employee retainment

Title: Motivations and Barriers for Seasonal Camp Employment
Authors:
- Dan Richmond, University of Utah (dan.richmond@utah.edu)
- Jim Sibthorp, University of Utah (jim.sibthorp@health.utah.edu)
- M. Deborah Bialeschki, American Camp Association (dbialeschki@acacamps.org)
Abstract Overview:
- Seasonal staff retention is a significant challenge for summer camps.
- Understanding motivations to return and reasons for voluntary turnover is crucial for effective management and retention.
- This study analyzed data from 997 returning camp staff across various camp types using surveys consisting of both quantitative and qualitative measures.
- Key Findings:
  - Seven latent constructs identified: Job Impact, Camp Embeddedness, Value Alignment, Staff Development, Management, Job Fit, and Compensation.
  - The strongest motivators for retention are Job Impact and Camp Embeddedness, while Compensation and job fit issues contribute to turnover.

Challenges of Seasonal Employment:
- Seasonal industries, including camps, have high turnover, with over 40% needing replacement annually.
Impact of Turnover:
- Affects financial performance and organizational efficiency, with costs including recruitment, lost knowledge, and lower service quality.
Purpose of Study:
- Understand motivations for returning and reasons for turnover among seasonal camp staff.
Employee Turnover Types:
- Voluntary turnover (employee choice) is more common than involuntary (layoffs).
Factors Affecting Turnover:
- External conditions (job market), organizational factors, and individual employee considerations.

Key Motivators:
- Factors categorized into three areas: external job conditions, organizational factors, and internal employee characteristics.
- Importance of suitable recruitment and selection processes to identify qualified staff.
Significance of Promotions and Training:
- Training and development lead to higher satisfaction and retention rates.

Management Importance:
- Positive relationships with management enhance retention.
Feedback's Role:
- Constructive feedback linked to employee satisfaction and retention.

Engagement Impact:
- Job satisfaction linked to meaningful work and autonomy enhances retention rates.
**Embeddedness Factors: **
- Relationships and community feeling at the organization heavily influence retention.

Gaps Identified:
- Limited research on motivations driving seasonal camp staff retention and turnover.
Study Goals:
- Explore primary drivers of retention from a representative national sample of camp employees.

Survey Details:
- Collected data from 997 respondents from 44 U.S. camps, including different types of camps.

Survey Structure:
- Included a 40-item questionnaire and open-ended questions to analyze motivations for returning and reasons for turnover.

Analysis Techniques:
- Employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the motivation structure.

Identified Factors:
- Job Impact, Camp Embeddedness, Value Alignment, Staff Development, Management, Job Fit, Compensation.
Motivation Items:
- Each of the identified factors has specific items aligning with overall staff motivations.

Mean Scores:
- Job Impact had the highest score among motivation factors, indicating it significantly drives staff's decision to return.

Correlations:
- Positive correlation among motivation subscales indicates interconnected influences on staff retention.

Job Impact Responses:
- Significant responses emphasize making a difference in campers' lives as the main reason for returning.

Embeddedness Overview:
- Relationships and the camp’s environment significantly impact the decision to return, emphasizing feelings of a