Exploring Workforce Dynamics: An In-Depth Analysis of Employee Turnover and Retention in the Saudi Arabian Café Sector

Employee turnover is a vital management concern in the hospitality industry. The present study seeks to enrich theoretical and empirical literature by finding employee factors associated with employee turnover and retention in the context of the coffee shop industry. High staff turnover may impose challenges, including hiring and training new staff and losing organisational expertise and cohesiveness. Yet, managers must cater to the policies and procedures they might apply to attract and retain staff. Unfortunately, research on turnover intentions and retention in the hospitality industry, especially coffee shops, is scarce. By investigating the issue qualitatively, our study hopes to bridge this gap. A qualitative semi-structured interviews were used for data collection and analysis. Employees from coffee shops in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia, were recruited and interviewed using five questions from the literature. These interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically, and themes drawn serve as the basis for findings on opinions set by employees in coffee shops on the matter of remaining or leaving their current job. 13 participants employed in coffee shops participated in the study, a thematic analysis of these interviews was conducted, and 12 themes were drawn and discussed. Insight into what makes these employees leave or remain is majorly linked in their opinion to pay and incentives, flexible working hours, employee voice and input, work environment, and interest in coffee being the driving force and key motivator. Therefore, management can pay attention to maintaining a positive working environment, incentivise their employees, allow employee involvement in shaping how the business works, and emphasise their passion for coffee.