Small construction business owners’ strategies to reduce voluntary employee turnover

Voluntary employee turnover has caused considerable damage to small construction businesses, significantly affecting productivity, profitability, and sustainability. Small construction business owners who lack strategies to reduce voluntary employee turnover may lose experience and valuable knowledge among their employees, negatively impacting the team’s ability to perform. Grounded in the job embeddedness theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small construction business owners use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. Participants were four successful small construction business owners in Virginia who successfully implemented strategies that reduced voluntary employee turnover by 75% over 5 years. Data were collected from company documents and semistructured interviews and analyzed using Yin’s five-phase analysis technique. The three themes that emerged were effective human resource management, favorable working conditions, and employee engagement. A key recommendation for small construction business owners is to incorporate a competitive enumeration strategy. The implications for positive social change include the potential to encourage employees to participate in volunteering in local communities’ infrastructure development.