Now hiring: staff members at a college near you.
In scheduled meetings, happy hour chats and informal dinner conversations, a common theme came up again and again at the National Association of Colleges and Universities conference of business officers: colleges are really struggling to recruit and retain. employees.
The conference, which was held outside of Denver, featured several sessions focused on the recruitment challenges of the new era of work shaped by the coronavirus pandemic. Common issues include workers leaving for better wages, increased competition from the corporate sector, remote work demands and strict hiring policies that limit organizations from recruiting and retaining talent even with vacancies.
The Problems
Higher education, like many industries, turned to remote work at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many institutions closed and moved classes online. To see also : The expert group calls for a renewal of the U.S. Public Health System. But most of them returned to the situation before the disaster, the hope of the workers was not.
In higher ed as elsewhere, the traditional office environment has fallen out of favor with many employees. Runaway inflation and rising gas prices have made workers increasingly frustrated with their old ways of doing things, and depending on workers’ job responsibilities, their physical presence may not be necessary.
“One argument I heard recently was ‘I’m driving to work to go to Zoom,'” Gerald Hector, senior vice president for administration and finance at the University of Central Florida, said on a panel.
But allowing employees to work remotely—even if all the work can be done online—is just a start for many colleges. Some officials at the NACUBO meeting cited resistance from senior managers, but legal concerns also fueled the debate.
Eileen Goldgeier, vice president and general counsel at Brown University, wondered if the college would be subject to another state’s jurisdiction if it allowed employees to work there. Goldgeier added that some state laws favor employees, others employers.
State laws can also create additional regulations, and headaches, for employers. For example, some states require weekly wages, homework allowances and mandatory training on topics such as harassment and discrimination, just to name a few.
There is also the question of who is working remotely. Depending on their job duties, some employees can work seamlessly from anywhere without losing their productivity. Others, however, may need to be in the office to meet with students, staff or other departments, providing limited remote work opportunities.
Goldgeier urged colleges to carefully review job descriptions and promises they make to employees. “Are you promising you can work remotely or is this combination forever?” she asked.
Compensation was another topic that came up prominently in NACUBO. According to a live poll conducted during multiple forums, most participants did not feel confident about their institution’s ability to compete for the staff needed in their college—or its talent attraction strategies. Many have named compensation as a clause.
“Salt Lake City is a very urban environment where McDonald’s spends the most on some of our [position] levels,” said Jeff Herring, chief human resources officer at the University of Utah, referring to the salary competition for talent. . private sector.
The solution may seem obvious: raising wages. Yet when participants at one NACUBO conference panel were asked if organizations were changing their compensation strategies to retain workers, the response was anemic, with only a quarter of participants raising their hands.
In addition to the NACUBO debate, a new survey of college officials conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education Group and Huron Consulting Group found candidate pools “shallow and weak” for openings. According to the survey, 78 percent of leaders reported few applications for vacancies in the past year, and 82 percent said they received “few applications from qualified candidates.”
The Solutions
The higher education sector is hardly alone in its struggle to fill jobs. NACUBO analyst Allison Vaillancourt, vice president of the Segal Group, a resource consultancy, pointed out that there are almost twice as many job vacancies in the US economy, at 11. To see also : Not just high-tech: Israel also needs bus drivers and teachers.5 million, as there are unemployed workers— about six million.
Vaillancourt also cited data from the Society for Human Resource Management showing that the average resignation rate for workers between the ages of 30 and 45 was 20 percent higher in 2021 than in 2020, indicating that labor issues are far more prevalent in entry-level positions. access to more experienced positions. .
Citing Pew research from 2021, Vaillancourt noted that the top reasons for employees to leave their jobs are low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected at work, lack of flexible hours and benefits. poor.
Vaillancourt, along with fellow member Helena Rodrigues, vice president and chief of staff at the University of Arizona, pointed out several ways that higher education offers a mix of advantages and disadvantages, which can exclude job seekers. Colleges offer good health insurance, for example, but low wages. Also, strong retirement plans make it easier for workers to save for retirement, but many can’t pay off their student loans even out the door. And few colleges offer debt relief assistance. When participants were asked if their institution offers support for student loan repayment, almost no hands went up.
Another issue Vaillancourt and Rodrigues raised was the glacial pace of higher ed hiring. While the industry is known for thoughtful hiring practices, job seekers often move on by the time the college is ready to increase offerings, they noted. Also, recruitment processes can be unnecessarily complicated for some entry-level positions, requiring candidates to provide resources that the private sector does not ask for, creating immediate barriers to entry. For example, they asked, does a cafeteria worker really need an employer, a cover letter and strong references?
When Vaillancourt and Rodrigues asked participants if hiring practices were affecting their college’s ability to fill jobs, about 75 percent raised their hands.
The debate about remote work, presented from many perspectives, has revealed different approaches and philosophies.
“The question that is always on everyone’s mind is the fact that much of the work in higher education can be done remotely or in a small, flexible way that can be done during non-standard business hours. in an integrated way, or in some cases completely remote—but are our campus communities ready? Rodrigues asked. The answer, she said, is no.
Campus leadership is part of what’s holding remote work back, Rodrigues said. To move forward, colleges must identify employees or departments where remote work is possible. In Arizona, she noted, flexibility is more prevalent among those in non-academic sectors.
Some colleges have looked to the corporate world to learn how to manage remote work for out-of-state employees. For example, UCF documents note that the university “entered into an agreement with Kelly Education that will allow departments (with proper approval) to allow certain types of staff to perform services for UCF residents outside the state.”
In essence, UCF employees in other states are now Kelly Education employees.
Finally, NACUBO speakers urged audience members to think critically about their commitment to the workforce and develop a clear workforce strategy going forward, but also to strengthen their values in discussions about recruitment. and maintaining a talented workforce. Price, after all, is a big selling point for many employees in the higher education sector.
During their panel, Vaillancourt and Rodrigues identified a number of traditional selling points of higher education: job security, mission, work-life balance, benefits and student energy.
“Now, the question we have is, does this still work? Do we believe this to this day, especially considering the last two and a half years of incredible disruption, and the changes—they always change—that Are we still facing respect in the workplace and the workforce? Rodrigues asked.
In a new era, where employees have unprecedented power, colleges that want to keep up with the corporate world can no longer count on individuals whose goal is to stick to higher education, the panelists suggested. They must listen to the needs of employees—and then act.
