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    Why do they stay? : an analysis of factors influencing retention of international school teachers : a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Ritter, Alicia Ann
    The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting international teachers’ decisions to stay in or leave their international schools. The research questions for the study answered what individual characteristics of teachers impacted retention, how cultural distance, length of time it took to settle in, and school support affected retention, and what guided teachers to remain in their locations. The participants were 100 international teachers in ten schools across four countries. The teachers ranged from younger to older and from newly experienced to more seasoned international teachers who had been working in international schools for a long period of time. The researcher interviewed each teacher personally and used a grounded theory approach to the collection and analysis of data, coding data into themes related to the research questions. The results of the analysis suggested that the most important reasons for staying in an international school were for personal reasons, including for partners or family, age, quality of life, right ‘fit’, and level of happiness. The second most important reasons for staying in a job included professional reasons such as for the school’s philosophy, vision, administration, and for professional opportunities within the school. The third most important reason for remaining in a job was for the salary and benefits. International teachers who made an effort to get involved in their locations seemed to adjust better. The extent to which international adaptations were positive or negative varied depending on the country. The value of the present study was that the interviews gave a personal insight into the experiences of these teachers, the challenges they faced in working and adapting to new cultures, languages, and in different school settings around the world, and how these experiences impacted retention in international schools.
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    A two part story : the impact of a culturally responsive working environment on wellbeing; and the job attitudes and factors of retention for indigenous employees : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Human Resource Management at Massey University, Turitea campus, Aotearoa-New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Hooker, Raiha Rachael Joy
    The purpose of this research is twofold. (1) to highlight the influence a culturally responsive working environment has on Maori employees in New Zealand/Aotearoa and how this culturally-based environment can influence the wellbeing of employees; and (2) investigates how support from their supervisor and employee satisfaction with multiple work factors influences their job attitudes, job search behaviours and related factors in their intention to quit that organisation. A particular focus is on how having support for cultural values such as whanaungatanga (reciprocal relationships), manaakitanga (respect, prestige, status), and mauri (life principle, essential quality and vitality of a being) impacts Maori employees’ mental health and cultural wellbeing. An online survey was sent to a wide network of working Maori requesting consideration, as well as asking participants to forward the survey on to their own contacts. Data was collected in two waves with a second survey sent a week or two after the first survey was completed. Overall 113 participants completed both surveys (matching survey one and two responses). Results of this study suggests that support from the supervisor help form an organisational culture that in turn creates a culturally responsive working environment, which then has a beneficial influence on the mental health and cultural wellbeing of Maori employees. Additionally, support from the supervisor was found to be positively related to all four satisfaction dimensions (supervisor, co-worker, job and pay) which in turn related to search behaviours and ultimately intentions to leave their organisation. Ultimately, supervisor and job satisfaction were found to be key predictors of turnover intentions.
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    The impact of the psychological contract on intention to leave in the Royal New Zealand Navy : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Business Studies (Management) at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2012) Bakewell, Layamon John
    Over the last two years, the New Zealand Public Sector has experienced significant organisational change. In particular, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has instigated a number of reform programmes, most recently the Civilianisation Project. The aim of the Civilianisation Project was to analyse the workforce and identify jobs that were no longer required to be filled by people wearing a uniform. On 28 June 2011, 308 people from the NZDF were informed that they would be released from the service. Since this time, morale and satisfaction are at the lowest point recorded in the last eight years. This has had a dramatic effect on attrition, and since July 2011, NZDF personnel numbers have decreased by 1015 people (a decrease of 10.6%), and at the same time the attrition rate has increased from 10.7% to 21.3% per annum. The present study sought to examine the employment relationship in the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) utilising the framework of the psychological contract - the system of beliefs and perceptions of obligations between an employee and employer. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between relational/transactional orientation of the psychological contract and intention to leave the organisation. The mediating role of affective commitment in employment relations was also examined. Data was collected from 619 members of the RNZN in a cross-sectional survey. Hypothesis testing was carried out using structural equation modelling. Analysis confirmed that relational contracts have a strong and significant direct impact on intention to leave (γ = -.752, ρ = .000, β = -.446). The model also supported the path between transactional contracts and affective commitment, demonstrating a particularly strong linkage (γ = -.719, ρ = .000, β = -.381). A mediating role for affective commitment was also confirmed. The present study suggests that the psychological contract orientation is both an important predictor of intention to leave, as well as providing a valuable insight into how employees view their career in the Navy. The results of the study suggest that human resource managers in the RNZN should focus on the relational aspects of the psychological contract in order to improve retention. Opportunities for future research include replicating this study across the wider NZDF and New Zealand public sector.