One in four higher ed employees are likely to look for another job this coming year — a reminder for higher ed leaders to focus on what employees value most.
So what does it take to retain great people? While fair pay and good benefits remain top of mind for employees, CUPA-HR’s research makes it clear that the basic tenets of job satisfaction and well-being are the strongest predictors of retention by far. According to The CUPA-HR 2025 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey, higher ed employees stay in workplaces where they feel valued, engaged and supported by trustworthy leaders.
Investing in Culture
A supportive workplace culture can play a critical role in an employee’s decision to stay. Higher ed has long attracted employees seeking meaningful careers and a caring culture, but leaders must keep building and sustaining workplaces where employees feel supported and fulfilled.
Breaking it down, the items that most strongly constitute job satisfaction and well-being are:
- A sense of belonging
- Feeling valued
- Being engaged
- Feeling one’s work has purpose
What leaders can do: Focus retention efforts on belonging and making employees feel valued.
The CUPA-HR Retention Model can help leaders target areas that most strongly predict employee satisfaction.
Strengthening Trust
Based on CUPA-HR’s latest data, employees also want leaders they can trust in. The second most important predictor of retention in 2025 is confidence in leadership ethics and values — a major change from being the seventh most important factor in 2023.
Employees are more likely to stay where they have confidence in their institution’s values, leadership ethics, and commitment to diverse communities. Yet many employees, especially employees of color, report low trust in institutional leadership and limited representation in decision-making roles.
What leaders can do: Increase communication, transparency and accountability to move the needle on retention.
Reducing Overwork
Sustaining a healthy culture also requires leaders to address overwork — a negative predictor of retention. More than half of employees (54%) agree that demands or expectations from management have increased over the past year, and 43% agree that they need to work beyond their scheduled hours to complete all their duties.
Overwork and rising expectations take a personal toll: half of employees (50%) agree that their work often causes them to feel anxious or stressed, and more than one-fourth (27%) agree it’s difficult to take paid time off for vacations or personal obligations.
What leaders can do: Rebalance workloads, set clear priorities and protect time off.
Building a Better Workplace
The message for higher ed is clear: prioritize workplace culture. Employees want to feel valued and supported. They want their work to be purposeful and engaging. They want to feel like they can trust their institution and its leaders.
For more, see The CUPA-HR 2025 Employee Retention Survey, which offers higher ed leaders insights into why employees stay, and which employees are most likely to look for other opportunities. It also offers actionable recommendations for retaining and supporting the higher ed workforce.
Explore CUPA-HR Resources on Employee Engagement
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