In this study, the main topic which we tried to study and understand is the qualitative study balance between employees’ productivity and loyalty in case of working from home during the period of Covid-19 pandemic in which both companies and employees are facing many restrictions and lockdown situations to follow only to keep themselves safe and others as well along with keeping their work going as well. As employees are integral part of any of the organization which are also the back bone of any of the company for its process, development and achieving its goal but at the same time when they are providing their efforts into work, they also consider themselves to be treated as rear commodity and they want their work to be appreciated well in the form of promotion, benefits (both financial and non-financial) and provide professional development opportunities for them. During this current pandemic environment in which all the organizations are fighting the battle of their survival have to be more concerned about them to keep themselves alive and running one way or the other, the same is true for the employees where they are only concerned about themselves and are not having the same motivation towards the organization and its goal, because of many factors which are the results of their such behavior. This thesis deal with these factors, we look at the synergy between employees and organizations, which is the integral part of any business organization, which is being affected by this pandemic, how much and to what extent is the basis of this thesis. The tools, which we are using to conduct this study, are questionnaire and face-to-face interview and personal observation. During the face-to-face interview which are done with the participants, the study sample which is selected for this study are very much diversified, and the basis of this diversification is in the form of different types and forms of organization from food industry, study institutions, non-profit organization to national and multinational organizations. The same is true for the employees that are the participants for the questionnaire and face-to-face interview. Our study samples consist of from managerial staff to low level of production line employees. Their responses are presented in the form of graphs and the discussion done is based on the results of their responses and later conclusion is based on this discussion. The conclusion is the presentation of the correlation between variables, which are used for the development of this questionnaire, and how they represent the main topic of this thesis. The conclusion which came out from our study is very much a combination which depend on may factor such as type of the organizational field of work, type of employees, organizational business field, restrictions imposed by the country in which these organization are doing their business. Keeps in mind these factors the conclusion which came to be is combination as in some scenarios manages managers of organizations said covid-19 has not affected their business at all and it is running at it was before Covid-19, some organizations see an increase in their business, businesses as IT industry, in which employees are not bound with the location of work. But organizations which are production based for example home appliances production organization are being affected very much and their employees are effect same as. Our hypothesis, “Pandemic has effect on production and loyalty of employees in a firm/organization in case of working from home” is accepted as Covid-19 has weakened the production of the firm/organization and loyalty of the employees towards their job and firm/organization.

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote work out of necessity, leading many organizations to reevaluate their traditional office-centric work models. As a result, businesses and employees alike became more comfortable with remote work arrangements, paving the way for the widespread acceptance of the hybrid work model even after the pandemic subsides. While the hybrid model offers numerous advantages by blending both office and remote work, its drawbacks and challenges remain largelyunexplored.Especially managers are facing challenges as their traditional approaches to lead and influence their employees may prove less effective in this new dynamic environment. Consequently, there is a pressing new for managers to comprehend these challenges, equipping themselves with new skills sets to thrive. Additionally, they must innovate new methods to inspire and motivate employees within their team, ensuring the organizations attains its objectives in this evolving environment. The purpose of this thesis is to gain insights on how leader behavior affects employees in the hybrid work environment as well as contributing to the limited existing research in this field. To fulfil the purpose, the following research question has been developed: What impact do different leadership styles have on the motivation of employees in a hybrid work environment? By investigating this research question, we will delve into the impacts of autocratic, democratic and laissez faire leadership on employee motivation in the hybrid model. To explore the relationships between leadership styles and employee motivation in this work environment a survey has been conducted that aims to provide data required to answer the stated research question. Through the analysis of collected data, we have been able to conclude that leadership styles indeed do have an impact on employee motivation in a hybrid work environment. Furthermore, the empirical findings indicate that some leadership styles correlate with positive motivational outcomes while others exhibit negative motivational outcomes. These findings offer valuable practical implications for managers operating within hybrid work environments as well as for the broader organizational context.

Most companies are competing in the diverse global markets, and competitive advantage through human capital is becoming very important. Employee development for high productivity and the use of effective tools to measure their performance are therefore paramount. One such tool is the 360-degree performance appraisal system. The study on the effectiveness of the 360-degree performance appraisal was conducted on a selected steel organisation. The primary objective of the research study was to determine whether the current 360-degree performance evaluation system the organisation uses is effective or whether there is a need to explore other employee evaluation and feedback systems across the industry to identify the best practice. Constructs that were measured are the impact of 360-degree appraisal on the employee motivation and performance, job satisfaction, the organisation‟s performance, succession planning as well as training and development. The findings showed that the 360-degree appraisal system is effective in most of these areas. The findings will also assist management with a better understanding of where the process has failed and what gaps need to be filled. The results concluded that there is no need to explore other performance appraisal systems; however, as recommended, the identified deficiencies in the current evaluation process need to be addressed. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Most companies are competing in the diverse global markets, and competitive advantage through human capital is becoming very important. Employee development for high productivity and the use of effective tools to measure their performance are therefore paramount. One such tool is the 360-degree performance appraisal system. The study on the effectiveness of the 360-degree performance appraisal was conducted on a selected steel organisation. The primary objective of the research study was to determine whether the current 360-degree performance evaluation system the organisation uses is effective or whether there is a need to explore other employee evaluation and feedback systems across the industry to identify the best practice. Constructs that were measured are the impact of 360-degree appraisal on the employee motivation and performance, job satisfaction, the organisation‟s performance, succession planning as well as training and development. The findings showed that the 360-degree appraisal system is effective in most of these areas. The findings will also assist management with a better understanding of where the process has failed and what gaps need to be filled. The results concluded that there is no need to explore other performance appraisal systems; however, as recommended, the identified deficiencies in the current evaluation process need to be addressed. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Thesis (M. Tech.) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2006 / In today’s dynamic and uncertain business environment, employees are required to work together to achieve a common goal. An organisation cannot survive without a highly motivated and progressive workforce. Management need to be highly innovative and adaptive, to survive the intensity of competition and change. This study is based on the conviction that enhancing and sustaining employee motivation is a manager’s major function. In effect, management need to create and maintain a culture that fosters motivation, and determine whether employees are culturally adaptable, when two established cultures merge as one. Against this background, the focus fell on attaining optimum performance and a culture that evokes a spirit of co-operation and is conducive to motivating employees to work willingly and effectively. The Amalgamated Beverage Industry was selected for the purpose of this study. The perceptions and opinions of management and that of the lower level employees were examined to determine the impact on the work motivational levels and organiastional culture within Country Region employees. A probable influence was also given on the possible factors contributing to the maintained level of organisational culture and the high motivational levels within ABI. Attention was also focused on culture change and its possible impact on employees.

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)

The primary objectives of the study were as follows: (1) to explore the relationship between career anchors (as measured by the Career Orientations Inventory), organisational commitment (as measured by the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire) and turnover intention (as measured by a three-item questionnaire, developed by Mobley, Horner, and Hollingsworth, 1978); and (2) to determine whether employees from different gender, race, employment positions and age groups differ significantly in their career anchors, organisational commitment and turnover intention. A quantitative survey was conducted on a non-probability sample of 343 employed adults at managerial and general staff levels in the South African retail sector. The results of this study suggest that there was a significant but weak relationship between employees‟ career anchors and their organisational commitment. Career anchors were also found to be significantly related to organisational commitment and turnover intention; with entrepreneurial creativity, lifestyle and service/dedication to a cause career anchors being the best predictors of these two variables. The relationship between organisational commitment and turnover intention was significant and negative, with affectively and normatively committed participants being more likely to remain with the organisation (i.e. having lower turnover intentions). In addition, the findings indicate that although gender has no relationship with turnover intention, race, employment position and age do. African, general staff and 30 years and younger participants indicated higher intentions to leave the organisation. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African Constitution, 1996, requires a development–oriented public administration, cultivating good human resources management and career development practices to maximise human potential. Talent management complies with this constitutional requirement as a practice that ensures that people with the required skills and aptitude are attracted, developed, utilised and retained to increase workplace productivity. The Provincial Government Western Cape (PGWC) has aligned itself with talent management by focusing on the attraction, development and retention of skills to address poverty and unemployment. The Western Cape Provincial Treasury (WCPT), which manages the PGWC finances, has however experienced high employee turnover rates lately with talented employees leaving the organisation for other public service departments or private sector organisations. This thesis assessed WCPT’s approach to talent management by: Obtaining an understanding for why talented employees left or are leaving WCPT; Exploring the concept of talent management in organisations globally; Exploring the legislative context for talent management in the South African public service; and Determining what WCPT’s approach to talent management is by using WCPT as a case study. A qualitative case study research design with unstructured interviews, a survey questionnaire and documentation were used to conduct this study. The case study of WCPT was used to draw inferences between the practice and theory in the literature review to understand why talented employees left and are leaving WCPT and what WCPT’s approach to talent management is. It was found that job dissatisfaction was the broad reason why talented employees left WCPT. Job dissatisfaction includes dissatisfaction about competitive salaries, sufficient training and development, a career planning programme, work-life balance, and so on. A draft talent management strategy has been formulated for WCPT but has not been implemented because the Human Resources department of WCPT has been relocated to the Department of the Premier as a result of the modernisation1 of public service departments in the PGWC. This thesis has made recommendations that the draft talent management strategy be implemented, despite the absence of the Human Resources department, as part of a broader strategy to establish WCPT as an employer of choice. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: The Suid-Afrikaanse Grondwet, 1996 vereis ʼn publieke administrasie wat goeie menslike hulpbron bestuurspraktyke bevorder en loopbaanontwikkeling sowel as menslike potensiaal aanhelp. Talentbestuur voldoen aan hierdie vereiste deur te verseker dat mense met vaardighede gewerf, ontwikkel, aangewend en behou word om produktiwiteit te verbeter. Die Wes-Kaapse Provinsiale Regering het homself in lyn gebring met hierdie grondwetlike vereiste deur te fokus op die werwing, ontwikkeling en behoud van vaardighede om armoede en werkloosheid aan te spreek. Die Wes-Kaapse Provinsiale Tesourie (WKPT) het egter, inteendeel, ʼn hoë omset in talentvolle werknemers ondervind, wie die organisasie verlaat het vir posisies in ander openbare sektor departemente sowel as privaatsektor organisasies. Hierdie verhandeling het die WKPT se benadering tot talent bestuur gemeet deur: ʼn Begrip te verkry vir hoekom talentvolle werknemers WKPT verlaat het; om die begrip talentbestuur in organisasies wêreldwyd te verken; om die wetlike konteks van talentbestuur in openbaresektor organisasies in Suid-Afrika te ondersoek; en om vas te stel wat WKPT se benadering tot talentbestuur is deur WKPT as ʼn gevallestudie te gebruik. ʼn Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp was gebruik om die navorsings probleem te ondersoek met ongestruktureerde onderhoude, ʼn meningsopname vraelys en dokumentasie as navorsingsmetodes. Die gevallestudie van WKPT was gebruik om verskille tussen die praktyk en die teorie te verstaan en vas te stel waarom talentvolle werknemers WKPT verlaat het en wat die organisasie se benadering tot talentbestuur is. Daar was gevind dat werknemerontevredenheid die oorhoofse rede was waarom talentvolle werknemers WKPT verlaat het. Werknemerontevredenheid sluit in hierdie geval ontevredenheid oor kompeterende salarisse, genoegsame opleiding en ontwikkeling, ʼn loopbaanontwikkelingsprogram en werk-leefbalans in. WKPT het ʼn konsep talentbestuur strategie ontwerp, maar dit was egter nog nie geimplementeer nie omdat die menslikehulpbronne department van WKPT verskuif was na die Departement van die Premier. Hierdie verhandeling het aanbeveel dat die konsep talentbestuur strategie nog steeds geimplementeer word ten spyte van die feit dat die menslikehulpbron department verskuif was. Die implementering van hierdie strategie sal deel uitmaak van ʼn oorhoofse strategie om WKPT te vestig as ʼn werknemer by keuse.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / The South African civil engineering profession is facing a crisis. This crisis which has occurred as a result of a diminishing numbers of qualified and experienced technical staff, which is due to an ageing professional population, a very understaffed 30 - 45 year old age group, and a relatively large junior technical staff component. This hour-glass shaped distribution of civil engineering technical staff has made experience and knowledge transfer difficult and extremely important. Civil engineering is a profession where a significant part of an engineer's knowledge is tacit and is gained from practical experience. To gain the necessary experience requires time, and it is in finding this time, amidst an increasingly competitive operating environment and overworked staff, that is becoming a hurdle for the civil engineering profession. The transfer of experience and knowledge needs to be accelerated; however, this requires an energised and motivated staff component. This relates to both those who pass on the knowledge and those that receive the same. This transfer process is time consuming and expensive. A consulting civil engineering company's financial investment in the training of its Generation Y (staff under the age of 30) is thus substantial. Because of this, the retention of these staff members becomes critical for the long term sustainability of the company. This research seeks to determine what motivates the Generation Y staff within Goba Consulting Engineers. Further to this, the research sought to determine what the preferred motivational factors are for the Generation Y staff who work for Goba Consulting Engineers. The objective of the research was for the results to be used as a tool for Goba Consulting Engineers to formulate a human resource policy that would seek to increase the motivation and job satisfaction of its Generation Y staff, and in so doing increase the retention rate of these personnel. Goba Consulting Engineers is a national civil consulting company that has 22 per cent of its staff in the Generation Y category (under the age of 30). These staff members were presented with a questionnaire containing questions about their basic needs, their preferred organisational structure and their preferred motivational factors. The questionnaire was housed on an external internet website and was to be completed electronically, which ensured anonymity of response. Only 37 per cent of the target population completed all the questions contained in the questionnaire. The responses were grouped, as per the research questions. The groups included individuals of different ethnic, administrative, regional and academic qualifications within Goba Consulting Engineers. The grouped responses were tested to determine whether they were statistically representative of the Generation Y staff within Goba Consulting Engineers. The results of the survey showed that the basic needs of the staff across the groupings were the same, with the need for growth being shown to be the most valued and desired. The responses also showed that the type of organisational structure preferred was that of a mechanistic type. The preferred motivational factor results revealed that differences between the groups, and that a strong emphasis was placed on factors that related to an integration of work and home/social/external life and influence. These results indicate that the conventional engineering management approach to motivation and reward may not be valid with respect to the Generation Y staff, and as such it may be prudent for Goba Consulting Engineers to formulate polices that are more applicable to these staff members.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.