How Simplifying Procurement Can Help Teacher Retention

In today’s competitive job market, school districts and higher education face the prevalent challenge of attracting and retaining top talent within their teaching staff. The success of any educational institution depends heavily on the dedication and expertise of its educators. Smart business buying can play a pivotal role in creating a motivating work environment favorable to talent retention across education.

According to Cupa-Hr’s 2023 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey, one-third of higher education employees selected "very likely" or "likely" when asked if they plan to look for new employment opportunities in the next year. Meanwhile, according to recent survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly nine in ten public schools struggled to hire educators for the 2023-2024 school year.

As districts and universities are looking to attract and retain talent, they are faced with challenges to meet and generate educator satisfaction:

• Manageable workloads are crucial for educators at every career stage. A heavy workload can be especially challenging for new faculty members navigating their new roles. It can be exhausting when they spend excessive time on administrative tasks such as requesting reimbursements, arranging workspaces, and finding reliable suppliers for school essentials.
• Creating a supportive and inclusive environment benefits all faculty, yet education leaders should also address the unique challenges faced by underrepresented individuals. This proactive approach can combat feelings of isolation, make them feel heard, and build trust in the decision-making processes within their school or department.
• Schools are constantly balancing to drive high-quality education while operating within budget constraints. Seeing students succeed academically due to their efforts as educators can be immensely rewarding for them.
• Student preferences have shifted towards hybrid and blended learning, resulting in educators needing to adopt new teaching methods and professional growth opportunities. On the flipside, it also means schools may need to procure additional devices and remote teaching materials to support modern learning.

Simplify buying to help increase educator satisfaction

Keeping talent in the field of education requires tools that reduce workload burnout, such as efficiency tools or the latest teaching technologies. Education leaders have the opportunity to tailor their procurement strategies to meet the direct needs of their faculty, honing in on suppliers that provide not just products, but meaningful tools that support the educational institution's objectives. One of many critical tools that simplifies purchasing is Budget Management. Through Budget Management, education leaders can proactively oversee and manage their spend for the fiscal year, allowing their teaching staff to make their own purchasing decisions without overspending. It also reduces the significant time spent in manually creating and tracking requisitions for every order, alleviating their administrative tasks.

Taking a holistic view, procurement becomes more than just a process of acquiring “stuff.” It fosters an environment that cultivates and invests in talent, as educators are now equipped with the resources needed to be successful and focus on their students. By curating supplies and solutions all in one place that directly support educator satisfaction, alternative educational methods, and promote ongoing professional development and inclusive culture, smart business buying can be instrumental in the overall mission of education. 

Why educational organizations rely on us

Education leaders in the US buy from Amazon Business because we simplify buying while making faculty feel important in the process, with customers spending more than 33% of their total yearly spend during Back to School. We have a wide selection of millions of products across education-relevant categories from trusted suppliers with educator-specific pricing. Seminole County Public Schools in Florida and the University of Washington, among others, rely on our smart business buying solution to streamline their purchasing process and give more autonomy to their staff, making them feel empowered and valued. By going digital and moving to a centralized system where administrative tasks are automated and deliveries are predictable, educators can devote more time to focus on their students – and themselves critically.