South Africa has been brain drained of nurses and doctors and the Eastern Cape as a Province within South Africa is not an exception. Its rural nature has caused many nurses and doctors loose interest of serving in its facilities. This study sought to describe factors that can influence retention especially of nurses in the rural health facilities of the Eastern Cape Province and develop recommendations for nurse managers on how to retain nurses in rural areas. The major inferences drawn from this study is that nurses are dissatisfied with lack of promotional opportunities, lack of professional support, facing drastic responsibilities but with less income, tremendous workloads, emotional demands and unrealistic salary package. The researcher believes that the nurse managers have a crucial role to play in ensuring nurse retention and the recommendations drawn from this study can contribute in improving the work environment. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The twenty first century has identified knowledge, as opposed to labour, raw materials or capital, as the key resource required by firms. This has created a shift of ownership in relationships between employees and employers since employees own the tools of production through the knowledge they hold (Kinnear & Sutherland, 2000). The employment relationship is undergoing fundamental changes due to international competition, de-regularisation and globalisation which have major implications for attraction, motivation and retention of talented employees (De Vos & Meganck, 2009). Organisations face great challenges and intense competition with almost all strategies being easily replicable by competitors. This has led organisations to begin realising that people are in fact the only real differentiator that can gain the organisation competitive advantage (Munsamy & Bosch Venter, 2009). Turnover of employees costs South Africa millions of rands per annum through decreased productivity, increased accidents and quality problems. Specifically, loss of knowledge workers are identified through costs of hiring and training new employees, loss of institutional knowledge, lower office morale, loss of talent and customer dissatisfaction. It is therefore essential to understand the reasons why employees leave organisations in order to discover how to retain them (Mendes & Stander, 2011; Gaylard, Sutherland & Viedge, 2005). Employee turnover can have several negative consequences. It can be difficult to replace the departed employees and the cost of replacing employees can be exhaustive. Remaining employees can be left feeling demoralised from the loss of valued co-workers and work patterns can be disrupted until replacements are found (Newstrom and Davis, 1997). Bilal, Zia-ur-Rehman, and Raza, (2010) add to this list of negative consequences of turnover as turnover can increase recruitment and training costs, loss of productivity as projects lose continuity, interruption of key activities, increase in mistakes made, or even hiring the wrong person for the position.

University of Fort Hare Human Resource Department reports show evidence relating to high labour turnover. Between 2009 and 2012 there was a high degree of labour turnover. A total 1127 staff left the University. This study investigated the relationship between job satisfaction, organisational commitment and intention to quit among academics and administrative employees at the University of Fort Hare. Data was collected from a random sample of 289 employees of the University staff. To obtain data in this study a questionnaire was utilised. This questionnaire was divided into four sections viz, biographical information, measured ten-items which range from age to condition of employment, Halpern’s (1966) seven-level evaluation scale was utilised to measure job satisfaction, to measure organisational commitment, Meyer, and Allen (1984) 24-item rating point scale was applied and Canmann, Fichman, Jenkins and Klesh’s questionnaire was used to measure intention to quit. Data analysis was performed by way of several statistical techniques, including the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Technique and Multiple Regression analysis. The results obtained revealed that job satisfaction has a significant positive correlation with intention to leave while organisational commitment showed no substantial correlation with intention to quit work.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences: Human Resources Management, Department of Human Resources Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa. 2017. / Higher education institutions are particularly vulnerable to the loss of their highly qualified employees to better rewards and benefits from the private sector and other higher education institutions. Talent retention and employee turnover, therefore, are major concerns for higher education institutions (HEIs). Without well qualified and committed academic staff, no academic institution can really ensure sustainability and quality over the long-term. Owing to the competition for scarce skills, the attraction and retention of quality employees has emerged as the biggest challenge in human capital management, this phenomenon has also arisen in universities of technology. To attract and retain employees, organisations need novel reward systems that satisfy them. Employee rewards are an important component in exchange of employee contribution. It is generally accepted that employee rewards plays a significant role to attract, motivate, satisfy, retain and maintain commitment among employees in any organisation while ensuring a high standard of performance and workforce stability. Essentially, it is understood that reward systems in higher education institutions are at fault because they do not provide individuals with rewards that they value. The overall outcome of the study is to benefit employees, rewards practitioners and institutions by attracting and retaining talented employees. The study focuses on the academic staff at two universities of technology, namely, Central University of Technology and Tshwane University of Technology. A quantitative research approach was employed with a semi-structured questionnaire comprising a 5 Point Likert Scale to determine the influence of employee rewards on job satisfaction and organisational commitment among academic staff at universities of technology. The target population for the present study comprises all academic staff at Central University of Technology and Tshwane University of Technology (from level of lecturers, senior lecturers, head of departments and professors). The target population for this research was obtained from the Human Resources Management Department at both universities of technology. The source list indicates that both UOTs equated to staff of 1 089 (CUT = 296; TUT = 820). A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 279 sample respondents of academic staff. Data obtained from 225 respondents and 8 uncompleted questionnaires yielded a response rate of 78%. Systematic sampling was used to select target respondents, nth element was drawn on every 4th element for the entire sample. The data collected from the responses were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and AMOS, version 24.0 for Windows. Three main data analysis techniques are employed: descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). Two models are employed in CFA to test dimensional structure of employee rewards. These include a model that allows all factors to be freely correlated, a proposed model was tested for correlation and a structural model. All factors are correlated because they measure one higher order factor, where all indicators test if they measure only one construct. The results of CFA provide solid statistical evidence that affirm relationship among constructs. However, some factors do not converge towards the job satisfaction construct in a South African context. Work-life balance and fringe benefits provided a negative correlation to job satisfaction. A significant statistical relationship is seen between employee rewards, job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The SEM results affirm that compensation, performance management, recognition, talent development and career opportunities have a positive and significant influence on job satisfaction. Job satisfaction has a significant effect on organisational commitment while total rewards components performance management, recognition, talent development and career opportunities has a positive and significant impact on organisational commitment. However, employee rewards have a significant effect on job satisfaction and organisational commitment. These results, therefore, can aid remuneration specialists in higher education institutions with specific reference to universities of technology to implement these total rewards components in order to affect job satisfaction while ensuring organisational commitment among academic staff. This study would benefit if these models are tested with an alternative data set. The research also suffered from a limitation common to survey research and SEM. Due to time and money constraints, it is a cross sectional sample at one specific point in time. As a result, while causal relationships can be inferred, they cannot be generalised towards other universities of technology in South Africa. / D

This research paper is broken up into three sections, namely an evaluation report, a literature review and a description of the research methodology. The evaluation report section is an assessment of the factors that could contribute to staff leaving the organisation and why staff would choose to remain with the organisation. The Distribution Division of Eskom is divided into nine separate Operating Units (OU's), in line with the nine Provinces. According to an Eskom Human Resource Manager (Mjali, 2013), as at March 2012 there were 2231 employees in the Easter Cape Operating Unit, while the staff turnover for the same period was 4.53%. Of the 101 staff that had resigned for the period 01 April 2011 to 31 March 2012, there were 27 transfers, 26 resignations and 30 retirements. The balance of 18 staff that left was due to dismissals and deaths. While the statistics suggest a healthy level of staff turnover at present, given the current pressures that Eskom employees are under, it is important to investigate their future intentions and to see what Eskom can do to continue to retain their services. The literature relating to staff turnover and retention was examined to determine the meaning of the terms retention and turnover and to review the relevant turnover topics that were emerging from the exit interview data. The research conducted was quantitative in nature, and a questionnaire was distributed to all managerial staff within the Eastern Cape Operating Unit of Eskom. The questionnaire was sent electronically to the participants via email with the link to the questionnaire. Participants were requested to respond on questions relating to factors on turnover and retention, and the responses were used to assess employee's intention to either remain with the organisation or to leave. The feedback received was analysed with the use of data analysis in Microsoft Excel (2010). The results of the research showed that there were two distinct themes related to employees' intention to remain with the organisation, namely job satisfaction and career development. On the other end of the scale, themes which would cause staff to want to leave the organisation were the performance management system of the organisation, not being listened to (i.e. to the ideas and views of staff) and leadership (i.e. the way the organisation was being led). Recommendations are made to management. The study also recommends future research that can be done to get greater insight into factors relating to staff turnover and retention. A detailed review of the literature is included in Section two of the report. Only essential components of the literature are included in Section one of report. Section three of the report provided a detailed description of the research design and the research procedure that was followed.

Submitted in full compliance with the requirements for the Degree of Master Management Sciences: Human Resource Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / This study focused on an investigation into talent management and employee retention in the higher education sector of South Africa- a case study of the Durban University of Technology. Since the end of apartheid, South African higher education has been through many challenges, including how to attract, managing and retain a new breed of academics who will be able to assist in the development of a new transformed society. According to a report presented by Higher Education South Africa (2009:7), higher education institutions are facing a real crisis regarding their ability to attract and retain academic staff of a suitable calibre. This has led to the steady loss of academic expertise and the loss of senior and more experienced academic staff, thereby setting higher education Institutions back in terms of research output (Mapesela and Strydom 2004: 2). The concern is that there are insufficient numbers, particularly amongst Black African academics in the existing academic and postgraduate pipelines to replace them (Higher Education South Africa 2011:1). Consequently, talent management is becoming a central management challenge as it becomes more difficult to retain key and competent academic staff (Barkhuizen Roodt and Schutte 2014: 141). If attention is not paid to this issue, in the years to come the quality of graduates and the research outputs of universities will be severely debilitated (Badat 2009:12). The main aim of this study was to investigate how talent management and employee retention is addressed at the Durban University of Technology strategically, as well as the processes and practices that underpin such strategies. The quantitative research design was adopted and data was collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire. This study was conducted at the Durban University of Technology with a sample of 65 academic staff, including senior academic staff like professors, lecturers and junior lecturers. The target population was grouped into different strata and the sample elements were selected from each group. Findings from the study revealed that talent management is not a strategic element and it is not fully implemented in the higher education sector. Recommendations were made on the review of talent management practices of academic staff in the higher education sector. This study established that there were some elements of talent management principles and practices in place at the University. However, these were often the traditional functions for example recruitment, selection, training and development. It was evident that there needed to be a strategic focus on the entire talent management process. There also needed to be a lot more holistic approach with greater attention being paid to the process from the time academic staff are recruited through to the process of the development of their careers. Retention is another facet that should be focused on, especially in respect of up and coming Black academics as this is in its infancy. / M

The retention of knowledge workers has become an increasing challenge both locally and internationally. This study focusses on the factors contributing to the retention of knowledge workers at an Industrial Development Zone in the Eastern Cape. The aim of the study was to investigate the factors that would facilitate the retention of knowledge workers in the IDZ. This was explored through the employee value proposition framework which includes affiliation, career development, work content, compensation, company benefits, work-life balance and performance and recognition. The sample consisted of 30 employees from the IDZ from all business units. Three categories of employee levels were selected namely the executive managers, managers and specialists and professionals. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data which was gathered through semi-structured interviews. The literature reviewed explored the various retention strategies used by organisations. From the literature review it is realised that employee retention strategies vary from one organisation to another. In most cases they are very similar. Although this is the case, not all strategies will work for all organisations, each organisation requires preferred and unique strategies for its employees. The findings indicate that the majority of employees were satisfied with the employee value proposition dimensions in the organisation. The exceptional areas of satisfaction were retirement benefits, career development, performance recognition, relationships with colleagues, health benefits, relationships with direct manager or supervisor and relationships generally within the organisation. Areas of dissatisfaction were also raised on long service incentives, autonomy to do work, relationships with other business units and the performance review process. In order to retain employees at the IDZ, it is recommended that the organisation should focus on enhancing long service incentives. It is also recommended that employees should be given greater autonomy to do their work. Relationships with business units also need to be strengthened. Work-life balance of employees and performance review process also need to be revised.

M.Cur. (Nursing Education) / There is a shortage of nurses in the country and worldwide, and the problem is compounded by the resignation of nurse educators. These nurse educators leave with their expertise and skills, thus compromising the provision of quality teaching and learning. Despite the mandate by the Gauteng Department of Health to increase the student nurse intake by 25% each year, there are currently no retention strategies for nurse educators who may want to resign from a Johannesburg nursing college. It is thus imperative that a study to determine the factors leading to the resignation of nurse educators be conducted. The following research questions gave direction to the research study:  What are the factors that lead nurse educators to resign from a nursing college in Johannesburg?  What can be done to retain nurse educators at a nursing college in Johannesburg? The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the factors that led to the resignation of nurse educators at a Johannesburg nursing college and to describe strategies to retain them. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used to provide an in-depth description of factors leading to nurse educators resigning from a Johannesburg nursing college. A purposive sampling method was used. When the sample was insufficient, snowball sampling was also used to identify other nurse educators who have resigned from the nursing college under study within the specified period between year 2000 to 2008. Fifteen (15) voluntarily agreed to take part in the study after they were invited. A pilot study was conducted with one (1) participant, who has resigned but was not involved in the actual research, and it assisted in determining the feasibility of the research question. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to gather information from the nurse educators who resigned from the nursing college in question. The responses from the nurse educators were recorded on an audiotape recorder and field notes with the permission of the participants. An open coding, qualitative data analysis method was used. Trustworthiness was accomplished using the strategies as outlined by Lincoln & Guba (1985: 301–328). Ethical standards for nurse researchers were adhered to as outlined by DENOSA (in Brink et al., 2012: 48–51). The results of the data analysis that emerged were three (3) main categories, seven (7) subcategories and their related themes. The findings on factors leading to nurse educators resigning from a Johannesburg nursing college included factors related to management of the nursing college; emotional and attitudinal factors; and factors related to cultural diversity. Through conceptualisation, the themes identified from the research were supported or refuted by the relevant existing literature and interpreted by the researcher. Conclusions drawn from the conceptualization formed the basis for the description of strategies to retain nurse educators at a Johannesburg nursing college. The strategies identified through conceptualization were described in order to assist the nursing college under study to retain its nurse educators. It is recommended that the strategies be implemented in nursing education, management and research.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The Limpopo College of nursing had a high vacancy rate of nurse educators. in 2014 only 74 posts out of 147 were filled. The purpose of the study was to identify challenges in recruiting and retaining nurse educators and recommend strategies to deal with the challenges. The qualitative approach was found suitable as the study intended to explore nurse educators‟ experiences and the meaning they attach to recruitment and retention. Nurse educators who have been at the campuses for a period of five years or more were the target population; purposive convenience sampling was used. Thirteen (n=13) nurse educators were interviewed in focus groups, individual interviews were conducted with ten (n=10) heads of department (HOD‟S). Thematic data analysis was used. The findings revealed that to recruit and retain nurse educators; salaries improvement, advertisement of vacated posts, proper physical infrastructure maintenance and adequate equipment provision are the strategies to implement.

MCOM / Department of Human Resource Management and Labour Relations / This study sought to determine the influence of retention factors on employee organisational commitment at a higher education institution in South Africa. The study follows a quantitative methodology in which self- administered questionnaires were used to collect data from a stratified random sample of 274 participants. The strata were grouped as academic and nonacademic staff. Participants were then randomly selected from each stratum. Using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23, both descriptive and inferential statistics including correlation and regression analyses were conducted to determine relationships between retention factors and employee organisational commitment variables. The Retention Factor Scale was used to collect data on retention factors and Organisational Commitment Questionnaire was used to collect data on employee organisational commitment. The findings indicated that job characteristics, supervisor support, career development and work-life balance are significantly related to employee organisational commitment. Furthermore, the results revealed that of the six retention factors, career development was the most significant factor which had an impact on employee organisational commitment. The study concludes that retention factors and their impact may differ based on different institutions, therefore, it is recommended that every institution should figure out the retention factors which have the most impact on their employees and find ways to improve employee organisational commitment.