Construction professionals' retention practice in construction companies

Professionals' retention is important to ensure competitive advantage of construction companies, however, yet it has not attracted practitioners' due attention, and academic studies on the topic remain scarce. Thus, this study is aimed at assessing professionals' retention practice, the associated challenges and improvement strategies in the context of Ethiopian construction industry. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive analysis was used to evaluate the practice and identify the challenges. The strategies were prioritized using AHP and evaluated against various organizational performance dimensions using TOPSIS. The findings indicate that the practice of construction professionals' retention needs improvement. The identified major challenges pertaining to HRM are poor compensation scheme, lack of clear career growth, lack of recognition, and irrelevant training and development; other challenges associated with the organization's operating environment are poor work conditions, poor manager-professional relationship, job dissatisfaction, lack of autonomy, and ineffective communication. The prioritized strategies to improve the retention are increasing salary, providing fair performance-based compensation, recognition and rewards, constant managers-professionals connection, providing clear career development paths, and creating a healthy work environment. The findings provide actionable insights for construction companies highlighting critical strategies to enhance professionals' retention practice and optimize the associated benefits.