Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine the role that specific elements of psychological contracts play in the turnover of legal assistants working for indigenous legal firms based in Nairobi. The study attempted to answer the following research questions: i. To what extent does job security influence turnover of legal assistants in indigenous legal firms in Nairobi? ii. To what extent does career expectations and opportunity to develop influence turnover of legal assistants in indigenous legal firms in Nairobi? iii. To what extent does involvement and influence in decision making influence turnover of legal assistants in indigenous legal firms in Nairobi? A cross-sectional research design was selected for the study. The population of interest was the 200 legal assistants working in indigenous legal firms operating in Nairobi. A sample of 100 respondents was then drawn using simple random technique. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaires administered to the respondents, who were expected to fill in the questionnaire as per the given guidelines. These questionnaires were then picked after 1 week. The data was analyzed in terms of descriptive statistics such as mean scores, and standard deviations. The findings were then presented in the form of tables and charts. The main finding on job security and job turnover revealed that majority of the legal assistants traded their commitment to their employers with job security; while at the same time their continued stay with the legal firms did not depend on the job security. The research revealed that almost all the legal firms did not have a life time employment policy. The main finding on career expectations and opportunity to develop was that employers offered legal assistants continuity of purpose and progression of skill; and that their retention in their employment was influenced by career growth and opportunities. The other key finding on career expectations and growth opportunities was that most of the legal firms did not have elaborate performance appraisal system. On employee involvement in decision making, the research found out that legal assistants felt that legal firms practiced team work, with their supervisors encouraging and supporting team work. The study also found that the decisions made by legal assistants at their work places affected other departments within their firms; and that most of the firms did not have employee involvement programs (EIP) in place. The study concluded that the high turnover observed in legal firms in Kenya was not as a direct consequence of psychological contract violation as most of the elements of the psychological contract were met by the legal firms. The study recommends that employers need to continuously ensure that job security measures are put in place if their objective is to retain the best staff. Firms wishing to retain their employees should, therefore, provide programs for career development because employees value them. In order to retain the employees, the employers also need to continue involving the legal assistants in the decision making process. The study recommended further studies to be carried out in this area to explore the possible reasons why there was high turnover in legal firms in Kenya.