Employees are always regarded as an organization's biggest asset because the workforce is a major component of every business. Organizations cannot deliver business results, satisfy organizational goals, or reach their financial targets without personnel. The majority of corporations understand how crucial human resources are to their businesses' success. It is impossible to overstate the importance of employing excellent strategic human resource management techniques, particularly when dealing with a dynamic workforce. Employee replacement costs are high, it might be challenging to locate qualified candidates, and expenditures on training are currently less secure, making employee turnover expensive. This study sought to investigate the relationship between Strategic Human Resource Management practices and employee retention in a Private Commercial Bank in Nairobi County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to determine the effects of recruitment, career management practices, and training on employee retention in the Private Commercial Bank. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design. The target population consisted of all the 198 employees of the Private Commercial Bank. This study used simple random sampling to determine the employees who participated in the study. The sample size was 93 respondents which was determined by the use of the formula developed by Yamane.  The study utilized primary data that was collected by the use of questionnaires that were administered to the employees. The study data was analyzed using descriptive statistics through the use of means and standard deviation. Further, regression analysis was used to test the relationship between the study variables. The results indicated a positive significant correlation between recruitment and employee retention (r = 0. 419, p-value=0.000), significant positive correlation between career management and employee retention (r = 0.230, p-value=0.000) and a significant positive correlation between training and employee retention (r = 0.589, p-value=0.000). The study concluded that employee recruitment was crucial for improving staff retention in the private commercial bank in Kenya. Additionally, the research found a strong correlation between staff recruitment and retention. The study came to the conclusion that career management practices, as a strategic HRM practice, had a substantial impact on improving employee retention in the bank, particularly in light of the fact that workers respond favorably to possibilities for career growth and promotion. The study also came to the conclusion that career management methods and employee retention had a very strong favorable association. The study also came to the conclusion that training, as a strategic HRM practice, was essential to improving employee retention, particularly in light of the idea that when organizations support employees' training, everyone is given a clear understanding of their responsibilities as well as the skills and knowledge required to do their jobs.

The workplace today has become tasking compared to decades ago. Advancement in technology has blurred the boundary between work and leisure. Previous research has shown that for an employee to be effective in the workplace, they must strike a good balance between their job and their life-related roles. This research aimed at investigating the effects of work-life initiatives on employee performance in commercial banks in Nairobi County. Employees in commercial banks are likely to have work-life imbalance because their job is quite demanding and requires long working hours. The specific objectives of this study sought to investigate the effect of leaves, paid time off, flexi-time, and recreational facilities on employee performance. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design. The target population was 121 employees of the 41 commercial banks in Nairobi County. This study used stratified random sampling to determine the employees who participated in the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data for the study. The reliability of the instruments was tested using Cronbach alpha where a score of 0.688 was obtained. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics focused on the means and standard deviations while Pearson’s correlation was used to test the relationship between the study variables. The results indicated that leaves, paid time off, flexi-time, and recreational facilities had a positive correlation with the performance of between 0.2 and 0.4. The study concluded that to improve the existing leave policies, the leave allowance should be paid on time. Proper tracking of paid time off is important to ensure that the cost arising from this initiative is minimized. The paid time off not taken should be treated as overtime and employees compensated for the same. The study recommended the introduction of flexi-time in an organization where it does not exist and the involvement of employees in the formulation of a flexi-time program to make it relevant. The study further recommended the introduction of recreational facilities which employees felt are important to them and would act as a form of intrinsic reward.