The Effect of Motivation and Employee Well-Being on Employee Retention at the Cirebon Branch of BULOG
Abstract
Employee retention has become a critical issue in public sector organizations due to increasing workforce mobility and organizational restructuring, making it important to understand key factors that influence employees’ wilingness to continue working within an organization. This study investigates the impact of motivation and employee well-being on employee retention at Perum BULOG Cirebon Branch. A quantitative research method with a causal associative design was applied, involving all 66 employees as respondents using a saturated sampling technique. Data were obtained using structured questionnaires and subsequently analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS software. The findings demonstrate that the measurement model satisfies the requirement of convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability, as indicated by acceptable outer loading values, Average Variance Extracted (AVE), Cronbach’s alpha, and composite reliability exceeding the recommended thresholds. Structural model analysis reveals that motivation and employee well-being simultaneously explain 50.5% of the variance in employee retention and demonstrate adequate predictive relevance. Hypothesis testing shows that motivation exerts a positive and significant influence on employee retention, while employee well-being also has a positive and significant effect with a stronger influence. These findings confirm that both motivation and employee well-being are essential determinants in strengthening employee retention within public sector organizations.
Downloads
References
Bandhu, D., Mohan, M. M., Nittala, N. A. P., Jadhav, P., Bhadauria, A., & Saxena, K. K. (2024). Theories of motivation: A comprehensive analysis of human behavior drivers. Acta Psychologica, 244(February), 104177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104177
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (Edisi Ke-2). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://utstat.utoronto.ca/~brunner/oldclass/378f16/readings/CohenPower.pdf
Erfan, M., & Bakri, M. (2025). Analysis of Employee Development Strategies to Improve Skills and Motivation in the Company. Advances in Management & Financial Reporting, 3(3), 729–745. https://doi.org/10.60079/amfr.v3i3.602
Ganguli, R., & Padhy, S. C. (2023). Moderating Effect of Demographic Factors on the Relationship Between Work Motivation and Employee Retention of Gen Z. https://doi.org/10.1177/09711023231197819
Gelencsér, M., Szabó-Szentgróti, G., Kőmüves, Z. S., & Hollósy-Vadász, G. (2023). The Holistic Model of Labour Retention: The Impact of Workplace Wellbeing Factors on Employee Retention. Administrative Sciences, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13050121
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling ( PLS-SEM ) (Edisi Ke-2). SAGE. https://eli.johogo.com/Class/CCU/SEM/_A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling_Hair.pdf
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., & Thiele, K. O. (2017). Mirror, mirror on the wall: a comparative evaluation of composite-based structural equation modeling methods. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(5), 616–632. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-017-0517-x
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Jarden, R. J., Siegert, R. J., Koziol-McLain, J., Bujalka, H., & Sandham, M. H. (2023). Wellbeing measures for workers: a systematic review and methodological quality appraisal. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1053179
Lee, C. C., Lim, H. S., Seo, D. (Josh), & Kwak, D. H. A. (2022). Examining employee retention and motivation: the moderating effect of employee generation. Evidence-Based HRM, 10(4), 385–402. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-05-2021-0101
Lim, M. A. (2024). Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation and Employee Retention: Basis for Proposed Human Resource Management Guidelines. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 5(12), 1125–1133. https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.5.1224.3433
Lundberg, C., Gudmundson, A., & Andersson, T. D. (2009). Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of work motivation tested empirically on seasonal workers in hospitality and tourism. Tourism Management, 30(6), 890–899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2008.12.003
MS, M. Z., Sujatmiko, W., Kembauw, E., Tabun, M. A., Ihwanudin, N., Noekent, V., Suparto, Kristanto, T., Sihombing, L., Mu’ah, Hariyanti, Muftiasa, A., Sushardi, & Nuryati. (2022). Manajemen SDM (Strategi Organisasi Bisnis Modern).
Nathania, J. A., & Wijaya, S. (2024). The Influence of Compensation, Organizational Culture and Motivation on Employee Retention at the Maxx Coffee Tangerang Store. Studi Ilmu Manajemen Dan Organisasi, 5(1), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.35912/simo.v5i1.3027
Pandey, A., Maheshwari, M., & Malik, N. (2025). A systematic literature review on employee well-being: Mapping multi-level antecedents, moderators, mediators and future research agenda. Acta Psychologica, 258(February), 105080. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105080
Purba, S., Triono, Fauzan, R., Gozali, I., Tobari, Febrina, A., Rasmani, R., Hanum, F., Jaya, R. K., Martha, D., Irawan, R., Luturmas, Y., & Setiawan, R. (2023). Manajemen sumberdaya manusia konsep dan teori (D. P. Sari & M. Sari (eds.)). PT Global Eksekutif Teknologi.
Santos, R. S., & Lousã, E. P. (2022). Give Me Five: The Most Important Social Values for Well-Being at Work. Administrative Sciences, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12030101
Sihombing, P. R., Arsani, A. M., Oktaviani, M., Nugraheni, R., Wijaya, L., & Muhammad, I. (2024). Aplikasi Smart PLS 4.0 Untuk Statistisi Pemula. Minhaj Pustaka. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pardomuan-Sihombing/publication/384695683_Aplikasi_SmartPLS_40_untuk_Statistisi_Pemula/links/67046ea8869f1104c6d13966/Aplikasi-SmartPLS-40-untuk-Statistisi-Pemula.pdf?origin=publication_detail&_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uRG93bmxvYWQiLCJwcmV2aW91c1BhZ2UiOiJwdWJsaWNhdGlvbiJ9fQ
Sugiyono. (2014). Metode Penelitian Bisnis (Cetakan-18). Alfabeta.
Syahputra, H., Apriyanto, Mokhamad, T., Dahniar, Sutopo, Anisah, H. U., Iswan, M., Doho, Y. D. B., & Darsana, I. M. (2025). Manajemen Sumber Daya Manusia (P. I. Delianti (ed.)). CV. Literaksi Press.
van der Hulst, T., & Zwaal, W. (2024). Motivation and retention of outsourced employees. Research in Hospitality Management, 14(2), 141–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/22243534.2024.2395710
Vasquez, D. (2014). Employee Retention for Economic Stabilization: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study in the Hospitality Sector. International Journal of Management Economics and Social Sciences, 3(1), 1–17. http://www.ijmess.com
Copyright (c) 2026 Honneyfah Nurrahmat, Agi Syarif Hidayat
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
