Published Paper Details:

Staff retention is one of the major issues faced in the Kerala niche of the private healthcare industry and especially because of the growing workforce mobility and migration of healthcare workers. This paper discusses the role of employee morale in retention of employees in Kerala private hospitals through conceptualization of employee morale as a multidimensional construct of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, leadership support, recognition and rewards, work environment and career development. Quantitative cross-sectional research design was followed and 300 employees working in the selected hospitals (Ernakulam, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram district) in the healthcare profession were sampled to gather primary data. A five-point Likert scale structured questionnaire was used and the results analysed through descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. The results have shown that the moderate level of morale and retention intention was reported by employees. The results of correlation showed that there were a significant number of positive correlations between all dimensions of morale and employee retention (p < 0.01) with the strongest associations between organizational commitment (r = .72), work environment (r = .70), and job satisfaction (r =.68). The results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that, employee morale is a significant predictor of retention with R2 = 0.66. The strongest predictor was the organizational commitment (? = 0.31), then the job satisfaction (? = 0.28), and the work environment (? = 0.27), and the leadership support, recognition and rewards and career development were also statistically significant and had positive effects (p < 0.05). The findings substantiate the fact that psychological attachment, supportive management practices, and positive working conditions are essential predictors of retention in the workforce of the private hospitals. The researchers find that employee morale is a strategic necessity to increase workforce stability, turnover intention, and quality healthcare provision in the business of the Kerala healthcare sector.