Recent research on iGaming and ICT sectors in Malta has presented some surprising results, author Roshan Mohnani says.
Mohnani, who has just completed her Executive Master of Business Administration with the 2017-2019 cohort at the University of Malta, carried out the study as part of her dissertation.
The study used a qualitative design to understand turnover intention and retention strategies from the point of view of employees as well as industry experts who work closely with both sectors.
The study focused on various ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors that motivate employees, with particular focus on salary as competitive compensation, whether iGaming companies use it to ‘lure in’ employees and whether participants are willing to forego salary in the quest for something higher.
The results confirmed that money does motivate, but only up to a certain level, after which other motivators take priority, substantiating the classical theories of Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation (193) and Herzberg’s Two-factor Motivator-Hygiene Theory (1959), thus offering food for thought to owners of local ICT companies.
The author gained some invaluable insights in the form of do’s and don’ts from both sectors as insider stories, which have not been studied from the point of view of the employee previously.
Employees and industry experts were also interviewed regarding the increased availability of foreign labour in Malta and their perspectives with respect to impact on turnover.
“It was interesting to note that while employees welcomed the positive impact on their personal careers, the experts warned of the negative effects on increased turnover on an organisation’s reputation,” Mohnani says.
“Although the findings of this qualitative research design cannot be generalised to the rest of the local population, these can be considered as ‘voices on the ground’ providing a key takeaway to ICT company owners to shape their own best practices and HR acquisition and retention strategies.”
This paper also contains recommendations for owners of ICT firms based on a study of related literature as well as reports and publications pertaining to the iGaming and ICT sectors in Malta.
The research work was fully funded by the Ministry for Education and Employment’s Tertiary Education Scholarship Scheme.