Work Hard, Play Hard: what happens when the party is over? Analysis of the Impact of a Fun and Liberated Culture on Employee Retention at Odoo.

Employee retention is a significant concern for human resources because it is becoming harder to attract and keep talented workers, especially younger ones who are constantly seeking better opportunities and do not have the same long-term career expectations as previous generations (Racicot, 2019). This is known as the "War for Talent" (Beechler & Woodward, 2009) and is particularly prevalent in the IT sector. This study aims to examine the impact of this corporate culture on Millenials employee retention in the IT sector. To do this, a qualitative research has been conducted: ten interviews with employees allowed us to gather their thoughts on the culture, and their perceptions of management, and to understand what makes them stay and what could potentially make them leave. Additionally, 59 exit interviews have been analyzed to understand the reasons for employees' resignations. The findings show that fun culture has both positive and negative impacts on employee retention. On the positive side, the friendly atmosphere and good relationships with coworkers were identified as important factors in employee retention, and the fun activities and informal relationships fostered at the company were seen as enhancing enjoyment and communication at work. However, the flat structure and limited promotion opportunities were also identified as potential retention challenges, and external job opportunities were a significant reason for employee departures. The results also indicated that pay, benefits, and job satisfaction were important retention factors, and that the individual personality of employees played a role in how they experienced and were impacted by the company culture. Limitations of the study include the exploratory nature of the research and the lack of generalizability of the results. Future research could involve a larger sample size and a more diverse range of companies and industries. To conclude, this research shows that the way employees experience a culture depends on their personality, reactions to the flat structure and limited promotion opportunities, and external job opportunities. Company culture is not the only retention factor, as other factors such as pay, benefits, and job satisfaction also play a role.