A Study Of Faculty Attrition In Higher Education Institutions- A Review Based Study

Abstract

Faculty members constitute an important human resource of higher education institutions because they are responsible for teaching, research, student development, academic administration, consultancy and several other institutional activities. The departure of experienced and qualified faculty members can therefore affect academic continuity, institutional effectiveness, research productivity and educational quality. Faculty attrition has consequently emerged as an important concern in higher education, particularly in an environment characterized by changing academic expectations, increasing workload, competition for qualified faculty and growing opportunities for professional mobility. The present paper reviews the existing literature on faculty attrition in higher education institutions. The review is based exclusively on the studies contained in the shared literature-review material. The literature covers different geographical and institutional contexts and examines faculty attrition through related concepts such as turnover intention, faculty retention, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, compensation, workload, career development, institutional support, organizational climate, work-life balance and professional autonomy. The review indicates that faculty attrition is not caused by a single factor. Instead, it results from the interaction of financial, organizational, professional and psychological conditions experienced by academic employees.
Compensation and remuneration emerge as important determinants, although the literature also indicates that salary alone cannot guarantee faculty retention. Job satisfaction is consistently associated with lower turnover intention, while dissatisfaction with workload, compensation, promotion, recognition and working conditions tends to increase the desire to leave. Organizational commitment is another important factor, with several studies showing that satisfied faculty members develop stronger emotional attachment to their institutions and consequently demonstrate lower turnover intention. Career advancement, professional development, autonomy, institutional support, mentoring, recognition and transparent promotion systems also contribute to retention. The literature further highlights excessive workload, occupational stress, burnout and work-life imbalance as significant contributors to faculty attrition. Recent studies have expanded the discussion to include gender, career stage, institutional autonomy, employee poaching, resilience, psychological well-being and changing expectations of academic employees. Indian studies particularly emphasize compensation, workload, institutional support, organizational climate, promotion, career development and work-life balance. Overall, the literature demonstrates that faculty attrition is a multidimensional phenomenon and that effective retention requires a comprehensive institutional approach.