Employer branding as a strategy for attracting and retaining faculty in higher education institutions in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

The study investigated into the employer branding as a strategy for attracting and retaining faculty in higher education institutions in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The study had five key objectives, namely: 1.7.1 To investigate employer branding strategies used in attracting qualified academics in HEIs in Durban; to identify the employer branding strategies employed in retaining qualified academics in HEIs in Durban; to determine the challenges faced by HEIs in attracting and retaining qualified academics; to determine the relationship between employer branding and attraction of academics in HEIs in Durban; and to analyse the relationship between employer branding and retention of academics in HEIs in Durban. A descriptive study was conducted to accurately describe the subject matter. Quantitative research method was used to collect and analyse numeric data. The study was located within the School of Management, IT & Governance at UKZN, Westville campus. The sample size of 196 was drawn from the population of the study. Data was collected through structured questionnaire. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (latest version 25) was used to analyse the data. The results of the study showed that the key employer branding strategies which contributed to the attraction of highly qualified academic into UKZN were competitive remuneration (Mean = 3.07), recruitment practices (Mean = 3.01), reputation of the University (Mean = 3.00) and selection practices (Mean = 3.00). Moreover, it was found that the employer branding strategies which helped to retained qualified academics at UKZN included training and development (Mean = 3.03) and respect and recognition (Mean = 3.01). However, career management and development (Mean = 2.94) and employer-employee relationship (Mean = 2.96) had no influence on the retention of academics in the University. In addition, the results of the study indicated that the factors which influenced the attraction and retention of academics in the University were working conditions (Mean = 3.07) and employee morale (Mean = 3.02). However, job satisfaction (Mean = 2.94) had no influence on the attraction and retention of academics in the University. Furthermore, the results of the study showed that there as significant positive relationship between employer branding and attraction of academics in the University at the 1% level of significance.