The relationship between organisational commitment, job satisfaction and employee retention of detectives in the SAPS in the City of Tshwane

Orientation: Findings on the relationship between organisational commitment, job satisfaction, and employee retention have been inconsistent. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between organisational commitment, job satisfaction, and employee retention among detectives in the South African Police Service (SAPS). Motivation for the study: There has been little, if any, research on the relationship between organisational commitment, job satisfaction, and employee retention among SAPS’s detectives and on job satisfaction as a mediating variable in this context. Research approach/design and method: A survey research design, as well as a cross-sectional research design within Positivism, was used in this study. The study followed a quantitative research method. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. Main findings: There was no significant evidence for job satisfaction as a mediator between organisational commitment and employee retention. The results indicated some positive relationships between job satisfaction and organisational commitment as well as between job satisfaction and employee retention. There was no positive relationship between organisational commitment and employee retention. Practical/managerial implications: Should the SAPS management not take note of the relationship that organisational commitment has with job satisfaction, it could harm the way detectives perceive their payment, supervision, co-workers, workload, and communication. Contribution/value-add: New nuances of the relationship between organisational commitment, job satisfaction, and employee retention were discovered.