Introduction
Employee retention involves actions on the part of managers and administrators to ensure the sustainability of employees in the organization. It creates an environment where employees want to stay and work in the company. For schools there is a problem of high turnover, which leads to a drop in learning effectiveness. It is recommended to make decisions to support the staff based on moral and ethical principles of motivation to solve the high staff turnover.
High Staff Turnover
The occurrence of high turnover in schools arises as a result of external and internal organizational conditions. Current policies in the U.S. regarding the hiring and firing teachers are one of the main aspects that lead to high turnover. High turnover hurts the organization: schools lack academic content, and the number of talented students and teachers drops (Gibbons et al., 2021). Finally, it puts a financial strain on the school and reduces the quality of the teaching.
When identifying the problem of high turnover, the leader is challenged to identify the main reasons for this problem. On the part of the principal, it is necessary to objectively assess what actions by the administration have led to an environment in which teachers have an increased workload and stress, forcing them to leave. Persson et al. (2021) point out that on the part of principals, it is worthwhile to have professional discussions to identify problems that are forcing staff to leave promptly. Persson et al. believe that supportive principles serve as a resource in understanding the social environment of the faculty. Based on this, the first step in the plan would be to assess the appropriateness of the environment for a supportive environment from the administration, including financial motivation.
After identifying the non-supportive factors, the supervisor should pay attention to what the faculty members are starting on. They probably have to cope independently, whereas support and mentoring will allow them to adapt more easily and quickly. Shuls and Flores (2020) point out that a lack of competent leadership affects faculty motivation and willingness to stay in the workplace. Support will also provide staff with an understanding of their job prospects, establish their importance to the team, and create an environment for equal development of their qualities (Al-Suraihi et al., 2021). Consequently, the next step to addressing high turnover is to create support systems for new teachers: mentoring and establishing communication between all departments. It will eliminate the problem of miscommunication in the workplace and identify the organization’s priorities.
The third important step is to identify the stakeholders who will participate in implementing the plan. This role belongs to teachers who have already been able to establish themselves at the school – they will serve as mentors who will directly influence other teachers’ willingness to stay. In addition, the administration staff will create the financial and social conditions to retain teachers (Al-Suraihi et al., 2021). They will have to establish incentive and seniority payments and create a list of services available to new teachers. Finally, the labor unions will establish the labor aspects of the job and make the new staff feel safe.
After identifying all the conditions and participants in a potential action plan, the next step for the supervisor is to work on creating an environment. A prosperous environment is a foundation for retention because it creates every opportunity for personal and career growth for people. Al-Suraihi et al. (2021) note that a positive work environment should include educational training, family-friendly policies, and social elevators. On the part of managers, it is necessary to provide the personnel with such conditions. The prosperous internal policy will not consider and compensate for the load and stress. It will allow the entire staff to be comfortable and control their work. In addition, the administration must ensure that the working conditions will not force the staff to make decisions contrary to ethical and professional values (Al-Suraihi et al., 2021). In particular, attention should be paid to educational work and training school psychologists accordingly. The staff must understand that they are the driving element of the school.
Conclusion
Based on the above, the following conclusions can be drawn on the issue of teacher retention. The problem of high staff turnover is indeed common and is created by stressful working conditions and unfriendly school policies that force staff to leave their new workplace. This is why the principal and administration must assess the internal business environment, which violates teachers’ moral and ethical principles. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that all supportive elements of the social environment are created on the part of the administration. Second, support should be provided to staff as mentoring and communication channels that will allow them to adapt and become accustomed to the new environment. Third, identifying stakeholders is essential because they directly influence how the work environment will be transformed. Finally, the final part of the plan is creating a well-being environment: identifying the policies and resources that will keep teachers comfortable.
References
Al-Suraihi, A. W., Ibrhim, I., Al-Suraihi, A. A., & Samikon, S. A. (2021). Employee turnover: Causes, importance and retention strategies. European Journal of Business Management and Research, 6(3). Web.
Gibbons, S., Scrutinio, S., & Telhaj, S. (2021). Teacher turnover: Effects, mechanisms and organisational responses. Labour Economics, 73. Web.
Persson, R., Leo, U., Arvidsson, I., Nilsson, K., Osterberg, K., & Hakansson, C. et al. (2021). Supportive and demanding managerial circumstances and associations with excellent workability: A cross-sectional study of Swedish school principals. BMC Psychology, 9(109). Web.
Shuls, V. L., & Flores, M. J. (2020). Improving teacher retention through support and development. Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 4(1). Web.