Browse Theses

During times of change, employee engagement is critical for retail organizations to reduce turnover. Inconsistencies with employee engagement practices often occur when organizations handle change (Costakis, 2018). The problem exists because retail managers do not receive specific employee engagement training that provides them with the knowledge to drive engagement as change takes place. The phenomenological design focused on the lived experiences of retail workers to develop an understanding of what it takes to engage employees to improve retainment as organizational changes occur. The research study involved a purposive sample of retail managers, assistant managers, and supervisors with at least three years with the current organization who work at least 35 hours a week. Kahn's (1990) employee engagement theory was an essential conceptual framework for the research study. Kotter's (1996) change management theory was also an important part of the conceptual framework. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the participants based on their lived experiences with employee engagement practices during organizational changes. Moustakas's (1994) modified van Kaam system was used to analyze the data and determine common themes in the study. Two themes emerged from the research study. The first theme was the affirmative treatment of employees and the second was managerial needed soft skills. The findings of the research study may help organizations provide employee engagement training requirements for ODC managers to improve employee retainment during organizational changes.