Impact of Employment Equity Policies on staff retention
Van Ellewee, P.
P Van Ellewee - Dissertation, 2020 - academia.edu
Summary
Pieter van Ellewee's 2020 research paper, "Impact of Employment Equity Policies on staff retention: The case of the retail industry in Gauteng, South Africa," investigates how employment equity policies influence the ability of companies to retain their workforce. The study focuses specifically on the retail industry within Gauteng, one of South Africa's economically wealthiest provinces and a major retail hub. The core premise is to analyze the effect of employment equity on staff retention and to address concerns regarding unfair discrimination and its consequences on employee turnover. The methodology employed in this study utilized online questionnaires for data collection and analysis, adopting a grounded theory approach. This qualitative method allowed for an in-depth exploration of the perceptions and experiences of employees regarding employment equity implementation and its direct or indirect influence on their decision to remain with their employers. The research highlights the context of the Gauteng retail industry, characterized by a mix of large retail giants and smaller companies, and examines their practices concerning employee treatment and compensation. The findings indicate a strong impact of employment equity on staff retention within these organizations. While retail companies in Gauteng may not exhibit extreme disparity in treatment between top and lower-position employees, a critical issue identified is the lack of decent compensations and safe accommodations for lower-level staff. This deficiency in legitimate facilities is a significant factor contributing to retention challenges. The implication of these findings is that if such "abominable practices" remain unaddressed, the retail sector in Gauteng faces a looming shortage of employees, which could severely hamper its future growth. The paper concludes by strongly recommending that retail companies in Gauteng prioritize providing proper salaries and accommodations to their employees to enhance retention and secure perpetual growth.
Key Findings
- - Employment equity policies exert a strong and significant impact on staff retention within business organizations.
- In the Gauteng retail industry, lower-level employees frequently experience inadequate compensation and lack safe accommodations.
- These insufficient provisions for lower-level staff directly contribute to challenges in retaining employees.
- To ensure staff retention and foster sustained growth, retail companies in Gauteng must provide legitimate facilities, including proper salaries and accommodations.