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Published on 1 July 2010

Staff turnover in humanitarian agencies is a critical ongoing concern for managers and HR specialists across the sector. Unless managed effectively, persistent and frequent turnover of staff will have significant tangible and intangible costs to a team, a program and an organisation.

In collaboration with People in Aid, the ECB Horn of Africa* consortium completed an assessment of how agencies in the Horn of Africa are presently handling retention and staff engagement issues. The final report ‘Addressing Staff Retention in the Horn of Africa’ is an informative resource, packed with practical tools, techniques and case studies aimed at NGO senior and program managers not only within the region, but also those in other contexts struggling with similar issues.

The report concludes that while some turnover is inevitable and unavoidable much can be done to reduce the attraction of other competing organisations and the impact of operational realities on staff. The Horn of Africa is a context where considerable turnover has been initiated by employers, and there are examples of good practice that can be applied to improve retention before and after change processes. The report argues that talent development, employee engagement, good management and workforce planning are all available options in this regard and that line managers are critical change agents.

This innovative process was initiated during the ECB Phase II launch workshop in Nairobi in March 2009, where three of the four countries that make up the ECB Horn of Africa consortium identified the issue of staff turnover and retention as a considerable challenge. During a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, agency representatives prioritised the need for strategies to attract, develop and retain quality humanitarian staff across all contexts.

Between November and December 2009 a mini survey of country programs was completed by a consultant from People in Aid. The survey looked at the extent to which retention initiatives and strategies outlined in previous research carried out in 2006 (“Understanding and addressing staff turnover in the humanitarian sector”: HPN Network Paper Number 55) were successfully implemented.

A learning event in January 2010 provided an opportunity to share best practice, experience and strategies for enhancing staff retention between multiple agencies and partners. Four key scenarios were examined focusing on structural change, program closure, career progression and the impact of management. Lastly case studies of best practice identified during the learning event were subsequently developed and expanded to provide tangible examples for staff wanting to know and implement more.

The event was attended by 35 participants from 23 agencies including national and international NGOs, UN organisations, and the corporate sector. Representation spanned from Humanitarian Advisors to HR Managers; field based project staff to Regional Directors, all of whom had experienced the challenge of high staff turnover and subsequent interruption to operations.

“The opportunity to come together from different departments and line management levels, and share our different experiences to get solutions and hear others’ success stories was one of the most useful outcomes of this event. I learned a lot about how to go about putting effective measures in place to address program closures and restructuring”. – IAWG member and workshop participant

Ian Vale, the People in Aid consultant hired to undertake the mini survey and the subsequent learning event facilitator, stressed the importance of line managers as one of primary links between successful humanitarian programming and enhanced staff retention:

“Organizations have acknowledged that an organization’s performance is intrinsically tied to its recruitment of staff and their subsequent retention. But it is not easy to address. It is the responsibility of all managers to ensure that staff are not pushed away unnecessarily by poor management and HR practices and that the organization remains competitive to mitigate the attraction of other organizations offers. Today the majority of staff are professionals with career aspirations and expectations, they are mobile and have choices. Organizations must accept they are all part of a competitive market for talent and respond accordingly in the interests of managers, staff and beneficiaries. "

The final report makes a number of recommendations for agencies wanting to improve retention of today’s humanitarian professionals. The findings stimulated further discussion within the ECB consortium agencies to increase the awareness and in turn impact of the report, in order to embed the key knowledge and skills required by individuals and agencies to facilitate improved staff retention.

The ECB Horn of Africa consortium is currently in discussions with People in Aid to expand on the Horn of Africa report to support agency application and development of training modules. This supplementary initiative will equip agencies with strategies, tools and techniques for enhancing retention and addressing staff turnover, with the ultimate goal of improving employee engagement amongst consortia members and agencies in the region.

Download the full report ‘Addressing Staff Retention in the Horn of Africa’. To find out more, contact us at info@ecbproject.org.

For more information on People and Aid or to access their reports, tools and resources, please visit their website at: www.peopleinaid.org

*The ECB Horn of Africa participating countries include Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda.

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