Barriers to employment equity implementation and retention of blacks in management in South Africa

Abstract

South Africans have experienced major changes in the landscape of employment relations in organisations over the past two decades. Although numerous pieces of legislation have been put in place to achieve greater social justice, progress in redressing unfair discrimination in the workplace has been slow and uneven. This article aims, through an in-depth descriptive case analysis, to identify barriers to the implementation of Employment Equity (EE) and effective retention strategies of blacks in management in South Africa. This study affirms the findings of national and international research that claim that lack of communication and shared understanding of EE, white male dominated organisational culture, low leadership commitment and inconsistency in EE implementation are major barriers to effective EE implementation and retention of black employees. This study identified several new barriers to EE and retention: these include the role of white fear and the lack of meaningful engagement of white male employees.