Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Retention of staff

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN ATTRACTING AND RETAINING RESEARCHERS AT THE HUMAN SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
    (2013-10-08) Letsoalo, Thuli
    The science and technology sector is facing a high shortage of researchers. The National Research and Development Strategy (2002) of the Department of Science and Technology is very clear on the need to increase the number of researchers and ensure that they remain within the system. The attraction and retention of the researchers within the science and technology system is therefore of critical importance The purpose of this study was to analyse diversity management in attracting and retaining the researchers at the Human Sciences Research Council, one of the science councils of the Department of Science and Technology. For purposes of this research, a qualitative method ofresearch was used, in order to provide a clear understanding of the participants’ perspectives and experiences of the research study. The findings are that the main reasons that cause the researchers to leave the HSRC are the authoritative management style, short-term contracts, work pressure and inconsistency in salary determinations. The study recommended that the HSRC should develop diversity management strategy and programmes in order to attract and retain the researchers within the Human Sciences Research Council.
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    Factors influencing the retention of non-executive knowledge workers in the South African banking sector
    (2012-11-21) Singh, Yashmita
    In an ever-increasing complex global workplace, corporate companies are faced with the challenge of retaining those staff which are considered to be vital to ensuring survival of the company as well as providing the company with its competitive advantage. Banks are no exception to this challenge. Whilst there is some literature around talent retention in a South African economy versus an overseas one, little is known about the retention factors in a South African context for retail banks. The factors important for the retention of non-executive knowledge workers within the banking industry in South Africa is explored in this study, as well as whether any differences exist between different demographic groups. This will provide insight into and enable both people managers and executives within the banking industry to implement practices and effective strategies for sustaining long-term competitive advantage. The data for this research was collected via an email questionnaire utilising a Likert scale to obtain ordinal data pertaining to the factors, and some biographical questions to obtain more insight into the demographics of the population. The key findings are as follows: important retention categories for knowledge workers are employee-employer relationships, remuneration, culture and other non-monetary benefits such as flexible working hours. Some of the individual factors are: open communication, recognition from direct supervisor, competitive pay structures, performance related pay, culture of learning and training, career advancements, fair and equitable treatment and technology to do the job. Each factor is of different importance to different demographic groups, for instance, whilst performance related pay is of importance to both males and females, it is higher up on the scale for males than females. Another example is the factor Home Life/Work balance which is stronger for the age group 21-30 than for the others. The questions per factor was based on the literature review with the researcher asking addition questions about factors not included in the research study. These additional factors include special leave for religious holidays (for religions other than Christianity), and loyalty from the institution. Based on the findings of this research, the researcher concludes that although most factors identified from the literature review were important to a South African banking environment as well – the level of importance placed on each was different to an overseas market.
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    SUCCESS FACTORS FOR THE RETENTION OF AFRICAN MANAGERS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR
    (2012-01-23) BROWN, URSULA ELAINE
    Notwithstanding numerous legislative and transformation interventions embarked upon by the South African government to eradicate institutional discrimination and transform the upper echelons of corporate structures, the progress made thus far has been very slow and remains dismal. This study endeavoured to assess the success factors pertaining to the retention of senior African managers in the South African financial services sector context. Specifically, the research identified the success factors enunciated in the literature and then assessed whether or not the application of those success factors contributed to the retention of African managers. The researcher made use of qualitative methods in the form of an in–depth descriptive case analysis and semi-structured in-depth interviews. This study sanctions the findings of national and international research that assert that the absence of strategically aligned, consistent and integrated retention strategies, the lack of awareness creation and insufficient communication around retention management initiatives, the absence of visible implementation, execution and evaluation of retention management initiatives, inconsistent recruitment and selection processes and lack of accountability and responsibility for non-compliance of retention initiatives congruent with employment equity legislation, the absence of sufficient inclusionary networking opportunities, the lack of black mentors; and the internal dilution of the external employment value proposition are some of the major factors which could and do inhibit the retention of African managers. The results suggest that intention and commitment of the top leadership to make retention of African managers a core business imperative will fail if that intention is not supported by visible action and effective employee management practices
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    Bank switching behaviour of employed graduates in South Africa
    (2012-01-20) Moganwa, Jan
    This study looked at factors that determine bank switching behaviour among employed graduates, and their propensity to tell the bank and/or other people about the switching incident. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire sent via email using convenience sampling. 93 responses were analysed and presented using descriptive statistics and the Distribution Fitting Algorithm was used for inferential statistics. The study found bank switching behaviour to be determined by 10 different factors. Of the 10 factors, the major bank switching factors among employed graduates were found to be pricing, denied services, and attraction by competitors. The study also found that 6 out of every 10 employed graduates who make a switching decision tell other people about the switching incident. This potentially extends the impact of switching beyond the relationship between the bank and the customer who has already made a switching decision. Results also show that 3 out of 10 employed graduates who make a bank switching decision tell their bank about the switching incident. Being able to obtain as much information as possible from customers who switch does not only provide an opportunity to re-establish the relationship with the customer who switched, but may also provide information necessary to retain customers who have not yet switched. The results of the study point to a need for banks in South Africa to review service value propositions, acquisition and retention strategies; and customer contact and support strategy; among others
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    FACTORS THAT IMPACT
    (2011-05-17) Mathebula, Jackie
    People are the main source of competitive advantage in business organisations. Good people are hard to find in the labour marketplace and hard to retain after they have been employed. The purpose of this study has been to identify factors that will enhance the ability of organisations to attract and retain managers and professionals in the gold mining industry. The study was conducted within Gold Fields Limited. The data were collected by means of a research questionnaire. Four hundred and fifty-four (454) questionnaires were processed. The data were analysed through descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. The main findings of the research were that there are generic factors that impact on the attraction and retention of managers and professionals. A summary of the research findings has been presented reflecting factors that will assist organisations to become employers of choice and to increase their ability to attract and retain employees. The proposed factors include Organisational issues; Family and work-life balance issues; Performance management, remuneration and benefits issues; Flexible working arrangements; Employee development issues; Employee relationships and human dignity issues; Sustainable development issues; and Transformation and change issues.
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    Perception of factors influencing labour turnover
    (2011-04-15) Horak, James Dirk
    The ongoing war for talent has resulted in many companies focussing more time and effort on retaining their employees, and understanding why they leave so that a successful retention strategy can be developed. Information technology (IT) has become a critical tool in ensuring the success and competitiveness of companies, but as many IT leaders understand, it is the people and not the systems alone that are the key factor. The context of this research is therefore to understand the perceived factors that influence the labour turnover of IT workers in South Africa. A single case study approach was used focussing on the IT developers in a single, large company operating in the financial and insurance services sector. Data was gathered from exit interviews, market information, and face to face interviews with both past and current employees. This data was evaluated against the findings of the literature review. The initial findings of the research indicated four main factors that contributed to the turnover of IT workers, these being promotions and career growth, technology and skills development, financial factors, and management and the working environment. The impact of these factors differed amongst the employees when factors such as gender, race and age were taken into account, indicating that any company focussing on retaining its employees required a deeper understanding of the reasons behind staff turnover
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    Factors that affect the retention of
    (2011-04-13) Gruber, Andrew
    The intense competition for talented individuals has become a global phenomenon brought about by the social transformation of the knowledge age, leaving no organisation unaffected. The skills shortage experienced by knowledge-intense organisations, such as engineering consultancies, is constraining them from meeting their business objectives as they struggle to attract and retain talented individuals. Given this context, this research focuses on understanding retention factors that are important to consulting engineers in an engineering contracting company in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 engineers, three line managers and an HR practitioner in charge of retention in a multinational engineering company operating in South Africa to determine the important retention factors that affect engineers. The findings of the research suggest that engineers are retained by four distinct factors. Two of those are linked to their personal development (career growth and leaning opportunities), one is associated with the intrinsic rewards gained from completing work, and the last is the salary received. Additionally, a rankorder questionnaire was completed by the respondents to confirm the findings obtained in the interviews. The correlation between the two sets of results was high. The findings obtained from the HR representative and managers indicate that the people in charge of retention generally understood the factors that retained their engineering staff, but not fully. Although the findings from this research cannot be generalised to all engineering contracting organisations in South Africa, they do suggest that retaining consulting engineers is a complex phenomenon that management should pay heed to.