Research on Strategies for Improving Retention Rates of Research Laboratory Support Staff

Support staff in research laboratories are essential to scientific work; however, turnover rates (median 16.2%) are seen as significant challenges to research continuity and retention of organizational knowledge. The study explores organizational factors that impact retention intention among research laboratory support staff with theoretical perspectives from job embeddedness. A survey study was carried out among 286 research laboratory support staff recruited from 15 research institutions. Multiple regression analysis was employed to assess the predictive values of career development opportunities, leadership support, work recognition, compensation satisfaction, and work environment on retention intention. The results showed that the regression equation accounted for 58.3% of retention intention variability (F = 42.35, p < 0.001). Career development opportunities had the strongest predictive value (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), followed by leadership support (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), work recognition (β = 0.22, p < 0.001), work environment (β = 0.18, p < 0.001), and compensation satisfaction (β = 0.15, p < 0.01). Correlation analysis suggested that there are significant positive relationships (r = 0.38-0.52, p < 0.001) between all organizational factors and retention intention. The empirical evidence highlights that 'career development opportunities' are the most significant factors that need to be addressed to retain research laboratory support staff. Laboratory administrators should focus on making concerted efforts to improve defined research career development opportunities, improve organizational leadership support structures, and implement recognition processes to improve research workforce retention.