Employee retention strategies and organizational citizenship behaviour: Does career development practices matters? Evidence from environmental agencies in Kenya

The main aim of the study was to determine the moderating role of career development practices on the relationship between employee retention strategies and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Theories of Social exchange and Job embeddedness guided the study. A sample of 274 from a population of 935 employees drawn from the three Environmental Agencies within North Rift Region Kenya was randomly selected. The primary data was collected using closed ended questionnaires. Findings from hierarchical regression results indicated that employee involvement and leadership had significant and positive effect on OCB. The study further established that career development practices significantly and positively moderate the relationships between employee involvement and OCB, Leadership and OCB. The study concludes that employee involvement and leadership have a significant and positive effect on OCB which is crucial in the development of both public and private sector organizations and for OCB to thrive, the management should be encouraged to put more emphasis on career development practices. The study recommends that organizations should understand and develop a holistic approach of implementing career development practices and overall employee retention strategies which include employee involvement and leadership which focus on changing the demands of employees for sustained OCB.