Retention in Student Affairs: It’s Not All About the Salaries

Earlier this year in a special edition of the Journal of Education Human Resources higher education researchers focused on “Workplace Well-Being and the Student Affairs,” in which two teams of academics took a deeper dive into the statistics offered in the important 2022 survey of student affairs professionals conducted by the College and University Professional Association of Human Resources (CUPA-HR).

One of the reports, “Retention of Student Affairs Professionals: Compensation, Remote Work, Flexibility, and Advancement Opportunities,” was authored by upper-level administrative staff at CUPA-HR. They were senior survey researcher Jennifer Schneider, who holds a Ph.D. in psychology from North Carolina State University and has worked as a research analyst in planning and effectiveness at Colorado State University, and Jacqueline Bichsel, associate vice president of research for the association and a former senior researcher at Educause. Bichsel holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of Alabama.

What Schneider and Bichsel successfully peel away from the 2022 report is that while the primary reason two-thirds of student affairs professionals were likely looking for work elsewhere is for a salary increase, there is still hope. There are other incentives that can compensate for or replace pay raises in the retention equation. 

In the second piece of research, “Why Not Remote? Campus-Centric HR Policies Impact on Wellness and Retention of Student Affairs Personnel,” a team of seven co-authors from the University of North Carolina–Wilmington and the University of Central Florida provide more evidence that pathways other than payroll do exist for workplace scenarios that can improve retention rates, worker satisfaction, and even employer bottom lines.

Schneider and Bichsel incorporate the social exchange theory framework to structure their work. Here, employee retention and employee climate are determined when employees establish a psychological contract with their employer based on exchanges of costs and rewards. “Employees contribute skills and knowledge and in return receive rewards such as career advancement, compensation, and job security. If the rewards employees receive are in proportion to their contributions, it is more likely that they will choose to stay with their employer,” they note.

Pulling from the overall CUPA-HR survey pool of 3,800 respondents, Schneider and Bichsel used data from 786 student affairs professionals with demographics that included a median age of 40, 69% women, and 80% white. In addition to low salaries serving as the primary incentive for creating low job satisfaction, the researchers identified other primary causes as inflexible policies on remote work, increased work demands, a lack of advancement opportunities, and age.

Providing pay increases whenever possible remains a primary incentive for workplace satisfaction, but the researchers provide a path towards that with recommendations to administer regular climate surveys and to conduct listening sessions to assess staff needs, challenges, and dissatisfaction. Investing in career development, providing initiatives that recognize staff contributions, and ensuring opportunities for career advancement exist are other ways that can improve worker satisfaction without direct pay increases.

When pay increases are on the table, it is important to be prepared with benchmarking data that serves as evidence that employees are being paid competitively compared to others at the institution, at other institutions, and similarly skilled employees outside of higher education. Without providing some incentives—better pay, career development, etc.—asking for increased workloads and demanding more are likely to become catalysts for disenchanted employees.

Finally, examining staffing schedules for flexibility and identifying scheduling misalignments can play a big part in improving workplace climate. “Staggered schedules that allow employees to work from home one day a week may be all that is needed to provide the hybrid type of working arrangement that most student affairs employees desire,” they note. “Asking employees what they want or need in terms of schedule flexibility or remote work can provide localized data to help target these efforts.”

In the CUPA-HR report, researchers note in “Why Not Remote? Campus-Centric HR Policies Impact on Wellness and Retention of Student Affairs Personnel,” 71% of the respondents said they believed most of their work could be performed remotely, and nearly as many, 69% expressed an interest in some type of remote arrangement. This was from a group where 63% were working primarily on-campus. “A misalignment between employees’ preferred work environments and current institutional policies and traditions hinders the transition to modern models of service delivery, contributing to the attrition of student affairs professionals.” 

A desirable work environment, one that promotes an environment of wellness—social/emotional, physical, financial, and intellectual—and supports an inclusive workplace is representative of an organization implementing a successful wellness plan. Other programs mirror those referenced in the earlier report by Schneider and Bichsel, like careers development and advancement opportunities, recognition, and a desirable work environment.

“People are leaving student affairs due to long work hours (and nontraditional hours), heavy workloads, a lack of career advancement opportunities, and pay. Attrition has been problematic for student affairs divisions, leading to time-consuming and costly rehiring, heavier workloads for remaining employees, loss of institutional knowledge, and other inefficiencies,” Schneider and Bichsel note. “Preferences for working in a remote, or hybrid, setting will continue to increase as technology evolves, making the barriers between physical and digital workplaces converge.”

Where Schneider and Bichsel offered increased interactions with staff to determine needs and improving opportunities for advancement, development, and reward, the researchers from UNC–Wilmington and Central Florida provide additional, more nuanced opportunities to promote employee well-being. While those surveyed “were generally satisfied with several traditional benefits at their institutions, including retirement, health insurance, and paid time off,” these researchers did note other opportunities to enhance benefits packages to attract and retain employees included:

• Remote/flexible work schedules
• Enhanced parental leave options
• Childcare/dependent care discounts/subsidies
• Tuition reimbursement
• Direct student loan repayments
• Four-day work week
• Dependent tuition benefits

The team references a collection of studies that found that of the 52% of U.S. companies offering wellness programs, 72% of the employers saw a reduction in health care costs (a six-to-one return on investment) and an approximate 19% reduction in absenteeism.

A holistic approach to employee wellness could significantly impact student affairs professionals’ retention, these researchers find. If higher education institutions expect to preserve a talented workforce, provide a healthy work-life balance, and help alleviate issues related to dependent care and other personal issues, then workplace flexibility should be seen as an important and viable alternative that need not be dependent upon salary increases.