| Summary: | The purpose of this study was to determine factors that impacted on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment, as well as to determine the decision making processes applied by engineering professionals when seeking alternative employment. A conceptual model was developed to illustrate the impact of various factors on labour turnover and the decision making processes that could be followed by engineering professionals when seeking alternative employment. The factors impacting on labour turnover were organised into four categories, namely external, internal, expectations and personal trait factors. The theoretical study revealed that employees were more likely to leave their present organisations if they perceived that there was ample opportunity for acceptable alternative employment (Bigliardi, Petroni & Dormio, 2005). Zimmerman (2008) stated that employee turnover was a problem faced by all organisations globally. In their study they mentioned that high labour turnover rates have been associated with decreased customer satisfaction, productivity, future revenue growth and profitability. A sense of instability and frustration can also cause work backlogs and slow productivity. At times employees lose faith in their organisations as more individuals seek alternative employment (Drake International, 2010). When the organisation experiences high turnover, burnout also increases and could possibly lead to stayers also seeking alternative employment. Previous studies contain evidence of an extensive poaching of South African engineering professionals (technologists and engineers) by overseas companies (Du Toit & Roodt, 2009). As a result of this mobility and the lack of significant engineering graduates entering the industry, companies competed for a limited number of engineering professionals. This challenge resulted in a higher labour turnover rate among engineers as the demand for engineering professionals was higher than the supply. The skills shortage of engineering professionals in South Africa was one of the perceived contributing factors impacting engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment. Apart from the shortage of skills there were other factors that impacted on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment. External factors, such as slow recruitment due to the low economy, have been identified as having an impact on labour turnover rates. Bigliardi et al (2005) stated that external factors, also referred to as push factors, such as changes in economic, social and technological conditions,created challenges for retaining engineering professionals. Through developing multivariate models that combine a number of factors contributing to labour turnover and empirically testing these models, researchers have attempted to predict why individuals decide to seek alternative employment (MINTRAC, 2010). The job search process was evaluated and referred to as the process of looking for alternatives to a current job, and the evaluation of those alternatives (Brown, 2009). Various decision making models, including the rational decision making model, Steers and Mowday’s model, image theory and the unfolding path model were studied to provide an understanding of how engineering professionals decided whether to seek alternative employment. Donnell and Quirin (2006) explained two decision making models. These are the image theory and Lee and Mitchell’s unfolding model. According to Zimmerman (2008), the studies carried out did not clearly reflect the impact of individual characteristic factors. An empirical study, by means of a survey and a questionnaire as a data collecting tool, was conducted to determine the factors that impacted on engineering professionals at GIBB to seek alternative employment and the decision making process they applied in seeking alternative employment. This study reflected that personal traits such as openness to new experiences, high levels of competency, the ability to form relationships at work, a general level of commitment, ability to incorporate other people’s views at work and a general positive attitude towards work itself influenced the decision to seek alternative employment. The external, internal, expectancy and personal trait factors that were perceived to be the most influential in impacting on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment were presented in a revised concept model. This model could be valuable for developing retention strategies at GIBB. Future research that could be beneficial to GIBB and the engineering industry was also identified.
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