and
informal opportunities to develop themselves. This is effective in meeting LMD goals and
objectives. The needs and interests of the leaders and managers are met, making it possible for
the organisation to work with professionals who understand their work roles and who can also
influence their subordinates.

 The second recommendation to enhance employee retention at RAKHH would be to

ensure that the leaders become responsible for providing information on their
opportunities to enhance employee growth and development.

This is important because, at RAKHH, there are courses available to help the employees go
through the learning process, but employees are not aware of them. There are also
opportunities given to employees for them to learn and develop their skills. However, some
people only know these opportunities, and some do not have access to the information. To
create a culture of equality, all employees should pass information through emails and on the
notice boards.

 Developing a succession plan for the employees who leave the organisation is the third
recommendation to enhance employee retention.

Although the leaders at RAKHH are focusing on reducing retention to improve performance,
they should be prepared for turnover. When employees work in organisations that are well
prepared for turnover, they understand the benefits of succession, as long as everything is done
correctly. This is an aspect that provides opportunities for other employees to be promoted
when others leave. Leaders who are prepared for turnover prepare other employees for senior
positions, which makes them become part of the growth in the organisation.

 Employers at RAKHH should focus on creating awareness among the leaders on the
value of developing good relationships with the employees.
The leaders and managers focus entirely on managing people to complete their tasks. The
study results proved that they do not consider the value of relationships between them and the
employees. Employers should let the management and the leaders learn the practices
discussed to ensure that they improve workplace relationships. This also follows the
understanding of legal laws and regulations, which are the basis for developing positive
relationships with the employees.
Reflective report
I chose the topic of leadership practices and required changes that RAKHH should take in
managing talent and increasing retention because I realised that the turnover rate in the
company was on the rise. RAKHH was experiencing an increasing trend in the number of
people leaving the organisation, which was a problem for people professionals who were tasked
with carrying out the recruitment process. It was also a challenge to leaders and managers who
recorded reduced organisational performance and productivity. I was able to meet my original
research objectives because after carrying out the literature review, I developed the research
questions that would help me complete the research objectives.
Initially, it was challenging for me to select a topic and provide a statement of the problem. In my
first trials, the topic I had selected was vast and vague. MY instructor gave me insight into
narrowing down the topic for me to carry out the research, and it was somehow a struggle for
me. However, after doing my research, I selected a topic that I have been able to work on
through the module. I have learned from this that it is important for a researcher to take time to
find out whether the topic of study meets the requirements. I also learnt that it is crucial to
narrow down a topic to the scope of study to make it easy to get into completion. I also learnt
the importance of getting feedback in the initial stages of the research. Failure to do this would
have resulted in me engaging in much work that would have challenged me.
Carrying out secondary research was exciting but, at the same time, tiresome. Gathering and
comparing data from different authors gave me much more insight into the research topic. I
have learnt to take time to ensure that secondary data is analysed from credible, valid, reliable,
and up-to-date sources. This is a lesson that every researcher should relate to, avoiding
working with outdated information that is not relevant to the topic of study. On the other hand,
carrying out primary research was interesting because I had to go to the field and distribute the
questionnaires. I engaged in survey research that helped me identify the challenges of carrying
out research and the subsequent cause of action. The most challenging aspect in carrying out
primary research was to collect the questionnaires from the respondents. This might have been
because they are senior leaders and, in most cases, are very busy and would take time to
complete the questionnaire, even though it had slightly few questions.
I had fun carrying out the research, interacting and analysing the information received from the
leaders, which made me fully engaged in the research. I intend to use the insight I gained in my
career to identify issues that might be challenging in my workplace. Since I have gained skills in
research, I will use the skills to analyse the work environment and make recommendations to
improve the nature of work and establish good relationships at work.
References