An evaluation of the retention and career management policy for senior management in the South African Public Service with specific reference to the Limpopo Province

Abstract

The discipline of Human Resource Management is regarded as one of the fundamental pillars of organisational theory. The employees of an institution are considered to be the most important assets that an institution possesses, primarily because they determine the success or failure of the institution in question. Employee attraction and retention is known to scholars of the discipline as one of the prominent challenges that constantly confront institutions, both public and private. As labour markets become more globalised, the phenomenon of employee mobility surges, which results in these public and private institutions needing to develop and implement measures that would assist them in attracting skilled personnel, whilst also ensuring that they have the ability to retain such personnel. The war for talent continues to grow in the contemporary world as institutions strive to adapt the ever-changing milieu in which they operate. This study examines the underlying factors of career and retention management practices in the Department of Local Government and Housing by virtue of evaluating the Career and Retention Management Policy that the Department has in place as a means of addressing its turnover and retention challenges. Furthermore, the study recommends possible solutions and strategies for improving the current interventionist policy of the Department. The literature study indicated that employee turnover is detrimental to the ability of an institution to deliver goods and services, particularly if dysfunctional turnover occurs. Some of the causes, costs and types of turnover were conceptualised, in addition to the discussions on career and retention management. The study highlighted that the establishment of effective career development and management systems in the workplace is imperative, particularly as employees continuously seek personal and career growth opportunities. The failure to develop such systems may result in employees seeking these opportunities elsewhere, which would consequently deter the Department or any other institution from attaining its goals and objectives. The empirical study of this dissertation investigated possible reasons or factors why senior managers of the Department of Local Government and Housing may want to leave the Department and seek employment elsewhere. In addition to this, an evaluation of the Career and Retention Management Policy would provide a perceptive for assessing the effectiveness of the Policy in terms of its capacity to reduce employee turnover, at the same time ensuring that the Department remains an attractive employer of choice. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to forty senior managers; however twenty-one were completed and returned by the participants. The analysis of the data revealed that the public service has the capability to retain critically skilled employees and that this is not necessarily brought about by the introduction of improved remuneration packages, but rather by placing an emphasis on career development because very often employees in the Department of Local Government and Housing are denied opportunities to climb the career ladder and this results in the Department’s retention ability being challenged. Various gaps within the Policy were identified, predominantly its content, which was described by participants as ambiguous. The study recommends possible solutions and strategies for addressing the challenges that were identified in the analysis. International best practices are utilised as a benchmark for establishing how other institutions have successfully formulated and implemented effective career development and management systems.