Using Herzberg’s Two Factors to Enhance ECE Workforce Recruitment and Retention
Hamid Akbari, Ph.D.
Boosting the attractiveness and sustainability of careers in early childhood education (ECE) requires us to enhance two specific areas when formulating ECE job roles. In doing so, we lean on the ongoing relevance of Frederick Herzberg’s esteemed Two-Factor Theory. This theory introduces two types of factors essential for rendering jobs appealing and sustainable:
- Hygiene Factors: These elements make a job sufficiently appealing for individuals to seek them out as a career. They include vital components such as salary, benefits like healthcare and pension, work atmosphere that takes in the physical environment, adept supervision, organizational culture, and job stability.
- Motivator Factors: These elements incite or inspire individuals to self-actualize and positively contribute to their jobs while providing chances for personal growth and development, a sense of responsibility, and the prospect of advancement.
A central point of this theory is that the hygiene factors are necessary to make a job enticing enough by ensuring job holder satisfaction. Once job satisfaction is achieved, the existence of Motivator Factors paves the way for long-term commitment to the profession and better performance.
Within ECE, traditionally low pay without basic benefits has been a structural hindrance in attracting a large enough qualified workforce and keeping them. A significant number of those who join the ECE workforce soon depart due to the high level of dissatisfaction resulting from the absence of Hygiene Factors. In Illinois, Governor J. B. Pritzker’s Smart Start Plan is poised to start overcoming this structural challenge. Still, directors can also help to decrease dissatisfaction by implementing and maintaining effective supervision styles and nurturing a welcoming work environment.
Furthermore, directors can contribute to Motivator Factors by recognizing the hard work of the committed teachers and staff, showing trust by delegating, and facilitating opportunities for teacher initiatives and achievements in the classrooms.
At the ECE Workforce Servant Leaders Academy, we support childcare providers and directors in retaining their committed teachers and staff through a servant leadership approach. An approach that nurtures ECE teachers and staff to understand their vital roles as servant leaders in our communities by caring for and educating young children.
For additional information and training opportunities, kindly reach out to Dr. Hamid Akbari, Director of ECE Workforce Servant Leader Teachers Academy at hamid@sayyestochildcare.org.
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To make careers in early childhood education more attractive and enduring, we need to strengthen two categories of factors in designing the ECE jobs. To propose this, we’re relying on the continued relevance of Frederick Herzberg’s classic Two Factors Theory. By this theory, Herzberg identified two sets of factors for making jobs attractive and enduring:
- Hygiene Factors: These factors are those that make a job attractive enough so that individuals initially seek them as a career. Included here are the critical factors of pay, benefits such as healthcare and pension, work environment including physical environment, good supervision, organizational culture, and job security.
- Motivator Factors: These factors are those that motivate or inspire individuals to self-realize and express themselves in a positive way in their jobs, as well as provide them with opportunities for personal growth and advancement, sense of responsibility and the possibility of advancement.
A crucial point proposed by the theory is that the hygiene factors are necessary to make a job or position attractive enough by keeping the job holders satisfied. Once a job holder is satisfied, then the presence of Motivator Factors results in the long term commitment to a profession with higher performance.
In early childhood education, historically low wages without the basic benefits have been a structural impediment for attracting a large enough qualified workforce and retaining them. Even many of those who join the ECE workforce soon leave it given the high level of dissatisfaction due to the lack of Hygiene Factors. In Illinois, Governor J. B. Pritzker’s Smart Start Plan aims to address this structural factor. Yet the directors can still reduce dissatisfaction by providing and maintaining an effective style of supervision and fostering a pleasant work environment.
Importantly, directors can help with the Motivator Factors by giving recognition to the dedicated teachers and staff, show trust and delegate by facilitating opportunities for initiatives and achievements by teachers in the classrooms.
At our ECE Workforce Servant Leaders Academy we help childcare providers and directors to retain their dedicated teachers and staff via a servant leadership approach. An approach that develops ECE teachers and staff to see their overarching roles as servant leaders in our communities by caring for and teaching young children.
For more information and training opportunities, please contact Dr. Hamid Akbari, Director of ECE Workforce Servant Leader Teachers Academy at hamid@sayyestochildcare.org
