TY  - JOUR
A1  - Korff, Valeska P.
A1  - Balbo, Nicoletta
A1  - Mills, Melinda
A1  - Heyse, Liesbet
A1  - Wittek, Rafael
T1  - The impact of humanitarian context conditions and individual characteristics on aid worker retention
T2  - Disasters : the journal of disaster studies, policy and management
N2  - High employee turnover rates constitute a major challenge to effective aid provision. This study examines how features of humanitarian work and aid workers' individual characteristics affect retention within one humanitarian organisation, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Holland. The study extends existing research by providing new theoretical explanations of employment opportunities and constraints and by engaging in the first large-scale quantitative analysis of aid worker retention. Using a database of field staff (N=1,955), a logistic regression is performed of the likelihood of reenlistment after a first mission. The findings demonstrate that only 40 per cent of employees reenlist for a second mission with MSF Holland, and that workplace location and security situation, age, and gender have no significant effect. Individuals are less likely to reenlist if they returned early from the first mission for a personal reason, are in a relationship, are medical doctors, or if they come from highly developed countries. The paper reflects on the findings in the light of policy.
KW  - aid worker
KW  - humanitarian organisations
KW  - personnel policy
KW  - retention
KW  - staff turnover
Y1  - 2015
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/38802
SN  - 0361-3666
SN  - 1467-7717
VL  - 39
IS  - 3
SP  - 522
EP  - 545
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -