As the literature on work–family conflict grows and absenteeism increasingly comes into the spotlight, one cannot help but ask the question: “What is an acceptable absenteeism rate and how can an organisation control and manage absenteeism?” With current absenteeism rates as high as 12% and with an estimated R12 million lost per annum because of absenteeism, the idea of an on-site employer-sponsored childcare facility seems viable. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between absenteeism and on-site employer- sponsored childcare. The following dimensions of absenteeism will be examined over a period of a year: absence frequency, absence intensity, attitudinal absence and medical absence. The results of two companies, one with a facility and one without, will then be compared in order to establish the relationship between absenteeism and an on-site facility. To date, evidence remains mixed and the ongoing challenge of establishing real return on equity remains a major barrier to the support of on-site employer-sponsored childcare. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The objectives of the study were: (1) to determine the relationship between organisational commitment (measured by the Organisational Commitment Scale), retention factors (measured the Retention Factor Scale) and job embeddedness (measured by the Job Embeddedness Questionnaire), and (2) to determine whether employees from different gender, age, race, marital status, tenure and job level groups differ significantly in their levels of organisational commitment, retention factors and perceived job embeddedness. A quantitative survey was conducted on a purposive sample (N = 206) of medical and IT service staff in the South African client service sector. Correlational and inferential statistical analyses revealed significant relationships between organisational commitment, retention factors and perceived job embeddedness. Significant differences between gender, age, race, marital status, tenure and job level groups were also found. The findings contribute valuable insight and knowledge to the field of Career Psychology that can be applied in the retention of employees in the medical and IT industry. The study concludes with recommendations for future research and practice. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / (M.Comm. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology))

Οι εργασιακές σχέσεις αποτελούν ένα θέμα μείζονος σημασίας για τις επιχειρήσεις και μπορούν να είναι ένας από τους παράγοντες που θα επηρεάσουν την αποδοτικότητά τους. Όταν εκδηλώνονται αρνητικές καταστάσεις στον εργασιακό χώρο, λόγω απορρύθμισης των εργασιακών σχέσεων, η απόδοση των εργαζομένων δεν είναι η επιθυμητή. Οι εργασιακές σχέσεις συνδέονται σε μεγάλο βαθμό με την εργασιακή ικανοποίηση. Αν ο εργαζόμενος νιώθει ικανοποιημένος από την εργασία του, τότε είναι πιο παραγωγικός και συμβάλλει ενεργά στην ανάπτυξη της εταιρείας που εργάζεται. Η εργασιακή ικανοποίηση προέρχεται από καταστάσεις και χαρακτηριστικά όπως ο μισθός, το ωράριο εργασίας, οι σχέσεις εργαζομένων διοίκησης αλλά και εργαζομένων μεταξύ τους, η εκπαίδευση και κατάρτιση, δηλαδή πεδία τα οποία μελετώνται και από τις εργασιακές σχέσεις. Η εργασία αυτή θα προσπαθήσει να αναδείξει την άμεση σχέση που υπάρχει ανάμεσα σε εργασιακές σχέσεις και εργασιακή ικανοποίηση, μελετώντας την περίπτωση μιας εκ των μεγαλύτερων εταιρειών στην Ελλάδα και τη ΝΑ Ευρώπη, την εταιρεία ΟΤΕ Α.Ε.. Από την έρευνα αυτή προκύπτουν αρκετά σημαντικά συμπεράσματα που συνδέουν τις εργασιακές σχέσεις και την εργασιακή ικανοποίηση και ειδικά σε μια περίοδο που ως κύριο χαρακτηριστικό έχει την οικονομική κρίση. / Industrial relations are a major issue for firms and can be one of the factors that affect their profitability. When negative situations occur in the workplace due to destabilization of industrial relations, employee performance is not the desirable one. Industrial relations are highly related to job satisfaction. If the employee feels satisfied with his/her job, then s/he is more productive and actively contributes to the development of the company. Job satisfaction stems from factors such as salary, working hours, relations between employees and managers as well as relations with colleagues, education and training, that is fields that are studied under industrial relations. This paper attempts to highlight the direct link between industrial relations and job satisfaction, studying the case of one of the largest companies in Greece and SE Europe: Greek Telecoms (OTE A.E.). The findings of this research link industrial relations with job satisfaction especially at a time defined by the economic crisis.

L’objectif principal de ce travail doctoral est de clarifier les relations existantes entre les facteurs organisationnels et le harcèlement moral dans le secteur public ukrainien afin de formuler des mesures de prévention de harcèlement psychologique en milieu organisationnel.A notre humble connaissance, c’est la première étude qui met la lumière sur l’état de harcèlement moral ainsi que sur ses déterminants en Ukraine, où la législation en matière de harcèlement est absente. Cette thèse a également pour ambition de tester l’impact des caractéristiques individuelles de la victime sur le harcèlement moral.Pour ce faire, nous avons mené notre étude en trois temps. Dans un premier temps, nous avons réalisé une analyse de 450 articles sur le sujet. L’objectif de cette étape était de cerner les principaux facteurs organisationnels influençant le harcèlement moral dans le milieu de l’entreprise à partir d’une définition précise : une durée minimale du harcèlement d’au moins 6 mois et une notion de répétitivité de l’acte d’une façon hebdomadaire ou mensuelle. Il s’est avéré que cinq types de facteurs contribuent à l’explication du harcèlement moral, à savoir : l’organisation du travail, le leadership, la culture organisationnelle et le climat social, le système de récompenses et les changements organisationnels.Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons réalisé une étude exploratoire qualitative visant à affiner les résultats d’analyse de la littérature par des éléments propres au terrain ukrainien. 12 entretiens semi-directifs ont été réalisés avec des spécialistes médicaux travaillant dans l’ hôpital obstétrique de Kharkiv (Ukraine). La finalité de cette étape s’est concrétisée par la construction du modèle de recherche.Enfin, dans un troisième temps, une étude confirmatoire quantitative nous a permis de tester statistiquement des liens entre quatorze facteurs organisationnels et trois dimensions du harcèlement moral.Le harcèlement moral a été mesuré à travers une méthode béhavioriste (NAQ, Einarsen et al., 1994). Pour mesurer les variables organisationnelles, nous avons constitué notre propre questionnaire en nous inspirant de plusieurs échelles de mesures testées et validées dans des recherches antérieures. Les démarches de validation transculturelle d’un questionnaire de Vallerand (1989) ont été ensuite appliquées.Au cours de cette étude quantitative, 243 personnes ont été questionnées. 35% sont victimes du harcèlement régulier durant les 6 mois précédant la recherche. Il ressort de notre analyse que le fait d’être un homme augmente la probabilité d’être harcelé. Quant aux facteurs organisationnels, il s’avère que le conflit de rôle, le conflit au travail, le soutien social et l’autorité décisionnelle sont les déterminants majeurs du harcèlement moral dans le contexte ukrainien. / The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to clarify the existing relations between organisational factors and mobbing in the Ukrainian public sector so to formulate the prevention measures of psychological harassment in the organisational area. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first research that shed light into the psychological harassment as well as on its factors in Ukraine, where the legislation to that matter is inexistent. This thesis has also the ambition to test the impact of individual characteristics of the victim with psychological harassment. To that end, we conducted a research in three steps. Firstly, an analysis of 450 articles has been realised. The aim of that step was to grasp the main organisation factors that influence psychological harassment in a company environment using a precise definition: a minimal harassment length of at least 6 months and a notion of repeatability of the act weekly or monthly. It appeared that five types of factors contribute to the explanation of psychological harassment, namely: work organisation, leadership, the organisational culture and social climate, the compensation and benefit system and organisation changes. Secondly, we led a qualitative exploratory research aiming to refine the results of the literature review with elements that are specific to the Ukrainian area. Twelve semi-structured interviews have been conducted with medical specialists working in obstetrics hospitals located in Kharkiv (Ukraine). The goal of this step resulted in the construction of the research model. Finally, a confirmatory quantitative study helped us to test statistically correlations between fourteen organisational factors and three dimensions of mobbing. Mobbing has been measured through a behavioural method (NAQ, Einarsen et al., 1994). In order to measure the organisation variables, we structured our own survey by inspiring us from several measuring scales tested and validated in previous studies. The transcultural validation steps of one survey of Vallerand (1989) have been applied. Through this quantitative research, 243 participants have been surveyed. Among those, 35% are regular harassment victims during 6 months preceding the research. The analysis brings out that the fact of being a man increases the likelihood of being harassed. When it comes to organisational factors, it turns out that role conflict, work conflict, social support and decision authority are all major determinants in moral harassment in the Ukrainian context.

As the literature on work–family conflict grows and absenteeism increasingly comes into the spotlight, one cannot help but ask the question: “What is an acceptable absenteeism rate and how can an organisation control and manage absenteeism?” With current absenteeism rates as high as 12% and with an estimated R12 million lost per annum because of absenteeism, the idea of an on-site employer-sponsored childcare facility seems viable. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between absenteeism and on-site employer- sponsored childcare. The following dimensions of absenteeism will be examined over a period of a year: absence frequency, absence intensity, attitudinal absence and medical absence. The results of two companies, one with a facility and one without, will then be compared in order to establish the relationship between absenteeism and an on-site facility. To date, evidence remains mixed and the ongoing challenge of establishing real return on equity remains a major barrier to the support of on-site employer-sponsored childcare. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The objectives of the study were: (1) to determine the relationship between organisational commitment (measured by the Organisational Commitment Scale), retention factors (measured the Retention Factor Scale) and job embeddedness (measured by the Job Embeddedness Questionnaire), and (2) to determine whether employees from different gender, age, race, marital status, tenure and job level groups differ significantly in their levels of organisational commitment, retention factors and perceived job embeddedness. A quantitative survey was conducted on a purposive sample (N = 206) of medical and IT service staff in the South African client service sector. Correlational and inferential statistical analyses revealed significant relationships between organisational commitment, retention factors and perceived job embeddedness. Significant differences between gender, age, race, marital status, tenure and job level groups were also found. The findings contribute valuable insight and knowledge to the field of Career Psychology that can be applied in the retention of employees in the medical and IT industry. The study concludes with recommendations for future research and practice. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / (M.Comm. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology))

Les études des déterminants de la motivation au travail ont jusque-là privilégié le rôle de facteurs intrinsèques et facteurs extrinsèques. Prolongeant ces travaux, cette thèse teste l’impact des traits culturels sur la motivation au travail dans les institutions publiques dans le contexte haïtien. Quatre construits ont été identifiés :(i) la croyance en l’omnipotence des divinités, (ii) la foi en l’aide des autres, (iii) la philosophie de passage et du détachement, (iv) la tension vers l’égalitarisme. Une démarche méthodologique basée sur le cadre conceptuel de Churchill (1979) a été adoptée. Une exploration du terrain a été effectuée à partir de l’analyse de cas multiples en vue de mieux comprendre la relation qui existe entre les valeurs culturelles et la motivation au travail des agents public haïtien. Cette approche qualitative a été succédée d’une approche quantitative. Ainsi, 617 questionnaires valides ont été codifiés et saisis sur SPSS. L’analyse en composantes principales a été adoptée. La méthode de régression linéaire multiple des MCO a été utilisée. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les variables socio-culturelles (la croyance en la puissance divine, la solidarité et la Vie Instant présent) ont chacune une incidence positive et significative sur la motivation au travail. En revanche, la croyance en la limitation humaine, la médiation d’autrui, le niveau d’aspiration, l’Auto-Retrait, le conformisme, le déni de succès et l’absence de culture d’émulation ont tous une influence négative sur la motivation au travail. Par ailleurs, six facteurs intrinsèques et extrinsèques ainsi que des tactiques de mise en œuvre dans la fonction publique ont été identifiés. / The studies of work motivation’s determinants have so far favored the role of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Extending these studies, this thesis tests the impact of cultural traits on Work motivation in public institutions in the Haitian context. Four constructs were identified: (i) Belief in the omnipotence of gods, (ii) Belief in the help of others, (iii) Philosophy of passage and unconcern, (iv) Tension towards egalitarianism. A methodological approach based on conceptual framework of Churchill (1979) has been adopted. An exploration study has been done from multiple case analysis to better understand the relationship between cultural values and Civil servants’ work motivation in Haiti. After this qualitative approach, a quantitative approach was used. 617 valid questionnaires were coded and entered using SPSS 16.0. Principal component analysis (PCA) was adopted. Multiple linear regression method was used. The results showed that the sociocultural characteristics: Belief in the omnipotence of gods, belief in the help of others, philosophy of passage and the tension towards egalitarianism significantly influence work motivation of Haitian civil servants. Indeed, we found that three of the socio-cultural variables (belief in god’s power, solidarity and Living in the moment) have a positive and significant impact on work motivation. However, the belief in human limitation, the mediation of others, the aspiration level, Self- Withdrawal, conformity, denial of success and lack of emulation culture have all negatively influence on work motivation. In addition, six intrinsic and extrinsic factors and tactics of implementation in the civil service have been identified.

This research deals with personality and biographical factors in absenteeism. The literature review looks at personality traits and absenteeism. The following question must then be asked: Can the construct ”personality” be analysed and described within the context of the work environment, and can the relationship between personality, biographical factors and absenteeism be studied empirically. The empirical study focuses on measuring the relationship between personality and absenteeism. The construct ”personality” is presented within the dimensional or trait perspective. The empirical investigation is presented within the functionalistic paradigm (quantitative approach). The chosen measuring instrument, namely, the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF SA 92) was administered by means of a random sample to 72 Aviation Security Officers. The reliability of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire was determined using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient method. To determine if personality is a predictor of absenteeism, stepwise regression analysis was done. The results indicate that the degree (category) of absenteeism is associated only with marital status and number of dependants. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial Psychology)

Recent organisational changes have refocused attention on the productivity and performance of sales representatives and consequently brought about a re-evaluation of the QWL these employees experience, as well as their trust in the organisation to support them. Responses to an internet-based survey methodology were analysed using quantitative techniques and structural equation modelling. Results confirm a positive relationship between Managerial Practices and Organisational Trust, and a lower relationship between the dimensions of Personality and Organisational Trust. A positive relationship was noted between QWL and Managerial Practices, and a lower relationship between QWL and the Personality constructs. This study accentuates the importance of management to be aware of the trust employees have in the organisation as well as their experience of QWL, as it seems as though the Personality traits and Managerial Practices of managers influences both the trust relationship and QWL experienced by employees. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This research empirically investigates Locke's (1997) model of work motivation by means of quantitative research. The OCQ consisting of three tiered questionnaires was constructed based on Locke's model. OCQ-Tierl deals with core components of Locke's model. OCQ-Tier2 determines which factors caused the incidence of dissatisfaction in OCQ-Tierl. OCQ-Tier3 enables the identification of corrective actions. The OCQ was administered to financial services employees. The results were analysed and Locke's model was tested by means of structural equation modelling using the AMOS graphics programme. The results indicated that the model, suggesting causal links between components within OCQ-Tierl, could not be confirmed. A better fit was found at OCQ-Tier2 and OCQ-Tier3. In testing the causal links across the three tiers per component, the models did not fit the data for "personal actualisation" and "goal achievement". Moderate confirmation of the models was found in the case of "goal setting" and "goal behaviour" across the three tiers after some adaptations were made to the models on the basis of "modification indices", suggested by AMOS. A reasonably good fit was found for the models across the three tiers for "quality of work life". The level of correlation between factors was high because of this, and in some cases some of the factors were merged. Modification indices in the statistical output suggested that improvement was possible if covariance between error terms in the model was allowed. This suggested possible systematic sources of covariance between items not accounted for by the factors in the models. As confirmed by the Cronbach Alpha coefficients within tiers and across tiers, the general level of internal consistency was very high. Possibly response set and response style were the cause of this. This made the testing of models difficult in the present study. So too was it difficult to draw a conclusion about the internal consistency reliability of the measurement of each component across the three tiers, because the high Cronbach coefficients may to some extent be due to the indiscriminate high correlations between items / D.Litt. et Phil. (Industrial Psychology)