Lack of HRM in teaching is a costly mistake

TEACHING is a noble profession and is one often highlighted in the media, particular as students recently returned to school for another year.

Most teachers would agree that it is a privilege to play a role in educating our future generations.

Like most industries, the education landscape is also in a constant state of flux, brought on by emerging technologies, societal expectations and perpetual curriculum overhauls.

There is a great need, however, for Human Resource Management (HRM) to be included in the workplace for school teachers.

Regardless of school sector, independent, government, or sectarian, teachers are usually ‘managed’ by the principal.

Generally speaking, principals are long-standing and highly experienced educators who, through hard work and perhaps longevity in their district, transition into a leadership role often with little or no experience in HRM.

Therefore teachers are often being performance managed by principals who haven’t been trained in Human Resources Management, or as is becoming more evident, are being ‘externally managed’ by politicians, the media and public opinion – often those who have little to no experience as a frontline teacher.

All too often, stakeholders publicly question the intellect, knowledge and ability of teachers and compound the issue by suggesting many of society’s problems need to be addressed in schools.

Ask any teacher and they will tell you that as well as teaching, they must now also assume the roles and responsibilities of parent, counsellor, mediator as well as facilitator of student wellbeing.

The Australian HR Institute suggests the ideal benchmark ratio for HR to employee is 1:50. When evaluating the effectiveness of HR to employee ratios, the Society for Human Resource Management, three years ago, ascertained that across a range of organisations, the average number of HR professionals is 2.57. The current ratios for HR professionals to teachers is zero.

Research suggests that intrinsic motivation may be the mediating factor between best HRM practices and employee performance, commitment and turnover intention.

However, with constant pressure from high-stakes external testing, a widely reported overcrowded curriculum and constant criticism of teachers being played out in the media, a principal with limited experience in HRM may be at a loss as to how to keep staff motivated.

Another challenge for principals is the retention of good quality teachers.

While data on attrition of teachers in their first five years is inconclusive, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (2017) suggest a rate of up to 50 per cent. This isn’t good enough.

Contemporary HRM can address this by meeting headon the issues that affect attrition such as perceived lack of support, insufficient recognition and reward, appropriate professional development and employment conditions.