Pragmatic Measures to Obviate Staff Retention Challenges: A Case Study of Perceptions of Selected Human Resources Personnel in Zimbabwe’s Public and Private Universities

Abstract

This exploration critiqued out pragmatic measures to obviate staff retention challenges faced by purposely sampled Zimbabwe’s two public and two private universities from the Human Resources Personnel perceptions. Two private universities and one public university’s Human Resources personnel were selected by means of stakeholder sampling. Data were generated using open-ended interviews. Data were analysed using NVivo software. The study found out pragmatic measures to obviate staff retention challenges faced by Zimbabwe’s public and private universities called for the need for a concerted approach by all stakeholders in the overall development of the universities if staff retention challenges were to be curtailed. The study’s major conclusion was that engagement of diverse strategic partners is one of the routes to effective staff retention in public and private universities. The study recommends that Government needs to be involved in the funding operations of private universities in the similar manner it does to private schools by paying lecturers’ salaries and giving grants and scholarships because it is the government’s duty to educate its citizens. Further studies in staff retention strategies in universities need to be conducted on a wider scale to establish how universities in the country are managing the retention of their academic staff.

Keywords: Pragmatic Measures to Obviate Staff Retention Measures, Human Resources Personnel, Staff Retention Challenges,