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Colleges and universities across the country are still in the midst of a talent retention crisis. According to a research brief from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), “in the 2022-23 academic year, voluntary turnover for higher ed staff was the highest it has been since CUPA-HR started tracking it in 2017-18.”
CUPA-HR’s 2022 pilot survey on employee retention confirmed that retention was a serious problem in higher education and shed light on the reasons: being overworked, getting underpaid, and failing to receive the remote work opportunities they wanted.
The CUPA-HR 2023 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey, which garnered insight from more than 4,780 higher ed employees from higher ed institutions across the country, found that challenges still remain. More than half (56%) of respondents are at least somewhat likely to seek other employment in the next 12 months. The most acute retention issues were among student affairs professionals, with administration being a close second.
According to the report, age, gender, and race/ethnicity all seem to have correlations with the likelihood of seeking other employment. Men, people of color, and younger employees are more likely to leave their current positions. On the bright side, not all employees are looking to leave the higher ed industry as a whole. Seven in 10 are looking for positions at another college or university, while more than four in 10 are looking to make a move within their current institution.
The most commonly cited reason for seeking new employment was a salary increase (86% of employees), but the next most common was remote work opportunities (44%). Post-pandemic, remote work arrangements have become commonplace for many industries, but higher education is lagging behind. “Although more than two-thirds (68%) of employees strongly agree or agree that most of their job duties could be completed remotely, current work arrangements are most likely to be completely or mostly on-site (66%),” the research brief reads.
The survey results also underscore a disconnect between the work employees are doing and the recognition and other incentives they receive. When it comes to verbal recognition for good work, only 59% of employees said they receive it regularly. Additionally, only 53% said they received a pay increase within the last year, while promotions and bonuses “are even less common.”
Not surprisingly, job satisfaction was the strongest predictor of retention. The report shows that as job satisfaction increases, the likelihood of seeking other employment decreases. CUPA-HR recommends that managers have regular discussions with their employees about factors that affect job satisfaction. “Implementing programs, practices, training, and policies that address these basic job satisfaction tenets will go the furthest in improving your retention efforts,” says the research brief. Other recommendations include continuing to reduce the overwork caused by the pandemic, providing regular and meaningful pay increases, providing more flexible work arrangements, ensuring employee safety and their confidence that leadership will act ethically and responsibly, improving your institution’s parental benefits, and supporting your supervisors in providing all of the above.
For more in-depth findings related to employee retention, reference CUPA-HR’s research brief for the 2023 survey.
