Wellness is becoming popular as the human factor is realised in terms of empowering employees to perform through wellness initiatives and in the long-term gaining financial success of an organisation. Wellness is bound to be of growing importance in the future, as it is a business prerequisite and has far greater significance for the organisation, employee’s managers and society as a whole. The real challenge is implementation of wellness initiatives and to gain employee and management participation. The main objective of this research was to determine conceptualisation of wellness in the minds of employees, and to identify wellness expectations in a telecommunications organisation. This study was qualitative and explorative in nature with a total of 30 participants. Of the 30 participants, 15 were on a managerial level and 15 were in non-managerial positions. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The data analysis was carried out by using the content analysis method to explore the meaning, events and states experienced by the participants. The results indicated that participants viewed general health, physical and mental health; work-life balance; perceived organisational support and work environment as the 6 themes that describe wellness, with general health being the core element. Therefore, dividing general health into 4 main areas specifically; physical health, mental health, work-life balance and work health (perceived organisational support and ergonomics). Ranking the main aspects of wellness identified by participants from the highest to the lowest, the most frequently mentioned aspects not getting sufficient attention in this organisation were: ergonomics and perceived organisational support. Recommendations were made for workplace interventions. / MA, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

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Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-42). / vi, 42 leaves, bound 29 cm

<p>There is usually much reaction among employees when a new system is introduced in an organization. These things are intended to improve performance but sometimes cause considerable controversy amongst the employees and management. This study examines the implementation of LE and it attempts to analyse the reactions of employes in a manufacturing company in South Africa - GKN Sinter Metals (GKN), Cape Town. According to the literature review, the implementation of the LE can play a significant role in improving the company's performance.</p>

This study is an investigation into women receptionists' experience in the provision of accommodation in the contemporary hospitality industry. It uses a phenomenological and interpretative inquiry to 'illumine' this experience and offer plausible insights. The guiding research questions are: What is the experience of hospitality reception practice like? What sense do receptionists make of their experience? What is the significance of the experience in the light of sociological discourses? What are the implications of their experience for practice and professional development? / The experience of hospitality reception practice is given through an 'expressive' based phenomenological approach that portrays the experience through narrative, poetry and metaphor. The portrayal composed of reflective accounts of ten episodes of practices that are typical of hospitality reception work. The personal episodes are situated within different social, cultural, personal and occupational settings. These accounts of the practice are then interpreted for meanings, juxtaposed to unravel themes and discussed for their significance and implications. The discussion of significance involves examining the themes through the discourses of culture, feminist theory, power and labour relations, consumerism and notions about the home environment. The themes are then considered in terms of implications for practice and professional development. / The study shows the conversional nature of hospitality reception work, which invites 'strangers' to become 'guests'. This means to carry out practices which invite these strangers to be compliant, disarmed, integrated, valued, pampered and enriched guests. There are also other conversional challenges, such as inviting prudent guests to be generous spenders, travellers to be vacationers, and visitors to be tourists. Receptionists and guests also often expect to form meaningful personal connections with each other which can enrich their experience further. / Receptionist is the human face of the company. As the go-between for management and guests there is an element of being the meat in the sandwich. Reception work has also been interpreted as jujitsu of control and power. The context of the work has been described as highly pressured, uncertain, chaotic, stressful and challenging in which the work is experienced in peaks and valleys. The requirement for receptionists to perform a fine balancing act, where they are expected to juggle, synthesise and accommodate many tasks is also illuminated. The seamless multiplex relations of receptionists and the effect of competing priorities are also highlighted. One of the important elements in the experience is the way in which the industry, by employing well-presented, young attractive women receptionists has implicitly sexualised the interaction, exposing receptionists to a risk of sexual harassment. Another significant element in the experience is management's lack of support for and appreciation of receptionists who are the 'flak catchers' of the organisation. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2007.

Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2003.

Thesis (M Ed (Human Rsource Studies)) -- University of South Australia, 1991

This study explored the relationship between attributional style and the performance of front line service staff in a call centre environment. Attributional style was evaluated using a well recognised method (Seligman's Attributional Style Questionnaire). This was the first time that the Seligman's Attributional Style Questionnaire (SASQ) has been used in a New Zealand context. Performance was calculated using five independent measures. These measures have been used for several years by the company at the centre of our study as an objective measure of Call Centre Representative (CCR) performance. The association between attributional style and performance was then examined using a combination of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and co relational analysis. People have different ways of reacting to adversity such as failure, rejection or a high-pressure situation. The ability to succeed is closely tied to the ability to handle adversity (DeCarlo et al., 1997; Seligman & Schulman, 1986; Boone, 2000). Research has supported the common sense view that optimistic beliefs can be self-fulfilling prophecies (Sujan, 1999a; Porter, 2000; Furnham et al., 1994). Hundreds of studies have revealed the benefits of optimism such as increased motivation, superior achievement (in various areas e.g. work, school and sports), elevated mood and well-being, and better physical health (Seligman et al., 1990; Seligman et al., 1986). Furthermore, individuals can learn to reduce negative ways of thinking and become more optimistic when it is appropriate (Satterfield et al., 1997; Eronen et al., 1999; Bohart, 2002).Call centres are not new phenomena, however they have become a growth industry in the private and public sector over the last decade (Creagh, 1998). The following definition of call centres was used by Gilmore and Moreland; "A physical or virtual operation within an organisation in which a managed group of people spend most of their time doing business by telephone, usually working in a computer-automated environment." (2000, pg 4)Due to the size and the complexity of tasks undertaken within call centres, there is a growing need for empirical findings to broaden understanding of how to best manage call centres and how to optimise the utilisation of human capital (Feinberg et al, 2000).This cross-sectional study assesses the performance of Call Centre Representatives (CCRs) in a New Zealand based call centre and explores whether there is an association with the Seligman's Attributional Style Questionnaire (SASQ).It was found that the performance measure for soft skills varied significantly when ranked by a measure of optimism. The performance measures considered in this study focus mainly on technical competency and task efficiency, and were therefore not well explained by attributional style. Future research should investigate pre-testing for soft skills at recruitment, interventionist training on attitude and whether that translates into improved soft skill performance, and the reassessment of current call centre performance measurements.