Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Masters of Technology: Public Management, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / Poor quality of work life is a challenge in higher education institutions (HEIs) and it impact negatively on performance, attraction and retention of quality staff. The purpose of the research was to report on the factors that impact on the quality of work life of employees at the University “A”. The findings from this investigation will assist employees and management alike to understand factors that can improve performance and assist University “A” to be an employer of choice to attract, develop and retain suitably qualified employees. The rationale for the study was to investigate and obtain a better understanding of the quality of work life status in University “A”. Higher education institutions face a serious challenge of retaining adequately qualified and competent staff due to regular resignation and termination of employment contracts of employees. This has resulted in a steady backlog of vacant positions and which has a detrimental effect on the quality of teaching and learning. The deficit of staff leads to increased teaching workloads and consequently impacts negatively on the quality of service being offered including teaching and learning. This study is grounded in both quantitative and qualitative research traditions whereby a survey was conducted in the form of a structured questionnaire and in depth-interviews to university employees. The structured questionnaire was analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Scientists version 12 generating the reliability coefficient Alpha of 0.898 indicating the high degree of acceptance and consistent of the results. This study used the probability stratified random sampling whereby 160 structured questionnaires were distributed to both academic and non-academic employees with 142 returned successfully generating the response percentage of 89%. The findings of this research suggested that career advancement was one of the main reasons that were identified to lead to poor quality of work life. Furthermore, another primary concern was job insecurity, employees felt that their jobs are not reliable and secure. It was also noted in the research outcomes that a high proportion of the respondents were generally not well. The study findings suggest that respondents were not involved in decisions that affect them in their area of work and they feel that they are not given a lot of freedom to decide how to do their jobs. The research results indicated that the increase percentage of the respondents disagreed that their employer provides adequate facilities and flexibility for employees to adjust their work with their family time. It was evident from the responses that even though some policies exist, employees were unaware of their application and also the absence of performance management systems. Another prominent finding from the study was that employee expressed that their health and safety of their working conditions should be improved. The findings and results will assist management and employees alike in the practical implementation of quality of work life programmes with the aim of improving the retention of current employees and attracting potential employees. This study will contribute to the body of knowledge as published studies on the quality of work life is scant in higher education institutions. There is minimal research that has been conducted on the QoWL of employees in higher education institutions, and the results from this research could be utilized by management and supervisors, in order to minimize the potential factors that could negatively impact on the QoWL of employees in HEIs.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The study was aimed at assessing factors that compel people to decide on changing employment, benefits of making the change and challenges faced in making the decision. The study is also aimed at helping company managers to be able to identify factors that lead employees to leave organizations and therefore reduce the turnover rate and work towards employee retention. Studies that were conducted highlighted that the world of work shifts all the time and therefore many employers can no longer guarantee life-long employment and regular promotion. This causes employees not longer to feel obliged to remain loyal to one employer throughout their lives. People change careers for a number of reasons, leading to shortage of skills and high turnover rate. The study was conducted in the Ekurhuleni West area of Gauteng in an attempt to determine and quantify factors that compel people to change careers from time to time by conducting a well-planned scientific study based on empirical evidence. The implications of the results are: firstly, managers should be able to identify factors that attract, motivate and retain employees; and secondly employees should make use of career development practitioners so as to make informed decisions and be familiar with broader changes that take place in society from time to time. The study will contribute to the retention of employees, improve production and morale and also reduce expenses and time spent on recruitment, training and socialization of new employees.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / The South African civil engineering profession is facing a crisis. This crisis which has occurred as a result of a diminishing numbers of qualified and experienced technical staff, which is due to an ageing professional population, a very understaffed 30 - 45 year old age group, and a relatively large junior technical staff component. This hour-glass shaped distribution of civil engineering technical staff has made experience and knowledge transfer difficult and extremely important. Civil engineering is a profession where a significant part of an engineer's knowledge is tacit and is gained from practical experience. To gain the necessary experience requires time, and it is in finding this time, amidst an increasingly competitive operating environment and overworked staff, that is becoming a hurdle for the civil engineering profession. The transfer of experience and knowledge needs to be accelerated; however, this requires an energised and motivated staff component. This relates to both those who pass on the knowledge and those that receive the same. This transfer process is time consuming and expensive. A consulting civil engineering company's financial investment in the training of its Generation Y (staff under the age of 30) is thus substantial. Because of this, the retention of these staff members becomes critical for the long term sustainability of the company. This research seeks to determine what motivates the Generation Y staff within Goba Consulting Engineers. Further to this, the research sought to determine what the preferred motivational factors are for the Generation Y staff who work for Goba Consulting Engineers. The objective of the research was for the results to be used as a tool for Goba Consulting Engineers to formulate a human resource policy that would seek to increase the motivation and job satisfaction of its Generation Y staff, and in so doing increase the retention rate of these personnel. Goba Consulting Engineers is a national civil consulting company that has 22 per cent of its staff in the Generation Y category (under the age of 30). These staff members were presented with a questionnaire containing questions about their basic needs, their preferred organisational structure and their preferred motivational factors. The questionnaire was housed on an external internet website and was to be completed electronically, which ensured anonymity of response. Only 37 per cent of the target population completed all the questions contained in the questionnaire. The responses were grouped, as per the research questions. The groups included individuals of different ethnic, administrative, regional and academic qualifications within Goba Consulting Engineers. The grouped responses were tested to determine whether they were statistically representative of the Generation Y staff within Goba Consulting Engineers. The results of the survey showed that the basic needs of the staff across the groupings were the same, with the need for growth being shown to be the most valued and desired. The responses also showed that the type of organisational structure preferred was that of a mechanistic type. The preferred motivational factor results revealed that differences between the groups, and that a strong emphasis was placed on factors that related to an integration of work and home/social/external life and influence. These results indicate that the conventional engineering management approach to motivation and reward may not be valid with respect to the Generation Y staff, and as such it may be prudent for Goba Consulting Engineers to formulate polices that are more applicable to these staff members.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African Air Force (SAAF) is loosing pilots at an alarming rate and if not addressed with a matter of urgency will become the most critical problems facing the Air Force in the future. This study analyses the problem in comparison to other Air Forces, and how airline hiring and lack of Air Force leadership are contributing to the current situation. Employee retention is a problem inherent in most organisations. The study also examines the reasons that motivate employees to leave any organisation and what world-class organisations are doing to reduce employee turnover. This is used as a logical starting point towards finding a long-term solution as to how the Air Force can retain its pilots. This solution includes increasing pay, dealing with quality of life issues and by examining job and career issues. The paper concludes that the implementation of a multi-faceted solution will allow the Air Force and other organisations to retain its essential core of pilots/employees in spite of increased competition from other employers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag (SALM) verloor tans sy vlieëniers teen 'n hewige tempo, en as hierdie toestand nie dadelik en met erns aangespreek word nie, sal dit seer sekerlik die mees kritiese probleem word wat die SALM in die toekoms in die gesig sal staar. Hierdie geskryf staan te doel om die probleem te analiseer vergelyke te trek met ander Lugmagte, asook hoe lugredery aanstellings en die te kort aan Lugmag leierskap die huidige situasie vererger. Werknemer retensie is 'n inherente probleem in meeste organisasies. Hierdie studie ondersoek verder, die redes wat werknemers motiveer om 'n betrokke organisasie te verlaat, asook wat wêreldklas organisasies tans doen om werknemer omset te verminder. Dit word dan as 'n logiese vertrekpunt gebruik om 'n langtermyn oplossing te vind waarmee die SALM sy vlieëniers sal kan behou. Die oplossing sluit in verhoogde en meer kompeterende salaris pakkette, beter hanteering van kwessies met betrekking tot die standaard van lewensgehalte asook die ondersoek na beter werksomstanighede en loopbaan moontlikhede. Die geskryf sluit af met die gevolgtrekking dat slegs die implementering van 'n multi-faset oplossing die SALM, en ander organisasies, in staat sal stel om sy/hulle essensiële kern van vlieëniers/werknemers te behou, ten spyte van verhoogde kompetisie van ander werkgewers.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / The government of South Africa aspires to achieve a six percent economic growth per annum. The scarcity of qualified and experienced people that are crucial in contributing to economic growth and creating job opportunities, poses a problem for the country. The current demand for skills that are out of reach for many workers and the prevailing unemployment that is caused by the mismatch between what an organisation seeks and what a potential candidate can provide, have been highlighted as a critical cause for the scarcity of skills. The aim of this research assignment was to examine the current crisis of the skills shortage in the South African economy, with the focus on the manufacturing sector within the FMCG industry. Semi-structured and open-ended interviews with human resource, training and development, as well as technical managers in manufacturing organisations in Cape Town, South Africa were conducted. Data was obtained from a sample of six managers. According to all respondents interviewed, it takes approximately two to six months to replace an employee who has the appropriate technical skills. All the respondents are concerned with the situation of the technical skills shortage in the country. Consequently, these respondents’ companies engage in a talent war in order to recruit the best talent. It is therefore obvious that the market dynamics of supply and demand are out of equilibrium with regard to technically skilled employees in the manufacturing segment of the South African FMCG industry. The interviews that were conducted identified some companies that train new employees in technical skills. However, the majority of the companies are not doing much to improve the situation. In addition, the companies in this sector also compete with the other industries in the South African and the global economy regarding technical skills.

Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: My study aims to ascertain whether interpersonal staff relationships have a role to play in the healthy development of a school as an organisation. My specific focus is on how educators experience these relationships, and how they impact on the educators' commitment to a particular school. My research design consisted of three case studies. I used a semi-structured questionnaire with each case and at a later date had a group discussion. My analysis of the questionnaires' data provided tentative themes for inclusion and further exploration in the group discussion. The combination of two data production phases resulted in the confirmation and expansion of the data. My study shows that various factors impact on interpersonal staff relationships within a school. These interpersonal staff relationships have a bearing on the continuance, moral and alienative dimensions of commitment, and impact on staff retention and job performance. They also impact directly on the health of the educators. Thus interpersonal staff relationships would seem to have an important role to play in the development of healthy schools. I conclude by acknowledging the limitations of this study, and recommending further research.

Syfte: I en kunskapsintensiv ekonomi blir den talangfulla medarbetaren med sin kompetens och erfarenhet allt viktigare att bibehålla inom företaget, vilket inte alltid kan motiveras med en högre lön. Istället kan organisationskulturen innefatta en central roll i bibehållandet av talangfulla medarbetare. Syftet med studien är att få en djupare förståelse för hur talangfulla medarbetare upplever organisationskulturens påverkan på intentionen om att stanna kvar i organisationen. De forskningsfrågor som studien avser att besvara är:  F1: “Hur upplever de talangfulla medarbetarna att en bibehållande organisationskultur uppkommer?” F2: “Varför upplever de talangfulla medarbetarna att vissa betoningar inom organisationskulturen är av vikt för intentionen om att stanna kvar i organisationen?” Metod: I studien har en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer använts för insamling av empiriska data. För att analysera insamlade data har en tematisk nätverksanalys gjorts. Det empiriska materialet och det analyserade materialet presenteras i separata kapitel med en efterföljande slutdiskussion. Resultat & slutsats: Resultaten från studien visar på att fyra olika grundläggande antaganden: “Tillhörighet”, ”Professionalism”, “Inga hemligheter” och “Frihet” är centrala att betona i en organisationskultur för att bibehålla talangfulla medarbetare. Studien visar även att de grundläggande antagandena verkar som egna teman men att de även har samband sinsemellan då de kan möjliggöra varandra eller verka som motpoler. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien bidrar med utveckling av befintlig teori då frågor om varför och hur en bibehållande organisationskultur kan uppkomma har besvarats. Den medför även ett djup då en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi har använts för att undersöka ett fenomen som tidigare forskare har undersökt kvantitativt. Studien lämnar även ett praktiskt bidrag till företagsledare vars anställda kan ses som talangfulla medarbetare. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: De begränsningar som finns med föreliggande studie är att organisationskulturen och dess påverkan enbart har undersökts i en specifik kontext i ett företag. Framtida forskning rekommenderas därför att utföra samma typ av studie i en annan kontext. Vi har inte kunnat bekräfta de samband som presenteras då de framkom genom analysen och därav bör framtida forskning studera sambanden vidare. / Aim: In a knowledge-intensive economy, talented employees with their skills and experience, are becoming increasingly important in the company, and this can’t always be justified by a higher salary. Instead, organizational culture can play a central role in maintaining talented employees.The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how talented employees experience the influence of organizational culture on the intention to remain in anorganization. One research question that the study intends to answer is: ●F1: "How do talented employees experience that a retaining organizational culture occur?" ●F2: "Why do the talented employees feel that some emphasis in the organizational culture is important for the intention of staying in the organization?" Method: In this study, a qualitative method of semistructured interviews has been used to collect empirical data. To analyze collected data, a thematic network analysis has been made. The empirical material and the analyzed material are presented in separate chapters with an accompanying enddiscussion. Result & Conclusions: The results from this study show that four basic assumptions: "Affiliation", “Professionalism”, "No Secrets," and "Freedom" are central to emphasizing in an organizational culture to maintain talented employees. The study also shows that the basic assumptions appear as their own themes, but that they also relate to each other as they can enable each other or act as counterparts. Contribution of the thesis: The study contributes to the development of existing theory, as questions about why and how a retaining organizational culture can occur has been answered. It also implies a depth when a qualitative research strategy has been used to investigate a phenomenon that former researchers have quantitatively investigated. The study also provides a practical contribution to business executives whose employees can be seen as talented employees. Suggestions for future research: The limitations of this study are that organizational culture has only been investigated in a specific context of a company. Future research is recommended to carry out the same type of study in a different industry than the IT industry. We have not been able to confirm the relationships presented when they emerged through the analysis, and future research should further study the relationships.

"Hur arbetar organisationers ledning med att behålla sina medarbetare? -Vad har motivationsfaktorer för betydelse?" Idag har många organisationer hög personalomsättning vilket oftast ses som ett problem. När en organisation har lagt ner tid och resurser på rekrytering så krävs det fortfarande arbete kring personalfrågor. För att behålla medarbetare inom organisationer, för att inte bli av med dem, så krävs ytterligare arbete vilket organisationer bör vara medvetna om. Syftet med den här studien är att ta reda på ledningens arbete kring motivation för att behålla befintliga medarbetare. Studien ämnar till att ta reda på hur de motiverar medarbetare för att ge en ökad arbetstillfredsställelse och därmed få medarbetare att inte vilja lämna organisationen. För att kunna uppnå syftet med studien har vi med en kvalitativ metod genomfört fem djupgående intervjuer. Dessa intervjuer har gjorts på personer med en ledningsposition inom finans och försäkringsbranschen. Empirin visar de olika ledarnas arbetssätt gällande rekrytering och hur de själva motivera individer. Alla respondenter har fått möjligheten att med egna ord själva berätta vad som är motivation för dom. Empirin visar även vilka belöningssystem dessa organisationer har och vad ledningen anser dessa har för effekt. Bland annat resonerar tidigare forskning kring personalomsättningskostnader samt vad som krävs för att behålla befintliga medarbetare inom organisationen. Tidigare forskning visar även att det råder delade meningar om vad motivation är, hur det uppfylls och vem som bär ansvaret för att upprätthålla motivation. Resultatet visar att det finns specifika motivationsfaktorer som kan vara avgörande för om medarbetare stannar eller väljer att avsluta sin tjänst. Rekrytering visar sig också spela roll vid arbetet kring att behålla medarbetare. / "How does organizational management keep their employees?" -Of what significance are motivational factors? Today, many organizations have high employee turnover which is often seen as a problem. When an organization has invested time and resources in recruitment, it still requires work on personnel matters. In order to retain employees within organizations further work is needed which organizations should be aware of. The purpose of this study is to find out how the management work with motivation as a factor to keep existing employees. The study aims to find out how they motivate employees to give greater job satisfaction and thus get people not wanting to leave the organization. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, we have with a qualitative approach conducted five in-depth interviews. The respondents of these interviews did all have a leadership position in the financial or insurance business. The empirical data shows how the various leaders complete their recruitments and how they motivate individuals. All respondents got the opportunity to, with their own words, describe what motivation is for them. The empirical data also shows which reward systems these organizations use and what kind of effect it has. Earlier research shows what kind of employee costs there are and what it takes to retain existing employees within the organization. Previous research also shows that there is a disagreement between authors about what motivation is, how it is fulfilled and whom that is responsible for maintaining motivation. The result shows that there are specific motivational factors that can determine whether employees stay or choose to give their notice. Recruitment is also shown to be significant in the work on retaining employees.

Thesis (MTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / As the worldwide demand for quality higher education seems to be increasing, growing concern for the foreseeable future over the supply and talent retention of researchers and academics has become a major discussion amongst higher education institutions in South Africa Higher Education South Africa (HESA, 2014). Today almost half of South Africa’s population is under 25 years old and 30 percent are under 15 years old (World Bank, 2015:38). While the country is experiencing this demographic window of opportunity, the majority of academics are entering the retirement phase of their careers (HESA, 2014). Under such circumstances, these academic staff will need to be replaced with talented employees thus alerting scholars to investigate the issue. To reach target levels of education and skills development which will promote growth and development of the economy, it will be essential for the country to attract talented academic staff (Zuma, 2014). It is essential for South Africa to attract academic staff in order to enable government to reach target levels of education and skills development which will promote growth and development of the economy (Zuma, 2014). Retaining academic staff will further ensure that tertiary institutions accomplish their visions and missions and thereby becoming centres of excellence (Ng’ethe, Iravo and Namusonge, 2012). In a study by Currie (2006:119) it was found that the financial costs associated in losing experienced academic staff makes it necessary to retain them. Currently, there appears to be limited research studies on talent attraction and retention factors in higher learning institutions. Previous scholars that have attempted to research into talent management components in higher education (Theron, Barkhuizen and du Plesis, 2014) only focused on factors in academic turnover and retention factors while some scholars only researched on intention to quit factors amongst Generation Y academics in higher education (Robyn and du Preez, 2013). The talent management domain is not receiving enough attention and gaps in research seem to exist in the context of talent management system in higher learning institutions. The research focused on the emerging trends relating in the discipline of talent management specifically on talent attraction and retention which have become predominant topics in the higher education. The study provides comprehensive overview of challenges and obstacles that are found in the aspect of talent management within the higher education sector. It is against this background that the primary aim of the researcher was to introduce a framework model to attract and retain talented employees as the means to harness the issue of talent management in the higher education sector.