High retention of employees has been identified as one of the prerequisites for a consistent development and accomplishment of organizational goals. However, it has been established that employee motivation influences employee retention. Primary aim of this study was to investigate motivation and retention of employees at the Bagabaga College of Education. A sample size of 50 respondents comprising both teaching and non-teaching staff was purposively selected. Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics. The study found that the most important motivational packages available are salary, promotional opportunities, work environment and security. Amongst these motivational packages, salaries were found to have the greatest effect on retention. The study also found that that there were gender differences in the perception of motivational packages where the male employees valued financial rewards, salaries and promotions, while the female employees were more motivated by security, work relation and work environment. It is therefore recommended that the government should migrate all the staff from the GES payroll to the Tertiary Payroll.
Keywords: Employee Retention, Motivation, Motivational Strategies, Promotion Opportunities, Salaries, Turnover
