Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP BY Wong Lai Ying, Liz 04010817 Human Resources Management Major An Honours Degree Proposal Submitted to the School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Graduation Requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong April 2007
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
BY
Wong Lai Ying Liz 04010817
Human Resources Management Major
An Honours Degree Proposal Submitted to the School of Business in Partial Fulfillment
of the Graduation Requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours)
Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong
April 2007
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all I would like to express my sincere thankfulness to
everyone who assisted and encouraged me in doing this project
I especially like to express my deepest gratitude for my supervisor
Professor Anne Marie Francesco who provided me valuable guidance and
many professional opinions in the whole process
Moreover I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to Ms
Winnie Chow Human Resources Manager in PARKnSHOP who gave me
many positive ideas and supports
Also I would like to give million thanks to Ms Susanna Lee
Personnel Manger ndash Store Services and Ms Sally Leung Human Resources
Officer in PARKnSHOP who helped me immensely from introducing
companyrsquos operations to designing and distributing the questionnaires
Lastly I wish to thank all colleagues in PARKnSHOP who were
involved in the study Their cooperation and diligence in completing the
questionnaires was critical in bringing the study successful
- i -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This study was concerned on the part-time employee retention of
PARKnSHOP Since PARKnSHOP is now facing a relatively high turnover
rate of part-time employees it was time to investigate the reasons behind and
consider some suggestions
Refer to the literature review turnover intentions were actually
mainly related two factors job satisfaction and organizational commitment
The past researchers found different groups of employees students caretakers
involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-timers had different response to
turnover intentions
The next step was conducting a questionnaire which collected more
information about the part-time workersrsquo opinions and feelings Therefore 5
sections of questions were designed They were17 questions related to job
satisfaction 15 questions related to organizational commitment 3 questions
about turnover intentions 4 open-ended questions to collect more qualitative
information and some demographic questions
After that it was found both job satisfaction and organizational
commitment were negatively correlated to turnover intentions in the
organization In addition students group generally got lowest satisfaction and
commitment and highest turnover intentions compared with the other 3 groups
Therefore some retention recommendations were finally suggested
Here were four recommendations developing recruitment strategies revising
- ii -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
compensation strategies career opportunity and development and providing
supportive environment
In summary the study from reviewing to suggestions was for the
ultimate goal of retaining the part-time employees and so that providing a
stable workforce in PARKnSHOP for a long-term development
- iii -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION1
41 Descriptive Statistics 18 42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test 20 43 Group Comparison23 44 Additional information 26
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP26 442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP 28 443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP 31 444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP33
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION 35
51 Discussion35 52 Recommendations 38 521 Developing Recruitment Strategies 38 522 Revising Compensation Strategies 39 523 Career Opportunity and Development 40 524 Creating a Supportive Environment41
- a -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
53 Limitations and Suggestions42 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION 44 REFERENCES45 APPENDIX I COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS) 52 APPENDIX II THE PARKNSHOP STORES INVOLVED IN DOING THE QUESTIONNAIRES 64 APPENDIX III ALL RESPONSES FROM THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 65
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF JOB SATISFACTION 11 TABLE 2 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT 13 TABLE 3 POTENTIAL REASONS FOR DIVIDING DIFFERENT GROUPS15 TABLE 4 DEMOGRAPHICS CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMPLE (N=128) 19 TABLE 5 MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION amp
GROUPS24 TABLE 7 DIFFERENT JOB ATTITUDES AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS OF 4
PART-TIME EMPLOYEE GROUPS26 TABLE 8 SUMMARY OF THE BEST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 27 TABLE 9 SUMMARY OF THE WORST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 29 TABLE 10 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
31 TABLE 11 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
33
- b -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The study was about exploring the reasons of turnover of part-time
employees to tackle the turnover problem in PARKnSHOP Some
recommendations were provided after analyzing the reasons The main
objective was to retain the potential part-time workers and so that the turnover
rate could be reduced finally
11 Background
PARKnSHOP is the leading supermarket chain with more than 200
stores in Hong Kong The number of staff is continuously increasing since
1973 Up to now PARKnSHOP employs a total of 8000 staff in which 2000
part-time staff is included Thanks to the nature of retailing business there are
a large number of frontline part-time employees in supporting daily operations
with full-time employees in different stores Their main duties are cashiering
stocking and counter-selling
The part-time employee position is essential to the organization
because of two main reasons The first advantage for the company is cost
effective Part-time employment could be a strategy to reduce labour and
benefits cost This provides the company a direct way for adjusting the
variable costs relative to the competitors
The second advantage is that part-time employment provides
flexibility in operation Since supermarket retailing always keeps pace
changing in different timing and different seasons flexibility would strengthen
- 1 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
the ability in matching the change quickly and efficiently An example is that
longer opening hours becomes a new trend so the part-time working could fill
in the gap between the normal opening time and the extended opening time
The other example is more manpower is required especially during the festival
seasons in which part-time workers can satisfy the organizational needs in
those peak seasons
Due to cost efficient and flexibility PARKnSHOP always considers
part-time workers as an important part of company workforce However the
company is now facing 10 turnover rate of part-time employees in 2005 and
2006
Although PARKnSHOP has no specific data in measuring turnover
cost the increased frequency in recruitment and selection the increased
training time operational disruption and the demoralized working
environment are obviously observed These are the problems directly affected
by the high turnover rate These finally increase the operation cost in the
organization
Therefore the antecedents of turnover were worthy investigated in
order to develop an efficient retention program for PARKnSHOP The
reasons of why those part-time employees leaving may include dissatisfied
pay and benefits job insecurity poor job prospect insufficient training low
commitment and so on Compared with the past researches job satisfaction
and organizational commitment were summarized as the two main possible
reasons to influence turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
- 2 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
The ultimate goal of this study was to retain the potential part-time
employees Retention would help the organization in maintaining a stable
part-time workforce It also helps to reduce the recruitment and training in
terms of costs Moreover team spirit could be built up in the stores and hence
they would provide better customer services Companyrsquos reputation would
also be promoted meanwhile In short developing the retention program
would finally beneficial to the whole company
In summary the purpose of this study is to explore the key factors
influencing turnover first and then to develop a possible retention program for
PARKnSHOP and finally to reduce the turnover rate of part-time employees
- 3 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Employee retention
One of the major concerns of any organization is employee retention
particularly in retail industry (Peterson 2005) The concern was come from
the turnover problems caused These problems could be identified in terms of
cost which would provide a firm with some indication of how much to spend
on alleviating it (Hinkin amp Tracey 2000) Researchers and practitioners
identified the costs of turnover in terms of separation cost (Horn amp Griffeth
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
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Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
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Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
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Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
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Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
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Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
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Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
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Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
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organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
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Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
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Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
41 Descriptive Statistics 18 42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test 20 43 Group Comparison23 44 Additional information 26
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP26 442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP 28 443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP 31 444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP33
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION 35
51 Discussion35 52 Recommendations 38 521 Developing Recruitment Strategies 38 522 Revising Compensation Strategies 39 523 Career Opportunity and Development 40 524 Creating a Supportive Environment41
- a -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
53 Limitations and Suggestions42 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION 44 REFERENCES45 APPENDIX I COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS) 52 APPENDIX II THE PARKNSHOP STORES INVOLVED IN DOING THE QUESTIONNAIRES 64 APPENDIX III ALL RESPONSES FROM THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 65
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF JOB SATISFACTION 11 TABLE 2 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT 13 TABLE 3 POTENTIAL REASONS FOR DIVIDING DIFFERENT GROUPS15 TABLE 4 DEMOGRAPHICS CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMPLE (N=128) 19 TABLE 5 MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION amp
GROUPS24 TABLE 7 DIFFERENT JOB ATTITUDES AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS OF 4
PART-TIME EMPLOYEE GROUPS26 TABLE 8 SUMMARY OF THE BEST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 27 TABLE 9 SUMMARY OF THE WORST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 29 TABLE 10 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
31 TABLE 11 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
33
- b -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The study was about exploring the reasons of turnover of part-time
employees to tackle the turnover problem in PARKnSHOP Some
recommendations were provided after analyzing the reasons The main
objective was to retain the potential part-time workers and so that the turnover
rate could be reduced finally
11 Background
PARKnSHOP is the leading supermarket chain with more than 200
stores in Hong Kong The number of staff is continuously increasing since
1973 Up to now PARKnSHOP employs a total of 8000 staff in which 2000
part-time staff is included Thanks to the nature of retailing business there are
a large number of frontline part-time employees in supporting daily operations
with full-time employees in different stores Their main duties are cashiering
stocking and counter-selling
The part-time employee position is essential to the organization
because of two main reasons The first advantage for the company is cost
effective Part-time employment could be a strategy to reduce labour and
benefits cost This provides the company a direct way for adjusting the
variable costs relative to the competitors
The second advantage is that part-time employment provides
flexibility in operation Since supermarket retailing always keeps pace
changing in different timing and different seasons flexibility would strengthen
- 1 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
the ability in matching the change quickly and efficiently An example is that
longer opening hours becomes a new trend so the part-time working could fill
in the gap between the normal opening time and the extended opening time
The other example is more manpower is required especially during the festival
seasons in which part-time workers can satisfy the organizational needs in
those peak seasons
Due to cost efficient and flexibility PARKnSHOP always considers
part-time workers as an important part of company workforce However the
company is now facing 10 turnover rate of part-time employees in 2005 and
2006
Although PARKnSHOP has no specific data in measuring turnover
cost the increased frequency in recruitment and selection the increased
training time operational disruption and the demoralized working
environment are obviously observed These are the problems directly affected
by the high turnover rate These finally increase the operation cost in the
organization
Therefore the antecedents of turnover were worthy investigated in
order to develop an efficient retention program for PARKnSHOP The
reasons of why those part-time employees leaving may include dissatisfied
pay and benefits job insecurity poor job prospect insufficient training low
commitment and so on Compared with the past researches job satisfaction
and organizational commitment were summarized as the two main possible
reasons to influence turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
- 2 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
The ultimate goal of this study was to retain the potential part-time
employees Retention would help the organization in maintaining a stable
part-time workforce It also helps to reduce the recruitment and training in
terms of costs Moreover team spirit could be built up in the stores and hence
they would provide better customer services Companyrsquos reputation would
also be promoted meanwhile In short developing the retention program
would finally beneficial to the whole company
In summary the purpose of this study is to explore the key factors
influencing turnover first and then to develop a possible retention program for
PARKnSHOP and finally to reduce the turnover rate of part-time employees
- 3 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Employee retention
One of the major concerns of any organization is employee retention
particularly in retail industry (Peterson 2005) The concern was come from
the turnover problems caused These problems could be identified in terms of
cost which would provide a firm with some indication of how much to spend
on alleviating it (Hinkin amp Tracey 2000) Researchers and practitioners
identified the costs of turnover in terms of separation cost (Horn amp Griffeth
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
41 Descriptive Statistics 18 42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test 20 43 Group Comparison23 44 Additional information 26
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP26 442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP 28 443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP 31 444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP33
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION 35
51 Discussion35 52 Recommendations 38 521 Developing Recruitment Strategies 38 522 Revising Compensation Strategies 39 523 Career Opportunity and Development 40 524 Creating a Supportive Environment41
- a -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
53 Limitations and Suggestions42 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION 44 REFERENCES45 APPENDIX I COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS) 52 APPENDIX II THE PARKNSHOP STORES INVOLVED IN DOING THE QUESTIONNAIRES 64 APPENDIX III ALL RESPONSES FROM THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 65
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF JOB SATISFACTION 11 TABLE 2 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT 13 TABLE 3 POTENTIAL REASONS FOR DIVIDING DIFFERENT GROUPS15 TABLE 4 DEMOGRAPHICS CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMPLE (N=128) 19 TABLE 5 MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION amp
GROUPS24 TABLE 7 DIFFERENT JOB ATTITUDES AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS OF 4
PART-TIME EMPLOYEE GROUPS26 TABLE 8 SUMMARY OF THE BEST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 27 TABLE 9 SUMMARY OF THE WORST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 29 TABLE 10 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
31 TABLE 11 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
33
- b -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The study was about exploring the reasons of turnover of part-time
employees to tackle the turnover problem in PARKnSHOP Some
recommendations were provided after analyzing the reasons The main
objective was to retain the potential part-time workers and so that the turnover
rate could be reduced finally
11 Background
PARKnSHOP is the leading supermarket chain with more than 200
stores in Hong Kong The number of staff is continuously increasing since
1973 Up to now PARKnSHOP employs a total of 8000 staff in which 2000
part-time staff is included Thanks to the nature of retailing business there are
a large number of frontline part-time employees in supporting daily operations
with full-time employees in different stores Their main duties are cashiering
stocking and counter-selling
The part-time employee position is essential to the organization
because of two main reasons The first advantage for the company is cost
effective Part-time employment could be a strategy to reduce labour and
benefits cost This provides the company a direct way for adjusting the
variable costs relative to the competitors
The second advantage is that part-time employment provides
flexibility in operation Since supermarket retailing always keeps pace
changing in different timing and different seasons flexibility would strengthen
- 1 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
the ability in matching the change quickly and efficiently An example is that
longer opening hours becomes a new trend so the part-time working could fill
in the gap between the normal opening time and the extended opening time
The other example is more manpower is required especially during the festival
seasons in which part-time workers can satisfy the organizational needs in
those peak seasons
Due to cost efficient and flexibility PARKnSHOP always considers
part-time workers as an important part of company workforce However the
company is now facing 10 turnover rate of part-time employees in 2005 and
2006
Although PARKnSHOP has no specific data in measuring turnover
cost the increased frequency in recruitment and selection the increased
training time operational disruption and the demoralized working
environment are obviously observed These are the problems directly affected
by the high turnover rate These finally increase the operation cost in the
organization
Therefore the antecedents of turnover were worthy investigated in
order to develop an efficient retention program for PARKnSHOP The
reasons of why those part-time employees leaving may include dissatisfied
pay and benefits job insecurity poor job prospect insufficient training low
commitment and so on Compared with the past researches job satisfaction
and organizational commitment were summarized as the two main possible
reasons to influence turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
- 2 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
The ultimate goal of this study was to retain the potential part-time
employees Retention would help the organization in maintaining a stable
part-time workforce It also helps to reduce the recruitment and training in
terms of costs Moreover team spirit could be built up in the stores and hence
they would provide better customer services Companyrsquos reputation would
also be promoted meanwhile In short developing the retention program
would finally beneficial to the whole company
In summary the purpose of this study is to explore the key factors
influencing turnover first and then to develop a possible retention program for
PARKnSHOP and finally to reduce the turnover rate of part-time employees
- 3 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Employee retention
One of the major concerns of any organization is employee retention
particularly in retail industry (Peterson 2005) The concern was come from
the turnover problems caused These problems could be identified in terms of
cost which would provide a firm with some indication of how much to spend
on alleviating it (Hinkin amp Tracey 2000) Researchers and practitioners
identified the costs of turnover in terms of separation cost (Horn amp Griffeth
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
41 Descriptive Statistics 18 42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test 20 43 Group Comparison23 44 Additional information 26
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP26 442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP 28 443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP 31 444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP33
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION 35
51 Discussion35 52 Recommendations 38 521 Developing Recruitment Strategies 38 522 Revising Compensation Strategies 39 523 Career Opportunity and Development 40 524 Creating a Supportive Environment41
- a -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
53 Limitations and Suggestions42 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION 44 REFERENCES45 APPENDIX I COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS) 52 APPENDIX II THE PARKNSHOP STORES INVOLVED IN DOING THE QUESTIONNAIRES 64 APPENDIX III ALL RESPONSES FROM THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 65
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF JOB SATISFACTION 11 TABLE 2 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT 13 TABLE 3 POTENTIAL REASONS FOR DIVIDING DIFFERENT GROUPS15 TABLE 4 DEMOGRAPHICS CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMPLE (N=128) 19 TABLE 5 MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION amp
GROUPS24 TABLE 7 DIFFERENT JOB ATTITUDES AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS OF 4
PART-TIME EMPLOYEE GROUPS26 TABLE 8 SUMMARY OF THE BEST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 27 TABLE 9 SUMMARY OF THE WORST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 29 TABLE 10 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
31 TABLE 11 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
33
- b -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The study was about exploring the reasons of turnover of part-time
employees to tackle the turnover problem in PARKnSHOP Some
recommendations were provided after analyzing the reasons The main
objective was to retain the potential part-time workers and so that the turnover
rate could be reduced finally
11 Background
PARKnSHOP is the leading supermarket chain with more than 200
stores in Hong Kong The number of staff is continuously increasing since
1973 Up to now PARKnSHOP employs a total of 8000 staff in which 2000
part-time staff is included Thanks to the nature of retailing business there are
a large number of frontline part-time employees in supporting daily operations
with full-time employees in different stores Their main duties are cashiering
stocking and counter-selling
The part-time employee position is essential to the organization
because of two main reasons The first advantage for the company is cost
effective Part-time employment could be a strategy to reduce labour and
benefits cost This provides the company a direct way for adjusting the
variable costs relative to the competitors
The second advantage is that part-time employment provides
flexibility in operation Since supermarket retailing always keeps pace
changing in different timing and different seasons flexibility would strengthen
- 1 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
the ability in matching the change quickly and efficiently An example is that
longer opening hours becomes a new trend so the part-time working could fill
in the gap between the normal opening time and the extended opening time
The other example is more manpower is required especially during the festival
seasons in which part-time workers can satisfy the organizational needs in
those peak seasons
Due to cost efficient and flexibility PARKnSHOP always considers
part-time workers as an important part of company workforce However the
company is now facing 10 turnover rate of part-time employees in 2005 and
2006
Although PARKnSHOP has no specific data in measuring turnover
cost the increased frequency in recruitment and selection the increased
training time operational disruption and the demoralized working
environment are obviously observed These are the problems directly affected
by the high turnover rate These finally increase the operation cost in the
organization
Therefore the antecedents of turnover were worthy investigated in
order to develop an efficient retention program for PARKnSHOP The
reasons of why those part-time employees leaving may include dissatisfied
pay and benefits job insecurity poor job prospect insufficient training low
commitment and so on Compared with the past researches job satisfaction
and organizational commitment were summarized as the two main possible
reasons to influence turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
- 2 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
The ultimate goal of this study was to retain the potential part-time
employees Retention would help the organization in maintaining a stable
part-time workforce It also helps to reduce the recruitment and training in
terms of costs Moreover team spirit could be built up in the stores and hence
they would provide better customer services Companyrsquos reputation would
also be promoted meanwhile In short developing the retention program
would finally beneficial to the whole company
In summary the purpose of this study is to explore the key factors
influencing turnover first and then to develop a possible retention program for
PARKnSHOP and finally to reduce the turnover rate of part-time employees
- 3 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Employee retention
One of the major concerns of any organization is employee retention
particularly in retail industry (Peterson 2005) The concern was come from
the turnover problems caused These problems could be identified in terms of
cost which would provide a firm with some indication of how much to spend
on alleviating it (Hinkin amp Tracey 2000) Researchers and practitioners
identified the costs of turnover in terms of separation cost (Horn amp Griffeth
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
41 Descriptive Statistics 18 42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test 20 43 Group Comparison23 44 Additional information 26
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP26 442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP 28 443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP 31 444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP33
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION 35
51 Discussion35 52 Recommendations 38 521 Developing Recruitment Strategies 38 522 Revising Compensation Strategies 39 523 Career Opportunity and Development 40 524 Creating a Supportive Environment41
- a -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
53 Limitations and Suggestions42 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION 44 REFERENCES45 APPENDIX I COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS) 52 APPENDIX II THE PARKNSHOP STORES INVOLVED IN DOING THE QUESTIONNAIRES 64 APPENDIX III ALL RESPONSES FROM THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 65
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF JOB SATISFACTION 11 TABLE 2 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT 13 TABLE 3 POTENTIAL REASONS FOR DIVIDING DIFFERENT GROUPS15 TABLE 4 DEMOGRAPHICS CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMPLE (N=128) 19 TABLE 5 MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION amp
GROUPS24 TABLE 7 DIFFERENT JOB ATTITUDES AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS OF 4
PART-TIME EMPLOYEE GROUPS26 TABLE 8 SUMMARY OF THE BEST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 27 TABLE 9 SUMMARY OF THE WORST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 29 TABLE 10 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
31 TABLE 11 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
33
- b -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The study was about exploring the reasons of turnover of part-time
employees to tackle the turnover problem in PARKnSHOP Some
recommendations were provided after analyzing the reasons The main
objective was to retain the potential part-time workers and so that the turnover
rate could be reduced finally
11 Background
PARKnSHOP is the leading supermarket chain with more than 200
stores in Hong Kong The number of staff is continuously increasing since
1973 Up to now PARKnSHOP employs a total of 8000 staff in which 2000
part-time staff is included Thanks to the nature of retailing business there are
a large number of frontline part-time employees in supporting daily operations
with full-time employees in different stores Their main duties are cashiering
stocking and counter-selling
The part-time employee position is essential to the organization
because of two main reasons The first advantage for the company is cost
effective Part-time employment could be a strategy to reduce labour and
benefits cost This provides the company a direct way for adjusting the
variable costs relative to the competitors
The second advantage is that part-time employment provides
flexibility in operation Since supermarket retailing always keeps pace
changing in different timing and different seasons flexibility would strengthen
- 1 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
the ability in matching the change quickly and efficiently An example is that
longer opening hours becomes a new trend so the part-time working could fill
in the gap between the normal opening time and the extended opening time
The other example is more manpower is required especially during the festival
seasons in which part-time workers can satisfy the organizational needs in
those peak seasons
Due to cost efficient and flexibility PARKnSHOP always considers
part-time workers as an important part of company workforce However the
company is now facing 10 turnover rate of part-time employees in 2005 and
2006
Although PARKnSHOP has no specific data in measuring turnover
cost the increased frequency in recruitment and selection the increased
training time operational disruption and the demoralized working
environment are obviously observed These are the problems directly affected
by the high turnover rate These finally increase the operation cost in the
organization
Therefore the antecedents of turnover were worthy investigated in
order to develop an efficient retention program for PARKnSHOP The
reasons of why those part-time employees leaving may include dissatisfied
pay and benefits job insecurity poor job prospect insufficient training low
commitment and so on Compared with the past researches job satisfaction
and organizational commitment were summarized as the two main possible
reasons to influence turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
- 2 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
The ultimate goal of this study was to retain the potential part-time
employees Retention would help the organization in maintaining a stable
part-time workforce It also helps to reduce the recruitment and training in
terms of costs Moreover team spirit could be built up in the stores and hence
they would provide better customer services Companyrsquos reputation would
also be promoted meanwhile In short developing the retention program
would finally beneficial to the whole company
In summary the purpose of this study is to explore the key factors
influencing turnover first and then to develop a possible retention program for
PARKnSHOP and finally to reduce the turnover rate of part-time employees
- 3 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Employee retention
One of the major concerns of any organization is employee retention
particularly in retail industry (Peterson 2005) The concern was come from
the turnover problems caused These problems could be identified in terms of
cost which would provide a firm with some indication of how much to spend
on alleviating it (Hinkin amp Tracey 2000) Researchers and practitioners
identified the costs of turnover in terms of separation cost (Horn amp Griffeth
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
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350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
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Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
53 Limitations and Suggestions42 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION 44 REFERENCES45 APPENDIX I COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS) 52 APPENDIX II THE PARKNSHOP STORES INVOLVED IN DOING THE QUESTIONNAIRES 64 APPENDIX III ALL RESPONSES FROM THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 65
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF JOB SATISFACTION 11 TABLE 2 ITEMS OF EACH SUBSCALE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT 13 TABLE 3 POTENTIAL REASONS FOR DIVIDING DIFFERENT GROUPS15 TABLE 4 DEMOGRAPHICS CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMPLE (N=128) 19 TABLE 5 MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION ZERO-ORDER CORRELATION amp
GROUPS24 TABLE 7 DIFFERENT JOB ATTITUDES AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS OF 4
PART-TIME EMPLOYEE GROUPS26 TABLE 8 SUMMARY OF THE BEST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 27 TABLE 9 SUMMARY OF THE WORST THING WORKING IN PARKNSHOP 29 TABLE 10 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
31 TABLE 11 SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PARKNSHOP
33
- b -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The study was about exploring the reasons of turnover of part-time
employees to tackle the turnover problem in PARKnSHOP Some
recommendations were provided after analyzing the reasons The main
objective was to retain the potential part-time workers and so that the turnover
rate could be reduced finally
11 Background
PARKnSHOP is the leading supermarket chain with more than 200
stores in Hong Kong The number of staff is continuously increasing since
1973 Up to now PARKnSHOP employs a total of 8000 staff in which 2000
part-time staff is included Thanks to the nature of retailing business there are
a large number of frontline part-time employees in supporting daily operations
with full-time employees in different stores Their main duties are cashiering
stocking and counter-selling
The part-time employee position is essential to the organization
because of two main reasons The first advantage for the company is cost
effective Part-time employment could be a strategy to reduce labour and
benefits cost This provides the company a direct way for adjusting the
variable costs relative to the competitors
The second advantage is that part-time employment provides
flexibility in operation Since supermarket retailing always keeps pace
changing in different timing and different seasons flexibility would strengthen
- 1 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
the ability in matching the change quickly and efficiently An example is that
longer opening hours becomes a new trend so the part-time working could fill
in the gap between the normal opening time and the extended opening time
The other example is more manpower is required especially during the festival
seasons in which part-time workers can satisfy the organizational needs in
those peak seasons
Due to cost efficient and flexibility PARKnSHOP always considers
part-time workers as an important part of company workforce However the
company is now facing 10 turnover rate of part-time employees in 2005 and
2006
Although PARKnSHOP has no specific data in measuring turnover
cost the increased frequency in recruitment and selection the increased
training time operational disruption and the demoralized working
environment are obviously observed These are the problems directly affected
by the high turnover rate These finally increase the operation cost in the
organization
Therefore the antecedents of turnover were worthy investigated in
order to develop an efficient retention program for PARKnSHOP The
reasons of why those part-time employees leaving may include dissatisfied
pay and benefits job insecurity poor job prospect insufficient training low
commitment and so on Compared with the past researches job satisfaction
and organizational commitment were summarized as the two main possible
reasons to influence turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
- 2 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
The ultimate goal of this study was to retain the potential part-time
employees Retention would help the organization in maintaining a stable
part-time workforce It also helps to reduce the recruitment and training in
terms of costs Moreover team spirit could be built up in the stores and hence
they would provide better customer services Companyrsquos reputation would
also be promoted meanwhile In short developing the retention program
would finally beneficial to the whole company
In summary the purpose of this study is to explore the key factors
influencing turnover first and then to develop a possible retention program for
PARKnSHOP and finally to reduce the turnover rate of part-time employees
- 3 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Employee retention
One of the major concerns of any organization is employee retention
particularly in retail industry (Peterson 2005) The concern was come from
the turnover problems caused These problems could be identified in terms of
cost which would provide a firm with some indication of how much to spend
on alleviating it (Hinkin amp Tracey 2000) Researchers and practitioners
identified the costs of turnover in terms of separation cost (Horn amp Griffeth
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
satisfaction was used for predicting the turnover intention in this study
RQ 1 How does job satisfaction (nature of work pay
promotion supervisor support and co-worker support)
can help to increase employee retention
24 Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment was reported as another significant
negative association with turnover intentions (Ferris amp Aranya 1983 Lum at
el 1998) It is important because of its potential links to organizational
performance and effectiveness It means that consistent high-level
effectiveness requires employees to engage regularly in relevant activates for a
long period of time (Ericsson amp Lehmann 1996 Meyer Allen amp Topolnytsky
1998)
- 6 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
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Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
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Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
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Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
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Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
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Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
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Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
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Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
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Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
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Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
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Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
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Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
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Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer and Allen (1997) brought a conceptual framework of
organizational commitment in three dimensions affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment Affective commitment
reflects the employeersquos emotional bond with their organization normative
commitment refers to the employeersquos sense of duty or obligation to remain
with the organization and continuance commitment refers to the perceived
costs associated with leaving the organization
Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003) evaluated the greater
alignment of ones personal values with organizational values caused the
greater organizational commitment of the individual and the lesser intention of
the individual to quit the organization Mueller and Price (1990) concluded
that organizational commitment was more strongly related to turnover
intentions Hence organizational commitment was used as one of the measure
in this study
RQ 2 How does organizational commitment can help to
increase employee retention
25 Different clusters of part-time employees
Maynard Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) distinguished part-
time employees into four different clusters voluntary part-timer involuntary
part-timer caretaker and student Distinguishing different groups among part-
time workers was valuable in predicting turnover intentions (Holtom amp Tidd
2002) For example involuntary part-time workers reported significantly
- 7 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
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Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
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Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
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Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
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Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
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Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
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24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
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Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
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Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
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- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
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Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
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Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
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Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
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Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
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Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
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Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
greater turnover intentions than voluntary part-time workers when they found
a better job offer
On the voluntary side employees may pursue part-time work in
order to have more leisure time or less responsibility stay active in the field
(Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or transition to retirement (Gappa amp
Leslie 1993)
On the involuntary side employers may involuntarily accept the job
because of the unavailability of full-time job (Caputo amp Cianni 2001) health
reasons (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) or geographic immobility
(Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
The other group is caretaker They are mainly the middle-aged
married female with children They do the part-time job because of caring for
relatives (Wetzel Soloshy amp Gallagher 1990) Part-time work would
maintain their work-life balance and support their family finance
The final common group is student The reasons for student taking
part-time job mainly because of gaining experience preparing to find a future
job (Gappa amp Leslie 1993)
RQ 3 How do the groups differ from each other on job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intentions
- 8 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
31 Research Design
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
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350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
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Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
This study was investigated the relationships of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment of part-time employees and the effects of these
variables on turnover intentions in PARKnSHOP
Questions from several existing surveys were combined to form a
comprehensive questionnaire including job satisfaction measure
organizational measure turnover intentions and more additional information
However there were some modifications which are tailor-made to the
situation of PARKnSHOP The cover letter and questionnaires were also
translated from English to Chinese particularly for the target population (refer
to Appendix I)
A pilot test was conducted with the part-time employees in the store
in Fanling So it could ensure the questions were understandable A
modification of questionnaire was made after the test Regarding the
educational level lsquoForm 3rsquo was added but lsquoBachelorrsquos degree or aboversquo was
cancelled It was because the respondents tend to have lower education level
32 Population amp Sample Selection
The research population in this study was part-time retail employees
in 20 PARKnSHOP stores which were recorded in the top three highest
turnover rate regions in Hong Kong (refer to Appendix II) The part-time
- 9 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
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350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
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Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
employees interviewed were mainly cashiers and was not a management-level
employee
33 Procedures
The data was collected during the early April in 2007 The list of 20
stores was recommended by Ms Susanna Lee Personnel Manger ndash Store
Services because those stores had recorded relatively higher turnover rate in
three main regions in Hong Kong The 20 storesrsquo managers were officially
contacted by Ms Sally Leung Human Resources Officer beforehand The
researcher then visited these stores and distributed questionnaires one store by
one store Each part-time employee who mainly works as cashiering was
provided a whole set of questionnaire with a cover letter in Chinese version
150 questionnaires were prepared 132 questionnaires were sent out to the
stores and 128 questionnaires were finally returned giving a response rate in
853
34 Instrumentation
341 Job Satisfaction Scale
Spector (1985) developed the Job Satisfaction Survey to measure
employeesrsquo job satisfaction for human service public and nonprofit sector
organizations but may be applicable to others as well The original survey
contained 36 items with nine subscales pay promotion supervisor benefits
contingent rewards operating procedures coworkers nature of work and
communication The higher overall score of the combination of these items
the greater the indication of job satisfaction
- 10 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
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350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
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Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
However the modified survey in this study was consisted of 17 items
with five subscales pay promotion supervisor coworkers and nature of work
in the Job Satisfaction Scale There were only 2 questions about pay because
it is a relatively sensitive issue in the organization There were 3 questions
about promotion with the same reason Each of the other subscales
(supervisor coworker and nature of work) had 4 questions
Each item represents a statement to which the subject responds on a
seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 The respondents choices
associated with 1=ldquoStrongly disagreerdquo 2=ldquoModerately disagreerdquo 3=ldquoSlightly
disagreerdquo 4=ldquoNeither disagree nor agreerdquo 5=ldquoSlightly agreerdquo 6=ldquoModerately
agreerdquo 7=ldquoStrongly agreerdquo Respondents were asked to circle one of seven
number that corresponds to their agreement or disagreement regarding each
items
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
Table 1
Items of Each Subscale of Job Satisfaction
Subscale Items
Pay
Promotion
Supervisor
Coworkers
Nature of Work
4r 9
5 10 14
1 6r 11 15
2 7r 12 16r
3r 8 13 17 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
- 11 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
342 Organizational Commitment Scale
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
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Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
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Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
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Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
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Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
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Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
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24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
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Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
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Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
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- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
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Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
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Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
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Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
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Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
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Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
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Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
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Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
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organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer and Allen (1997) developed the three component
conceptualization of organizational commitment Affective Continuance and
Normative Commitment Scales The instrument was designed to measure the
degree to which subjects feel each type of commitment to the organization
The Meyer and Allen Scale consists of 18 items with 6 items each tapping
one of three dimensions of organizational commitment
However there were 15 items in this questionnaire in 3 measures
after discussion with the PARKnSHOP manager Three questions lsquoI feel that
if this organization has a problem it is my problem as wellrsquo lsquoIf I decided to
leave this organization right now it would be too disruptive to my lifersquo and lsquoI
have a sense of obligation to the people of this organization that prevents me
from leavingrsquo were deleted because they were quite similar to the other
questions in some extent Also a shorter questionnaire would help to keep
employee doing it in time
Respondents indicated the extent to which they agree or disagree
with each statement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)
mentioned
The following table indicated the items related to each subscale
- 12 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 2
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
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Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
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Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
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Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
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Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
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Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
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24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
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Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
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Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
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Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
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Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
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Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
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Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
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Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
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Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
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Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
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organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
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Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
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Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
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Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
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Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
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Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
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Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
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Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
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Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
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Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Items of Each Subscale of Organizational Commitment
Subscales Items
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Normative commitment
1 5r 8 11 13r
2 6 9 12 14
3r 4 7 10 15 Note Items followed by ldquorrdquo should be reverse-scored
343 Turnover Intention Survey
This study was used the term lsquoturnover intentionsrsquo rather that
turnover Intentions to stay or leave an organization are consistently related to
turnover and this relationship generally stronger and is more significant that
the satisfaction-turnover relationship (Lum et al 1998) Lum and his
colleagues designed three questions for measuring the employee intention to
leave Since these three questions were special for nursing industry originally
there was a modification of questions in replacing the word lsquonursingrsquo by
lsquoretailrsquo adjectives to fit the purpose of this study The items were also changed
from a five-point Likert scale to a seven-point Likert scale for consistency
344 Group Comparison
For the purpose of distinguishing different groups (students
caretakers involuntary part-timer and voluntary part-timers) among part-time
workers to the response of job satisfaction organizational commitment and
turnover intentions the groups were divided based on their reasons why do
they choose a part-time job
- 13 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
There were 9 primary reasons for working part-time Here is a table
about the potential reasons in dividing different groups
- 14 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 15 -
Table 3
Potential Reasons for Dividing Different Groups
Groups Primary Potential reasons
Students bull Going to school
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Caretakers bull Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc)
bull Earn extra income
bull Have more time for other things
Involuntary Part-
timer
bull Lack of available full-time jobs
bull Stepping stone to full-time work
bull I am tied to this geographical area
Voluntary Part-
timer
bull Transition to retirement
bull Desire less responsibility than a previous job
bull Earn extra money
bull Have more time for other things
345 Additional information
The qualitative feedback could enrich insights and point the way to
revise policy design The 4 open-ended items were extracted from an
interview about job satisfaction survey among employees in small businesses
by Davis (2004) in order to gather qualitative information
The interview conducted by Davis originally covered 13 open-ended
items inquired about employeersquos opinions on their jobs interpersonal
relationships with supervisors and co-workers their expectation on pay raise
perceived promotion opportunities and suggestions for organizational growth
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Only the employeersquos opinions on jobs and suggestion for
organizational growth were included in this questionnaire because other items
were duplicated with the other sections in this study
35 Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS statistical software
program First Cronbachrsquos alpha was used to measure the consistency that the
same items measure the same constructs The range is from 0 to 1 with
values closer to 1 indicating higher reliability among the indicators (Hair et al
1995) The significant level of reliability was chosen for this study in gt07
Second a Pearson correlation analysis was generated to show
association between variables Comparing the mean standard division and
correlation among the items would provide an overall picture first so that the
retention strategies could be developed with a core direction
Finally k-means cluster analysis was used to divide different cluster
grouping based on their potential reasons of working part-time as mentioned
previously Comparison of their job satisfaction organizational commitment
and turnover intention would then be identified Therefore the retention
recommendations could be more specific in targeting different groups
Regarding to the open-ended questions Strauss and Corbin (1990)
identified procedures for analyzing for coding qualitative data This
information was would be scanned first and then sorting the similar statements
in the same group However the categories were not defined prior to the onset
of this study but they were determined after scanning The data analysis was
- 16 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
ongoing through coding generating categories themes and patterns and re-
checking the findings (Boyatzis 1998)
- 17 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV RESULTS
41 Descriptive Statistics
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
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Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
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Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
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Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
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Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
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Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
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24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
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Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
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Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
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Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
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Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
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Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
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Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
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Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
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organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
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Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
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Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
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Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
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Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
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Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
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Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
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Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
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Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
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Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
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Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of demographics
characteristic Form the observed data (N=128) a majority of the respondents
were female (922) The age composition of the respondents was evenly
distributed with 258 in 16 to 23 years old 203 in 24 to 31 years old
258 in 32 to 39 years old and 242 in 40 to 47 years old Approximately
two-third of the respondents was married (633) In terms of educational
level most of the respondents attained Form 5 level in 602 About 195
and 117 of them reached primary school level and Form 3 level respectively
As to the tenure about two-third of respondents have worked less than 1 year
in PARKnSHOP (617) 203 have worked from 1 to 3 year(s) and 141
have worked from 4 to 6 years The number of the respondents who worked
28 to 36 hours 46 to 54 hours and more than 54 hours were exactly the same
in 227
- 18 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 4
Demographics Characteristics of Sample (N=128)
Demographic Variable Frequency Percentage Gender
Female 118 922 Male 10 78
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Age 16 to 23 years old 33 258 24 to 31 years old 26 203 32 to 39 years old 33 258 40 to 47 years old 31 242 48 to 55 years old 4 31 56 years old and above 1 08
Marital status Married 81 633 Single 42 328 Divorced 4 31 Widowed 1 08
Educational level Primary School 25 195 Form 3 15 117 Form 5 77 602 Form 7 5 39 Diploma Associate Degree and above 6 47
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
Less than 1 year 79 617 1 to 3 year(s) 26 203 4 to 6 years 18 141 7 to 9 years 4 31 10 to 12 years 1 08 More than 13 years 0 0
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 7 55 18 to 27 hours 18 141 28 to 36 hours 29 227 37 to 45 hours 16 125 46 to 54 hours 29 227 More than 54 hours 29 227
- 19 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
42 Means Standard Deviations Zero-Correlation and Cronbachrsquos
alpha reliability test
Table 5 presents means standard deviations zero-correlation and
Cronbachrsquos alpha reliability test of the all variables involved in this study
As to the coefficient alphas all measures were acceptable because
their reliability coefficient were greater than 70 The coefficient alphas of job
satisfaction were 70 75 70 76 and 85 for supervisor coworker nature of
work pay and promotion respectively The coefficient alphas of
organizational commitment were 86 76 and 76 for affective normative and
continuance scales respectively Lastly the coefficient alpha for Turnover
Intention was 86
Regarding the mean the overall job satisfaction factors were just
above the satisfactory average except pay (mean=300) Compare to their
means coworker was the most satisfactory for them (mean=563)
Further two of the organizational commitment factors were met
above the satisfactory average they were affective commitment (mean=461)
and normative commitment (mean=470) However continuance commitment
was just below the average with mean in 294
The average mean of turnover intention was 294 Number 4 is the
median of the scale which represents neutral it implies that their intention to
leave was below the average
Next the correlation matrix indicated that there were significant
negative relations among the job satisfaction factors to turnover intention
- 20 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 21 -
supervisor (r= -31 plt01) coworker (r=-31 plt01) nature of work (r=-45
plt01) pay (r=-24 plt01) promotion (r=-25 plt01) Nature of work had
the greatest correlation to turnover intention These facts gave an answer to
RQ1 it means that job satisfaction had the negative influence to turnover
intentions so interpreting employeesrsquo job satisfaction would be helpful in
developing retention program
The correlation matrix also showed there were all significant among
the organizational commitment affective commitment (r=-37 plt01)
normative commitment (r=-34 plt01) and continuance commitment (r=-30
plt01) which were negatively related to turnover intention Affective
commitment had the greatest correlation among of them Here was an answer
for RQ2 all organizational commitment measures also had the negative affect
to turnover intentions so understanding their commitments towards
organization would be useful in developing retention program too
In addition age was the only one had a significant negative
correlation with turnover intention among the control variables Therefore
age should be also considered in retention program
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 22 -
Table 5 Mean Standard Deviation Zero-order Correlation amp Cronbachs alpha reliability test
Notes plt001 level (2-tailed)
Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 151 Gender a 108 269 - 2 Age b 261 1237 -33 -
3 Marital Status c 141 596 19 -32 -4 Education Level d 263 996 14 -35 22 -5 Years Worked e 161 898 -10 40 -15 -45 -6 Average Working Hours f 401 1560 -00 -04 10 08 -21 -7 Supervisor 547 122 -03 12 -02 00 -07 09 708 Coworker 563 108 -14 22 -02 04 08 13 54 759 Nature of Work
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
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Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
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Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
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Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
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Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
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Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
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24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
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Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
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Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
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Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
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Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
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Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
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Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
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Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
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organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
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Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
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Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
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Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
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Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
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Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
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Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
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Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
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Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
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Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
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Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
plt005 level (2-tailed) a Female=1 Male=2 b 16 to 23 years old=1 24 to 31years old=2 32 to 39 years old=3 40 to 47 years old=4 48 to 55 years old=5 56 years old and above=6
c Married=1 Single=2 Divorced=3 Widowed=4 d Primary school=1 Form 3=2 Form 5=3 Form 7=4 Diploma Associated degree and above=5 e Less than 1year=1 1 to 3 years=2 4 to 6 years=3 7to 9 years=4 10 to 12 years=5 13 to 15 years=6 16 years and above=7 f Less than 18 hours=1 19 to 27 hours=2 28 to 36 hours=3 37 to 45 hours=4 46 to 54 hours=5 54 hours and above=6
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
43 Group Comparison
Group division of part-time employees was performed based upon
their reasons for taking part-time job
Based on the respondentsrsquo reasons of choosing part-time student
group was mainly for the reason to go to school caretakers group was for the
need to care for their relatives voluntary part-timer was for the lack of
available of full-time job involuntary part-timer was for earning extra money
The final grouping sizes were as follows students (n=30) caretakers
(n=44) involuntary part-timers (n=36) and voluntary part-timers (n=17) 1
respondent was omitted because of missing value This division could help to
compute different grouprsquos mean and standard deviation in response to job
satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover intentions
431 Demographics characteristic of 4 different groups
From Table 6 it shows the demographics characteristics of each
cluster There is a clear difference in age and marital status between students
and caretakers Student group aged 16 to 23 years old on average while
caretaker group aged 32 to 39 years old on average And majority of students
were single while most caretakers were married However there is no obvious
demographic difference between involuntary part-timers and voluntary part-
times except the average working hours in 1 week Comparing the four
clusters on demographic factors would assure that the following comparison
was meaningful for the current sample (Aldenderfer amp Blashfield 1984)
- 23 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 6
Demographic Characteristics of 4 Part-time Employee Groups
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
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350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
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Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Age 16 to 23 years old 18 (142) 4 (31) 7 (55) 4 (31) 24 to 31 years old 3 (24) 11 (87) 10 (79) 1 (08) 32 to 39 years old 5 (39) 16 (126) 8 (63) 4 (31) 40 to 47 years old 3 (24) 12 (94) 10 (79) 6 (47) 48 to 55 years old 0 (0) 1 (08) 1 (08) 2 (16) 56 years old and above 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP Less than 1 year 19 (150) 26 (205) 23 (181) 10 (08) 1 to 3 year(s) 8 (63) 8 (63) 9 (71) 1 (24) 4 to 6 years 3 (24) 7 (55) 4 (31) 4 (47) 7 to 9 years 0 (0) 2 (16) 0 (0) 2 (31) 10 to 12 years 0 (0) 1 (08) 0 (0) 0 (0) More than 13 years 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Average working hours in 1 week Less than 18 hours 2 (16) 2 (16) 2 (16) 1 (08) 18 to 27 hours 8 (63) 5 (39) 2 (16) 3 (24) 28 to 36 hours 4 (31) 15 (118) 4 (31) 6 (47) 37 to 45 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 2 (16) 4 (31) 46 to 54 hours 8 (63) 12 (94) 8 (63) 1 (08) More than 54 hours 4 (31) 5 (39) 18 (142) 2 (16)
- 24 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
432 Comparison of job attitudes and turnover intentions of 4
different groups
Refer to Table 7 different groups in the response to job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions were stated each mean
median and standard deviation of the variables were also computed
Obviously student group has the lowest job satisfaction lowest organizational
commitment and highest turnover intentions in the 4 groupings In addition
voluntary part-timer had the highest job satisfaction involuntary part-timer
had the highest organizational commitment caretakers had the lowest turnover
intentions on average
Therefore the answer for RQ3 was that student group was
particularly differing from the other 3 groups on job satisfaction
organizational commitment and turnover intentions
- 25 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Table 7
Different Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions of 4 Part-time
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
All statements written by the respondents were recorded (refer to
Appendix III) After scanning the information from each question were
generally summarized
441 The best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Table 8 summarized the best thing working in PARKNSHOP
into 6 categories work environment work schedule compensations
job related skills job in general and work location Work environment
- 26 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 27 -
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
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Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
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Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
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Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
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Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
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Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
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Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
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Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
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Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
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intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
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Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
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Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
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Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
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Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
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Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
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Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
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Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
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organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
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Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
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Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
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Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
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- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
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Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
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Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
was ranked in the first position with 389 responses They identified
the support from their supervisor and colleague
Furthermore about one-third of respondents found the best thing
was flexible working hour so that they would have more time in doing other
issues
Table 8
Summary of the Best thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Work environment 35 (389) Supervisor
support 10 (111) I can ask for help from supervisor (lsquoBig
Sisterrsquo) in need 最好是有需要幫忙的時候可以搵大家姐
幫手 Manager shows understanding to us and tries to response our requests I am very happy in working 上司能體諒下屬有要求已能盡量配
合工作十分開心
Colleague support
25 (278) The relationship is as good as a family 最好是人際關係好的時候好像家人一
樣 I feel the sense of belongings I work happily 有歸屬感做得開心
2 Work schedule 29 (322) Flexihour 29 (322) I can choose my working hour freely
員工自由選擇返工時間 The work time is good for me to arrange my family affairs 時間好可以安排日常家庭事務
3 Compensations 11 (122) Pay 6 (67) I have a stable income
有穩定的收入 Pay on time 準時出糧
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 28 -
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Benefits 5 (56) Holidays and benefits are better then other company 假期及福利比其他公司好
4 Job related skills 6 (67) Job related skills 6 (67) When I work in PARKnSHOP I can learn
the technique in customer communication and contact different kinds of customer I am happy to the customersrsquo appreciation if I eager to serve them 我覺得在百佳工作可以學到關於在顧
客服務上與客人之服務及可以接觸到很
多種類的顧客學會怎樣與客人溝通及
處事方式和以熱誠態度待客亦會得到客
人的道謝自己亦感到開心
5 Job in general 5 (56) Job in general 5 (56) I think being cashier is the best because I
like this job 我覺得最好收銀因為我喜歡這一份
工 I feel satisfied when my customer or supervisor appreciates my work 被客人 上司稱讚的時候很滿足
6 Work location 4 (44) Work location 4 (44) It is close to my home
近屋企
Total 90 Note Total number of respondents was 78 out of 128 (609) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
442 The worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Similarly Table 9 summarized the worst thing working in
PARKnSHOP into 6 categories Compensations (pay and benefits)
had the highest responses about 30 They dissatisfied with the low
wages and few benefits
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 29 -
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Work schedule (working hour lunch arrangement work force) was
ranked in the second about 28 The other categories include work on
present job work environment development and job in general
Table 9
Summary of the Worst thing working in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 24 (304) Pay 10 (127) Wages are low but work load is large
人工低工作量大 No pay in lunch time 吃飯時間無薪金
Benefits 14 (177) No any employee benefit and no medical benefit It seems that we are just purely the lsquopart-timersquo workers but not the PARKnSHOPrsquos employees 沒有甚麼員工優惠醫療也沒有好像
我們純粹兼職並不是百佳員工
2 Work schedule 22 (278) Working hour 8 (101) My working hour is longer than the full-
time employeesrsquo 兼職的工作時間長過全職 I have not a constant leaving time 沒有定時收工時間
Lunch arrangement
7 (89) I think the lunch hour is too short for me I get only half hour to have my lunch which is very tight Sometimes I even have not finished my lunch and go to work immediately 我認為職員工用膳時間太短只有半小
時所以吃飯時十分趕急有時還未吃
完就要繼續工作
Work force 7 (89) Lack of work force causes me cannot follow the working schedule 人手不足令到工作程序跟不上hellip
3 Work on present job 14 (177) Customersrsquo
complaint 10 (127) The worst thing is the demanding from
customers becomes higher and higher I cannot do the job quickly without
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 30 -
mistake 最差是顧客的要求愈來愈高好難做到
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
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Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
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and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
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performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
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Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
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Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
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Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
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Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
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Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
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11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
又要快又要唔出錯 hellipOther sales assistant informed a wrong price to the customer first The customer found the price incorrectly when he has checked out I feel very innocent when he blamed on me hellip客人付款時發覺不對收錢便會給客
人責駡我覺得這真是十分無辜
Information mistake
4 (51) The wrong pricing is a serious problem 價錢出錯問題頗嚴重
4 Work environment 12 (152) People on
present job 3 (38) When there is peak season some
managers and supervisors (lsquoBig Sisterrsquo)rsquo attitude and wordings are badly to us 到過年過節時很繁忙部分主管家姐
的態度和言語上不顧及我們的感受 hellip Supervisor believes it is the fault of employee because he does not interpret the fact and only listen to the opinions from customers His wordings make us feel unhappy hellip 主管沒有了解事情的真相只聽客
人的意見就認為是員工的錯言語會
令我們同事之間會感到不開心
Physical environment
6 (76) Poor ventilation within the cashier area makes customers and employees feel very hot It even much hotter when I am working 大收銀處的空調太少顧客和員工都感
十分炎熱我們工作時更時熱不可耐
Physical facilities
3 (38) The computers are old It is slow when I scan the products It is always out of work too 電腦舊過機物件速度慢經常壞
5 Development 5 (63) Training 2 (25) Training is insufficient I have not
received a complete training hellip培訓不足未能全面教授
Promotion 3 (38) No promotion opportunity 沒有升職機會
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 31 -
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
6 Job in general 2 (25) Job in general 2 (25) I feel hard and great pressure in busy
time 工作忙時感到辛苦和壓力大
Total 79 Note Total number of respondents was 66 out of 128 (516) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
443 Suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Next Table 10 gathered the suggestion for improvement the
mentioned situation from the respondents above One-third of responds
suggested raising pay and providing more benefits such as medical benefits
shopping discounts Also about one-third of responds recommended
improving the mutual support each other like an employee reflected that
ldquoSupervisors have to understand employee more about their
difficulties and help them to deal with the problemsrdquo
There was also 20 respondents suggested to improve the work
schedule especially the work force arrangement The other minor categories
were development and work in present job
Table 10
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 17 (34) Pay 8 (16) To have pay in lunch time
吃飯時間有薪金 To raise the wages 加薪
Benefits 9 (18) Full-time employees enjoy a 10 discount in shopping in PARKnSHOP should part-time employees have a 5 off or any other benefit 全職購物有九折兼職是否應該有九五
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 32 -
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
REFERENCES
Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
折或者有甚麼優惠 I can have the medical insurance service as the same as the full-time employeesrsquo hellip可以享用和長工一樣的醫療保險服
務
2 Work environment 16 (32) People on
present job 8 (16) Colleagues should support and care each
other 同事之間應互相幫助互相體諒各同
事 Supervisors have to understand employee more about their difficulties and help them to deal with the problems 主管應對員工加深了解了解各員工在
工作上遇到的困難協助員工解決
Physical environment
4 (8) Larger space of rest room and more lockers for employees to store their stuffs 加大休息室的空間及增設更多儲物櫃給
員工擺於私人物件 Adding more air-conditioner 加冷氣
Physical facilities
4 (8) To change some new computers 換新電腦
3 Work schedule 10 (20) Working hour 1 (2) I can get off on time
有準時的收工時間
Work force 9 (18) To employ more co-workers could share our work load 請有多些同事一同工作可減輕大家的工
作
4 Development 7 (14) Training 2 (4) Training can focus on the main work
tasks or new comers for example the working information or company operation so that employees can easily answer the customersrsquo request 培訓可於入職時加強一些重點工作例
如工作上的資訊及公司運作 使員工於顧客之提問即時回答
Promotion 5 (10) Company should provide more promotion opportunities in concerning the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 33 -
employeesrsquo performance 公司應知人善任多留意員工表現以
提供更多晋升機會
5 Work in present job 4 (8) Customersrsquo
complaint 2 (4) Talk to the customers sincerely
跟客人說話時用誠實語氣
Information mistake
2 (4) Updating price should be clear 轉價錢要清楚
Total 50 Note Total number of respondents was 49 out of 128 (383) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
444 Suggestion for raising the morale in PARKnSHOP
Lastly Table 91 is about the suggestion for raising the morale in
PARKnSHOP Most respondents asked for raising wages and providing more
benefits (40) the typical responses were
ldquoTo raise the wagesrdquo
The other respondents requested for more supervisor and colleague
support more training and promotion opportunities and organization activities
and rewards as well
Table 11
Summary of suggestion for improvement in PARKnSHOP
Rank Categories Frequencies Example(s) 1 Compensations 28 (406) Pay 20 (290) Increase wages every year
每一年能夠加人工
Benefits 8 (116) (Part-time) Employees can enjoy the shopping discount 員工能夠有購物優惠
2 Work environment 18 (26) Supervisor
support 7 (101) I believe that supervisors and
subordinates should keep a good relation Supervisors should also discuss the
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 34 -
working performance with subordinates every one month and give them comments 我認為只需要上司及下屬保持良好關
係並且上司應該每隔一個月與下屬溝
通一下工作情況知道員工的工作表現
或給予意見 Supervisors and colleagues should support each other 主管和同事間應該互相幫助
Colleague support
11 (159) Colleagues help and care each other 同事間互相幫助和體諒
3 Development 12 (174) Training 2 (29) I hope that I could have a lesson in
dealing with customersrsquo problems or English studying every month 我希望一個月上一次堂教我怎樣去解
決客人的問題如果可以的話給我的
進修英文
Promotion 10 (145) To give different kinds of job to employees and increase our promotion opportunity 多給員工不同的工作以增加他們的晋
升機會
4 Organization support 11 (159) Organization
activities 5 (72) To organize some activities for employees
to increase our sense of belonging 舉辦活動讓員工共同參與令員工有歸
屬感 Party group trip or fun fair 大食會集體旅行或員工同樂日
Rewards 6 (87) If the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we can get some prizes 如果神秘客人有好的評價就應該有書
面又或者其它的奬品 To add the lsquoOutstanding Employee Prizerdquo 加設傑出員工奬
Total 69 Note Total number of respondents was 58 out of 128 (453) while respondent could provide more than 1 comment
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION
51 Discussion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between
job satisfaction and turnover intentions and organizational commitment and
turnover intentions of the part-time employees Meanwhile the qualitative
information provided an insight to the part-time workersrsquo opinions Therefore
more reliable retention strategies can be developed in order to solve the
turnover problem
The results supported the existence of negative correlation with job
satisfaction and turnover intentions It was matched with the previous
researches (Balzer et al 1997 Milman 2002 Hellman 1997) However
nature of work was ranked in the highest position in employment traits which
was not mated with the study by Milman (2002)
The result also indicated the negative relationship with
organizational commitment and turnover intentions This was also supported
by Meyer and Allen (1997) and Milliman Czaplewski and Ferguson (2003)
since they also indicated the negative correlation among affective commitment
normative commitment and continuance commitment to turnover intentions
In addition age was the only one demographic statistics had the
negative correlation to turnover intentions in this study It was supported by
the past researches like Breukelen Vlist and Steensma (2004) Sousa-Poza
- 35 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
and Henneberge (2004) and Cotton and Tuttle (1986) The relation showed
the younger employees were more likely intent to leave
As to the group difference student group reported weaker job
satisfaction weaker organizational commitment and stronger turnover
intentions on average It is the same as the research from Mayard
Thorsteinson and Parfyonova (2005) However there was no significant
different between voluntary part-timers and involuntary part-timers in the
result Interestingly involuntary part-timers even had less intention to leave in
the organization It was because the other researchers (Eberhardt amp Moser
1995 Feldman amp Doerpinghaus 1992) found involuntary part-time workers
normally had greater turnover intentions because they were likely to be either
looking for full-time employment or not having to work for long time The
lack of differences in this study may be explained the different population size
of involuntary PTer (n=44) and voluntary PTer (n=17) so the voluntary part-
timers group was so small in size to be representative Also the involuntary
part-timers actually did not have so many job choices and hence they could
just stay in the company
In regard to the qualitative information part-time employees like the
work environment most It implied more supervisor and colleague support
tend to achieve higher job satisfaction Moreover the flexible working hour
was also important to them because over half of them are students and
caretaker They need more time to concern their study or arrange family
issues
- 36 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
However the employees dislike the compensations most It is
because they easily compared themselves with the full-time employees
Thatrsquos why many employees reflected that they desired to be a full-time
worker They described that job in supermarket demand long workdays but
offer lower compensation and less work satisfaction with the comparison with
full-timers It seems that most full-time jobs are lsquogoodrsquo jobs whereas most
part-time jobs are lsquobadrsquo jobs (Tilly 1992) The reason behind is that part-time
jobs were those require low skills are poorly paid offer few fringe benefits
provide few opportunities provide less job security and were more likely to be
routine boring jobs (Barnett amp Gareis 2000) This poor perception of
supermarket employment is likely to lead to lower job satisfaction lower
organizational and higher turnover Therefore most respondents
recommended raising the pay and improving the benefits which were closer to
the full-time employeesrsquo standard in the suggestion sessions
Working environment should also be highlighted because this
category was ranked at the second position The employees were eager to
have improvement in supervisor support colleague support physical
environment and physical facilities Over half of them have to work more
then 46 hours every week some of them even work longer than full-timer
Because of long working hour working environment eventually becomes
important to them A supportive working environment better physical
condition and facilities would lead to higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment to them
- 37 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
52 Recommendations
From this study job satisfaction and organizational commitment are
some of the primary factors that the employeesrsquo in deciding whether to stay or
leave Because these two variables play a critical role in determining turnover
intentions company needs to be aware of the influences and relationship
found Also the qualitative information offered a deeper analysis of part-time
employees It is high time to treat part-timers as valuable as full-timers
521 Developing Recruitment Strategies
The first step of retention program is successful recruiting
PARKnSHOP has already good understanding about its culture and human
resource needs However the turnover rate is still high So that we may ask a
question ldquoIs the person hired do not suitable for part-time positionrdquo
From the results age is one of the critical factor correlated to
turnover intentions Therefore PARKnSHOP would consider recruit middle-
age or older people but not young people who tend to have higher turnover
intentions It is also matched with the cluster analysis Student group has the
highest turnover intentions in the four groupings Students found the
employment meet their own earning needs but they may not fit the
organization needs (Greenberger amp Steinberg 1996) Therefore the company
should consider whether students are desirable candidates If the nature of the
studentsrsquo work is replaceable the company would give more chances to
middle-age people like housewives The cost andor effort for recruitment are
actually little as well
- 38 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
522 Revising Compensation Strategies
Compensations are the most important concern from the interviewed
part-time employees In order to maintain valued employees their salaries
should be competitive with or exceed local market and or industry averages
Although salary is key the importance of other compensations and benefits
should not be underestimated As a customer-oriented company
PARKnSHOP could offer incentive for any employee to provide improved
customer service Employees would be motivated to feel appreciated and
recognized for their hard work For example cash bonuses rewards or
recognition program can be enhanced their job satisfaction (Wimberly
Lawson amp Seale 2000)
Such a compensation system would not only be fair it would also
send a message to all employees that it is ability One of the respondents
reflected a similar concept was that
ldquoIf the mystery shopper gives us a position comment we
can get some prizesrdquo
It would also help company in providing additional criteria to
performance appraisal and then retaining part-time workers with the strongest
skills
Starbuckrsquos the famous coffee-shop chain demonstrated a good
example The company offered its part-time employees high pay (by industry
standards) and health benefits They proclaimed that doing so differentiates it
in the labor market allowing it to hire the best workers That has made
- 39 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Starbuckrsquos one of the fastest-growing most profitable chains in the world
(Noble 1992) This case could be a reference for PARKnSHOP With a close
looking at the costs and advantages the organization could consider lunch
time with pay shopping discount or health benefits which are more possible in
implementation
523 Career Opportunity and Development
Part-time employees should have the same knowledge and
capabilities as full-time employees in order to present a seamless image of the
company to customers through training (Gray amp Laidlaw 2002) A successful
training would also provide more career opportunity to the employees Due to
the time and cost the minimal on-the-job training may cause the part-time
employee frustration One alternative is to have part-timers participate in the
segments of the firmrsquos formal training program that cover critical skills
(Inman amp Enz 1995) More specific trainings give more information to them
about their job so it would help to improve the bad understanding about the
nature of work in this stage It is because the finding showed nature of work
had the highest correlation to turnover intentions The reasons behind were
they donrsquot really familiarize what they are doing and what they are doing for
Furthermore training let part-time employees know they are important
member of the team and send a message to the other workers that management
considers part-timers valuable
In addition part-time worker should be considered for some jobs that
have traditionally been reserved for full-time workers It also help employee
- 40 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
feel more meaningful in the nature of work Therefore company could open
up more possibilities to diverse their job duties and responsibilities If the
company put full-time and part-time workers have similar work-related values
belief and behavior Part-time workers would have access to more jobs and
responsibilities through training or rotation
As to the career development company would approach to part-time
worker in changing to full-time worker first if there is vacancy It is because
many respondents reflected their willingness to become a full-time employee
Student groups mentioned may not be a desirable candidate
However if continue recruiting student is a necessary the company could
consider prepare a career path for them For example students can be
transferred to be a full-time employee in the store or back office after their
graduation and they can receive regular training and have more chances to be
promoted to senior level Developing career paths can effectively attract and
retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term valuable contribution
(Iverson amp Deery 1997)
524 Creating a Supportive Environment
One of the most cost effective retention tools is communication
(McNally 2000) Well communication helps to build up a supportive
environment as well An effective communication should being from a warm
welcome to newly hired employees The manager and supervisor would
carefully nurture new employees with necessary job training and skill
enhancement to carry out the positionrsquos duties and with caring interaction to
- 41 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
make them feel comfortable and accepted so that the employees would not be
divided into part-time group or full-time group To increase acceptance of
new hires manager could facilitate the building of peer and subordinate
relationship It would provide the harmonious working environment as well
The manger and supervisor are playing a pivotal role The manager
and supervisor would take more chance to talk to them Manager and
supervisor would try to find out from the employees if they are experiencing
any conflict or unhappiness at work The interviewed employees explained
that they were demotivated after being blamed by the customers or supervisors
Hence it is important to find out what actually happen first and solve the
problem together as a team Improving employee communication satisfaction
may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers (Boorom et al
1998) finally
An improved work environment is also a form of supportive
performance It would help to keep employees satisfied with their jobs Well-
equipped break rooms and lounge areas company parties and social events are
all the ways to increase their motivation and the level of satisfaction and
commitment
53 Limitations and Suggestions
Firstly the study only dealt with the issues of job satisfaction and
organizational commitment Since there are actually more other reasons
influencing turnover intention job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- 42 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
would reflect part of the turnover problem only For future research more
other factors could be integrated eg work-life balance work motivation etc
Secondly one of the limitations is the study was the use of self-
report instruments The respondents may apply the answer they want to rather
than the actual fact Also the respondents may give the false information
without deep consideration It is because they finished quickly and back to
work especially during the rushing hour It is suggested that the
questionnaires could be distributed other than rushing hour and the
questionnaire could be designed more specific and shorter
- 43 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION
In summary this research study examined the antecedents (job
satisfaction and organizational commitment) of turnover intentions of
PARKnSHOP With the quantitative research this study provided more
information to have further understanding about part-time employees It
contributed more than the general knowledge academically
The results supported the negative correlation among job satisfaction
organizational commitment to turnover intentions Different cluster groups
had different tendency toward the measures as well
Gathering all information four aspects of suggestions recruiting
strategies revising compensation strategies career opportunity and
development and creating a supportive environment were raised
In conclusion conducting this kind of survey actually was already a
way in support and treasure the part-time employees It gave insight to the
employees about their needs wants and motivations Hopefully company
will achieve both job satisfaction and organizational commitment by applying
their suggestions to ensure the employeesrsquo satisfactions The employees will
then continue to be committed to PARKnSHOP in long term development
- 44 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
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Adidam PT (2006) Causes and consequences of high turnover by sales
professionals Journal of American Academy of Business Cambridge
10(1) 137-141
Aldenderfer MS amp Blashfield RK (1984) Cluster analysis Sage
Publications Beverly Hills CA
Arnold HJ amp Feldman DC (1982) A multivariate analysis of the
determinants of job turnover Journal of Applied Psychology 67
350-360
Balzer WK Smith PC Kravitz DA Lovell SE Paul KB Reilly BA
amp Reilly CE (1990) Userrsquos manual for the Job Descriptive Index
(JDI) and the Job In General (JIG) scales Bowling Green OH
Bowling Green State University
Barnett RC amp Gareis KC (2000) Reduced-hours employment The
relationship between difficulty of trade-offs and quality of life Work
and Occupations 27(2) 168-187
Boorom ML Goolsby JR amp Ramsey RP (1998) Relational
communication traits and their effect on adaptiveness and sales
performance Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26(1)
16-30
- 45 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Boyatzis R E (1998) Transforming qualitative information Thematic
analysis and code development Thousand Oaks CA Sage
Publications
Breukelen W Vlist R amp Steensma H (2004) Voluntary employee
turnover combing variables from the rsquotraditionalrsquo turnover literature
with the theory of planned behavior Journal of Organizational
Behavior 25(7) 893-915
Caputo RK and Cianni M (2001) Correlations of voluntary vs involuntary
part-time employment among US women Gender Work and
Organization 8(3) 311-25
Contton JL amp Tuttle JM (1986) Employee turnover a meta-analysis and
review with implications for research Academy of Management
Review 11 55-70
Darmon RY (1990) Identifying sources of turnover costs a segmental
approach Journal of Marketing 54 46-56
Davis G (2004) Job Satisfaction Survey Among Employee in Small
Businesses Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
11(4) 493-503
Eberhardt BJ amp Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-
time work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business
Research 11(3) 101-108
- 46 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Eberhardt BJ Moser SB (1995) The nature and consequences of part-time
work a test of hypotheses Journal of Applied Business Research
11(3) 8-16
Ericosson KA amp Lehmann AC (1996) Expert and exceptional
performance evidence of maximal adaptation to task constraints
Annual Review of Psychology 47 273-305
Feldman DC Doerpinghaus HI (1992) Patterns of part-time employment
Journal of Vocational Behavior 42 282-294
Ferris K amp Aranya N (1983) A comparison of two organizational
commitment scales Personnel Psychology 36 87-98
Gappa JM amp Leslie DW (1993) The invisible faculty improving the
status of part-timers in higher education Jossey-Bass San Francisco
CA
Gray J amp Laidlaw H (2002) Part-time employment and communication
satisfaction in an Australian retail organization Employee Relations
24(2) 211-228
Greenberger E amp Steinberg L (1996) When teenagers work Basic Books
New York
Hair J F Anderson R Tatham R amp Black W (1995) Multivariate data
analysis with readings (4th ed) Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall
Hardin JR OrsquoBryan D amp Reding K (2001) The influences of internship
on job satisfaction organizational commitment and turnover
intention Human Resource Management Journal 13(2) 50-63
- 47 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Hellman CM (1997) Job satisfaction and intent to leave The Journal of
Social Psychology 137(6) 677-689
Hinkin T amp Tracey J B (2000) The cost of turnover Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(3) 14-21
Holtom BC Lee TW amp Tidd ST (2002) The relationship between work
status congruence and work related attitudes and behaviours Journal
of Applied Psychology 87(5) 903-15
Hom PW amp Griffeth RW (1995) Employee Turnover Cincinnati OH
South Western
Huang CT amp Lin WC (1999) Motivation job satisfaction and turnover
intention A case study in Taiwan Paper presented on the 5th Human
Resources Management Conference Taoynan Taiwan
Igharia I amp Greenhaus J (1992) The career advancement prospects of
managers and professionals Decision Sciences 23(2) 478-500
Inmna C amp Enz C (1995) Shattering the myths of the part-time worker
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 36(5) 70-73
Iverson RD amp Derry M (1997) Turnover culture in hospitality industry
Human Resources Management Journal 7(4) 77-82
Lum L Kervin J Clark K Reid F amp Sirola W (1998) Explaining
nursing turnover intent Job satisfaction pay satisfaction or
organizational commitment Journal of Organizational Behavior
19 305-320
- 48 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Maertz CP amp Campion MA (1998) 25 years of voluntary turnover
research A review and critique International Review of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology 13 49-81
Mathieu JE amp Zajac DM (1990) A review and meta-analysis of the
antecedents correlates and consequences of organizational
commitment Psychological Bulletin 108(2) 171-194
Maynard DC Thorsteinson TJ amp Parfyonova NM (2005) Reasons for
working part-time Subgroup differences in job attitudes and
turnover intentions Career Development International 11(2) 145-
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Meyer JP amp Allen NJ (1997) Commitment in the workplace Theory
research and application sage Thousand Oaks CA
Meyer JP Allen NJ amp Topolnytsky L (1998) Commitment in a
changing world of work Canadian Psychology 39 83-98
Milliman J Czaplewski AJ amp Ferguson J (2003) Workplace spirituality
and employee work attitudes An exploratory empirical assessment
Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(4) 426-447
Milman A (2001) Hourly employee retention in the attraction industry
Research from small and medium-sized facilities in Orlando Florida
Journal of Leisure Property 2(1) 40-51
- 49 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Mowday RT (1984) Strategies for adapting of high rates of employee
turnover Human Resource Management 23(4) 365-380
Myeller CW amp Price JL (1990) Economic psychological and
sociological determinants of voluntary turnover The Journal of
Behavioural Economics 19(3) 321-335
Noble BP (1992 August 16) At work benefits For part timers New York
Times pp3 23
Pinkovitz W H (1997) How much does your employee turnover cost Small
Business Forum 14(3) 70
Robbins S P (1998) Organizational behavior Concepts Controversies and
Applications Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Robbins SP (1998) Organizational behavior concepts controversies and
applications (8th ed) Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall Inc
Roznowski M amp Hulin C (1992) The scientific merit of valid measures of
general constructs with special reference to job satisfaction and job
withdrawl Job satisfaction How people feel about their jobs and
how it effects their performance New York Lexington Books 123-
163
Sigler KJ (1999) Challenges of employee retention Management Research
News 22(10) 1-5
Sousa-Poza A Henneberger F (2004) Analyzing job mobility with job
turnover intentions an international comparative study Journal of
Economic Issues 38(1) 113-137
- 50 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Spector P E (1985) Measurement of human service staff satisfaction
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American journal of
Community Psychology 13(6) 693-713
Staw B M (1980) The consequences of turnover Journal of Occupational
Behavior 1 253-273
Strauss AL and Corbin J (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research Grounded
Theory Procedures and Techniques Sage Thousand Oaks CA
passim
Sturman MC Trevoe CO Boudreau JW amp Gerhart B (2003) Is it worth
it to win the talent war Evaluating the utility of performance-based
pay Personnel Psychology 56(4) 997-1035
Tilly C (1992) Two faces of part time work Good and bad part-time jobs in
US service industries Working part-time Risks and opportunities
New York Praeger
Wetzel K Soloshy DE and Gallagher DG (1990) The work attitudes of
full-time and part-time registered nurse Health Management Review
15(3) 79-85
Wimberly D Lawson S amp Seale AJ (2000) Take this job and shove it The
effect of emerging workforce values on recruiting and keeping
employees Labor Relations and Employment Law Update
Conference Athlanta GA
- 51 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
APPENDIX I
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
COVER LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS)
- 52 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
4 April 2007
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
Part-Time Employee Survey PARKnSHOP always places importance on each employee In order for the company to further improve its human resources management policies we would like to have a better understanding of the needs of our part-time employees To gather your opinions we have invited Ms Liz Wong a final year student in Human Resources Management at Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a survey on our behalf The attached questionnaire will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete There are no right or wrong answers Please answer each question truthfully and with careful consideration The data will be aggregated and you can be assured that your anonymity will be preserved Please feel secure in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher Your assistance in completing the survey is very important and highly appreciated If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact Ms Sally Leung at 2333-8414 or Ms Liz Wong at 9130-1860 Thank you for your assistance Sincerely Human Resources Department PARKnSHOP ASWatson Group (HK) Limited
- 53 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
SECTION ONE Job Satisfaction Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 17 questions is to evaluate your level of job satisfaction within your workplace Please circle the number that best represents your opinion about each question (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel my supervisor is competent for the job he she
doeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 I enjoy working with my colleagueshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 Sometimes I feel there is no meaning to my workhellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I feel raises are not given very often at my
workplacehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 75 I feel if I do my job well there is a fair chance that I
can be promotedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 76 I do not feel that my supervisor is fair to mehelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 77 Incompetent coworkers make my job harderhelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I like my job responsibilitieshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 The amount I am paid for the work I do makes me
feel appreciatedhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel people here can advance as quickly as in other
placeshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 I feel that my supervisor shows enough interest in
his her subordinatesrsquo feelingshelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 I enjoy the people I work withhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 When I do my job I feel a sense of pridehelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 My chances for being promoted here satisfy mehelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 715 I am fond of my supervisorhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 716 There is too much conflict betweenamong my
coworkershelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 717 I enjoy my jobhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 54 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
SECTION TWO Organizational Commitment Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 15 questions is to understand your general feelings towards PARKnSHOP Please answer the questions according to your feelings towards PARKnSHOP and indicate the degree of your agreement with each statement by circling one of the seven alternatives beside each statement (Circle one number for each question)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 I feel that if I spent the rest of my career in this
organization I would be happyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 72 Even if I wanted to it would be difficult for me leave
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 73 I feel no obligation to remain herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 74 I do not feel that it would be right for me to leave my
workplace now even if it were to my advantage to do sohelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 I do not feel as if I belong to the lsquofamilyrsquo in my organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6 It is as much necessity as desire that keeps me working herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 If I left my job now I would feel guiltyhelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 I do not feel attached to this organization
emotionallyhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 79 I feel that if I left there would be too few options
available to mehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 710 I feel my loyalty to this organization is deservedhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 711 It means a great deal to me personally to belong to
this organizationhelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 712 The lack of available alternatives would be one of
the few negative consequences of leavinghelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 713 Working here does not give me a strong sense of
belonginghelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 714 The fact that leaving would require considerable
personal sacrifice is one of the reasons I continue to work herehelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 I feel that I owe a great deal to this organizationhelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 55 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
SECTION THREE Turnover Intentions Questionnaire The purpose of this part totaling 3 questions is to measure your feelings about leaving PARKnSHOP The following is a list of statements about your feeling on searching for another job Please circle the answer that best describes how you feel (Circle one)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree
Moderately Disagree
Slightly Disagree
Neither Disagree
Nor Agree
Slightly Agree
Moderately Agree
Strongly Agree
1 In the last few months I have thought seriously
about looking for a retailing job at another organization helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 In the last few months I have thought seriously about looking for a non-retailing job helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 Taking everything into consideration I plan to make a serious effort to find a new job within the next year helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- 56 -
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 57 -
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
SECTION FOUR Additional Questions Please give us some additional information to understand more about what you like and dislike in your job and in PARKnSHOP 1 Whatrsquos the best thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
2 Whatrsquos the worst thing about working at PARKnSHOP
U U U
3 How could the thing you mentioned in Q2 be changed or improved
U U U
4 In your opinion what can PARKnSHOP do to increase employeesrsquo morale
U U U
Part-time Employee Retention in PARKnSHOP
- 58 -
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )
SECTION FIVE Background Information Please provide some background information about yourself by filling in the blanks or checking the box that best describes your situation 1 Gender
Female Male 2 Age
16-23 24-31 32-39 40-47 48-55 56 and over
3 Marital status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
4 Education Level
Primary School Form 3 Form 5 Form 7 Diploma Associate Degree and above
5 Number of year(s) working in PARKnSHOP
less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-9 years 10-12 years 13 years or above
6 Average working hours in 1 week
less than 18 hours 19-27 hours 28-36 hours 37-45 hours 46-54 hours more than 54 hours
7 Why do you work as a part-time employee (You may choose more than 1 option) Need to care for relatives (children parents spouse etc) Going to school Transition to retirement Lack of available full-time jobs Earn extra income Stepping stone to full-time work Have more time for other things Desire less responsibility than a previous job I am tied to this geographical area Others (Please specific )