Background:
September 2018 has been a month to remember with both Lecturers of the University of Technology in Jamaica and those at the prominent Leicester University in England staging strike action; these lecturers are not alone. A surging tide of job dissatisfaction seems to be sweeping the globe. Lecturers at York University in Canada as well as prominent Nigerian Universities have all taken some form of industrial action this year, some lasting for many months. The unavoidable consequence is the deterioration of the quality of education offered to students (Mohammed & Gbenu, 2007). The gravamen of the complaints levelled against University administration surrounds the issues of the inequity of salary, job insecurity, inadequate contractual terms and a plan for compulsory redundancy.
At the University of Technology (UTech), all major Jamaican news outlets reported that Lecturers had staged a sit-in to protest about a longstanding salary adjustment issue that had been agreed in 2015-2017. Nebert Langley, President of UTech Academic Staff Union indicated that the issue had been discussed for eight years prior to the agreement, and despite meetings and promises in 2018 leading up to the strike action, they received no further communication from the Government nor the university management. Another area of the grievance was confirmed by the Minister of Education Senator Reid that funding arrangements for the University of the West Indies Uwi) were different from those for UTech, attempting to rationalize the disparity in salary paid to both sets of Lecturers (Rjrnewsonline.com). This is the premise on which UTech Lecturers are echoing ‘cries for justice’ and to fight for what, they believe is their rights.
We will explore the underlying elements that constitute job satisfaction and the impact in the UTech situation. We will also pursue a solution based approach to the UTech debacle to extract lessons that higher education managers can clear to gradually change the industrial climate from one of chaos and hostility to one of productivity and order.
General principle -Job satisfaction theory:
Whether in higher education or generally, employees desire to have a level of satisfaction on the job. In this regard, job satisfaction theory represents the overarching theoretical principle that affects how employees feel and respond daily in their work environment. Bozeman & Gaughan, (2011) recognize that there is a theory that underpins how employees feel and perform in the work environment. What workers want and need to feel satisfied with the job is something that we can all relate to. In this regard, Bozeman and Gaughan (2011) confirmed that numerous studies indicate that four central elements work together to result in job satisfaction. The four elements listed in order of relevance to this discussion are: firstly, what is perceived to be fair pay; recognition received from supervisors and colleagues; leisure and family time and work autonomy. Within the UTech) scenario, Lecturers staged a sit-in and refused to attend classes because of salary inequity between them and Uwi lecturers. The rationale of the argument is that both groups of lecturers have comparable training and experience relatively yet Uwi continues to enjoy significantly higher compensation. This is the root of the cry for Justice. The source of the dissatisfaction was not just a demand for more pay but that the increase must bring them in alignment with their colleagues and neighbours. It is the fairness of the pay in relative terms that is the issue and not a pay hike by itself (Rynes, Gerhart & Minette, 2004).
The burning issue among Utech staff is that fact that they have identified what they believe to be a glaring inequity. They have assessed the fairness of their salary by comparing their own ratio of input (effort and skills) and outcomes (pay, recognition) to that of lecturers at another University (Uwi). This comparison has caused them to arrive at the conclusion that an inequity exists, but does it? Is a case of comparing apples and bananas?
Let us conduct a comparison. Uwi is a strong research and teaching and institution with institutional accreditation meeting and surpassing all the global indicators of what a higher education institution should be. Also buttressed by which positioned the UWI within the top 5% Best Universities in the world.
UTech, on the other hand, has not ranked and has their primary focus on teaching. Similarly, UTech, currently has program rather than institutional accreditation, while Uwi has enjoyed for the latter for many years. It seems, based on the indicators outlined, that UTech is not on equal footing with Uwi. Without sounding bias, we can balance the competing arguments of staff comparability and compensation by using staff performance and appraisal indicators to determine if, in fact, we are comparing the institutions on the same scale. Notwithstanding these arguments, UTech lecturers are standing up for their rights in the face of glaring inequity and inequality. Advocacy for remedying this inequity has been persistent recently and had culminated in strike action. They have done what international reggae icon Bob Marley suggest to do in these situations of injustice. ‘Now they see the light (What you gonna do?) We gonna stand up for our rights’ (Bob Marley).
Solutions and recommendations:
We will take two approaches when looking at possible short and long-term solutions to this problem. The first approach is a reactive one that discusses immediate steps such as a negotiated settlement agreement which would include a salary adjustment, and job security that an institution like UTech must implement when in the throes of industrial action. The second approach will be proactive in which steps such as proper recruitment and training, performance management and staff motivation can be taken to ensure that staff remains satisfied on the job beginning from the very first day of employment.
Approach 1- (Reactive)
Compensation:
Approach one involves taking immediate steps to stop the industrial action and return Lecturers to work in the shortest possible time. This is with the aim to minimize the fallout for students and soften the negative reflection on the institution that industrial action causes. The issue of compensation is the one that must be immediately addressed. The Government in the case of Utech intervened and made the necessary commitments to align salaries. This agreement had the immediate impact of causing staff to return to work. Arrangements such as incremental increase over months are a possible solution if the immediate budgetary allocation does not allow for an immediate increase. In these circumstances, it is important to make realistic promises and stick with them. We would not want to give staff the impression that every time there is a disagreement, the way to get their desired outcome is to strike. Also, those who participated in the strike action may be fearful because of potential for victimization of those who ‘stood up’ for their rights. It is therefore important in a climate of conciliation that job security is reassured in the short term until performance management and appraisal interventions are made in the medium term in order to prevent a reoccurrence.
Approach 2- Proactive
Recruitment and selection:
At this stage, Managers can seek to appoint staff that they believe reflect the institutions’ objectives and mission. Here, managers can take the time to ensure that the necessary soft skills such as being a team player and wiliness to grow and develop in the organization can be matched with the available pool of applicants. Also, active recruitment may be pursued in order to find the ‘right fit’ for the organization matching skill set and experience with salary. What this means in our context is that we must ensure as managers that we have our fingers on the pulse of our team members and can avert disquiet early and effectively to prevent a spark of dissatisfaction to transform into a firestorm of striking workers.
Training and Development:
Another very important aspect of job satisfaction is ensuring that academic staff continues learning and increasing knowledge. Once this is facilitated by the personnel management, alignment with the overarching institutional human resource strategy which facilitates and supports staff (Webb, 1996)
Staff motivation:
Motivation gives staff a reason to want to perform at their best and excel. Theoretically, Hertzberg’s theory about how to develop positive motivation and avoid demotivation. The two factors that exist are hygiene factors and positive motivation. Hygiene factors cause staff to disengage and encourage negative feelings. Looking at the foregoing examples of industrial action, staff in all of these situations believed, to various degrees, that management was not listening and communication with them. To counterbalance this, managers must focus their attention on motivators such as achievement and recognition. So, Utech, human resource manager must nurture positive motivation such as staff development and minimize the negative or hygiene factors that cause negative motivation and allows seeds of discord and dissatisfaction to germinate and begin to grow
Performance management and appraisal
This approach anticipates and prepares for future staff dissatisfaction and mitigates against it. Performance management is an important tool that personnel managers must continuously utilize in order to reinforce the organizations’ objectives with the staff that are tasked with the responsibility of carrying them out (Armstrong, 2001). In order for Utech or any other higher educational institution to be effective, performance management must be a critical component. In this regard, we must identify standards of performance and understand where our staff is located across the range from poor performance (A) to excellent performance (Z). Utech will, therefore, need to undertake this exercise continually in order to ensure that the institution’s and staff needs are met. The standards formulated by the institution must be communicated. These weaknesses will cause staff to feel disconnected from the institution and this creates a scenario for growing discord.
In conclusion, although academics are well within their rights to strike for what they believe in, the disruptive and negative impact must be prevented from as early as the recruitment stage. Transparency, clear communication and monitoring are the critical tools that must be used to secure, as must as possible, harmony within the work environment.
References:
Armstrong, M.(2001) Changing the Culture; Rewarding and developing staff in Higher Education. Improving Performance Management in Higher Education Conference, Capita, London.
Bozeman, B. & Gaughan, M. (2011) Job Satisfaction. Journal of Higher Education. Retrieved http://web.b.ebscohost.com.rproxy.uwimona.edu.jm/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=3b2158ec-5c4e-4530-bff3-2abd71e763d8%40pdc-v-sessmgr01
McCaffery, P.(2004) The Higher Education Manager’s Handbook. RoutledgeFalmer
Mohammed, M.O. & Gbenu, J.P. (2007) Public Universities on the brink of collapse in Nigeria: private sector participation as a way out.
Rynes, S. L., Gerhart, B., & Minette, K. A. (2004). The importance of pay in employee motivation: Discrepancies between what people say and what they do. Human Resource Management, 43, 381–394. Retrieved from http://www.utm.edu/staff/mikem/documents/Payasamotivator.pdf
UTech Lecturers on sickout (2018, September 11). Rjrnewsonline.
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