The significance of an employee value proposition in the retention of teachers at selected South African private schools

Abstract

For any school management team, the challenge is to find and retain quality teachers -teachers with the skills, knowledge, experience, competencies and values that provide a match for the roles within the organisation. Teachers look around, think about their circumstances, compare options, and then choose to take up or stay in positions based on the best value offered to them, as characterised by the EVP. An attractive EVP will also ensure the commitment and engagement of employees, the result of which would be better retention (Alloush 2017; SABPP 2019).Background: Private schools in South Africa are currently faced with the challenge of retaining a talented pool of teachers. An employee value proposition (EVP) could assist private schools in reducing teaching staff turnover. Aim:The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of an EVP in the retention of teachers at three selected South African private schools. The study thus sought to answer the following question: What is the significance of an EVP in the retention of teachers at three selected South African private schools?Setting: Time and money are spent on the recruitment and development of teachers. High turnover of teachers reduces all staff recruitment and staff development efforts to useless financial expenses.Methods: A qualitative research approach was followed. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from teachers at three different private schools in Johannesburg. Results:The findings showed that most private schools lack a clear and differentiated EVP. Despite their importance, EVPs were often not clearly communicated to staff members and the value of EVPs in the retention of teachers was mostly underestimated. Conclusion:The research highlighted the deficiencies in the EVPs of most schools. It also emphasised the backlog in the retention of teachers caused by a lack of a proper EVP.

The impact of human resource practices on employee retention: A study of three private higher educational institutions in the United Arab Emirates

“…Although Adekoya, Ajonbadi, Okorie and Jimoh (2021) found that there is still need for the reinforcement of HRM regarding the facilitation of work-life balance policies for talent attraction and retention purposes in UAE education sector. This is similar to the findings of Swanepoel and Saurombe (2022) that in the South African context, there deficiencies employee value proposition (EVP), basically an exchange of perceptions of loyalty between employer and employees. The perceptions of loyalty are a two-way process, employees are loyal to retaining their roles as long as they have the perceptions that their employers are equally loyal to the relationship (Yesufu, 2020).…”

The influence of the psychological contract on employee engagement in a South African bank

“… Tomprou et al (2015) note that, unlike a formal contract, a psychological contract represents the intangible mutual beliefs, perceptions and informal obligations between an employer and an employee. Psychological contracts are informally established as an implicit agreement between the employee and the employer on the roles and activities that each party is going to perform without specifically elaborating on the details ( Swanepoel and Saurombe, 2022 ). It is predominantly subjective and dependent on what the employee and the employer believe is acceptable or not ( Rousseau et al, 2018 ).…”

“…The changes in the banking environment have brought a shift in the nature of the employer-employee relationship. Traditionally, the psychological contract has been geared to aspects such as trust, respect and loyalty between the employer and the employee ( Swanepoel and Saurombe, 2022 ). These relational aspects are still important, however, the recent insecure and changing work environment has brought a shift so that we are starting to see transactional exchange becoming more prevalent ( Braganza et al, 2021 ).…”

“…The emotional and cognitive dimensions are briefly explained below. The fulfilment of the psychological contract increases employee engagement, and morale for the job and in the workplace, and decreases turnover intentions ( Swanepoel and Saurombe, 2022 ).…”

“…Breach of the psychological contract may negatively affect the employee’s attitudes and behaviours toward an organisation, leading to a loss of confidence, respect, and possible negative emotional responses ( Abbas and Al Hasnawia, 2020 ). Psychological contracts are integral to helping navigate workplace dynamics because these informal agreements frame all formal transactions ( Swanepoel and Saurombe, 2022 ). Line managers must be mindful of psychological contracts when selecting, training, retaining and promoting employees.…”