The objectives of this study were to determine whether job embeddedness and organisational commitment significantly predict voluntary turnover, and whether people from different gender, race and age groups differ significantly in their job embeddedness, organisational commitment and voluntary turnover. The Job Embeddedness Scale (JES), Organisational Commitment Scale (OCS) and Voluntary Turnover Scale (VTS) were used as measuring instruments. A stratified random sample of 102 full-time employed higher education academics participated in the study. Multiple regression analyses showed that organisation fit and community links and normative commitment significantly and positively predicted the participants’ intentions to stay at the institution. Significant differences were observed between the job embeddedness and intention to stay of the gender and race groups. The findings of the current study add to the knowledge base on the turnover intentions of academic staff, contributing to the field of career psychology. In conclusion, the study makes recommendations for retention practices and future research. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The objective of this study was: (1) to determine the relationship between job embeddedness (measured by the Job Embeddedness Scale), work engagement (measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale), and turnover intention (measured by the Turnover Intention Scale); and (2) to determine whether employees from different groups, namely age, race, gender, marital status and tenure differ significantly in their levels of job embeddedness, work engagement and turnover intention. A quantitative survey was conducted on a non-probability purposive sample (N = 153) of staff in a higher education institution. Correlational analyses revealed significant relationships between job embeddedness, work engagement and turnover intention. Multiple regression analyses showed that organisation links and dedication negatively predicted the participants’ turnover intention. Significant differences between age, race, gender, marital status and tenure were also found. The findings contribute valuable knowledge to the field of Career Psychology and can be applied in the retention of employees in the higher education institution. The study concludes with recommendations for future research and practice. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This research focused on constructing a psychological profile for change interventions by investigating both the interrelationships and overall relationships between work stress (as the independent variable), psychological attachment (job embeddedness and organisational commitment) (as the mediating variables) and attitudes towards change (as the dependent variable). A non-experimental cross-sectional quantitative survey design approach using standardised valid and reliable measuring instruments (Sources of Job Stress Scale, Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, Job Embededdness Questionnaire, Attitudes towards Change Questionnaire) was used on a non-probability purposive sample of employees from one of the largest, fast-moving consumer goods companies in South Africa (N = 350), ranging from administrative to executive level. Bivariate correlations showed a statistically positive inter-relationship between sources of work stress, psychological attachment (job embeddedness and organisational commitment) and attitudes towards change. A canonical correlation analysis indicated a significant overall relationship between the sources of work stress, psychological attachment (job embeddedness and organisational commitment) and attitudes towards change dispositions. Mediation modelling revealed the mediating role of psychological attachment (organisational commitment and job embeddedness) in the sources of work stress and attitudes towards change relationship. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses showed that age and gender significantly moderated the relationship between individuals’ sources of work stress and their attitudes towards change dispositions. Tests for mean differences revealed that significant differences exist between age and sources of work stress, affective and continuance commitment, fit and sacrifice embeddedness. Differences exist between race groups’ affective and continuance commitment. Job security is a concern across all employment levels in the organisation. Individuals at an executive, upper administrative and administrative level revealed significant differences in terms of their continuance commitment. Cognitive and behavioural attitudes towards change did not differ significantly across all employment levels. At a theoretical level, this study developed an understanding of the cognitive, affective, conative and interpersonal behavioural dimensions of the hypothesised psychological profile to manage change. At an empirical level, it developed an empirically tested psychological profile for change interventions in terms of the various behavioural dimensions. At a practical level, organisational change practices in terms of the behavioural dimensions of the psychological profile were recommended. / Psychology / D. Phil. (Psychology)

The objective of this study was: (1) to determine the relationship between job embeddedness (measured by the Job Embeddedness Scale), work engagement (measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale), and turnover intention (measured by the Turnover Intention Scale); and (2) to determine whether employees from different groups, namely age, race, gender, marital status and tenure differ significantly in their levels of job embeddedness, work engagement and turnover intention. A quantitative survey was conducted on a non-probability purposive sample (N = 153) of staff in a higher education institution. Correlational analyses revealed significant relationships between job embeddedness, work engagement and turnover intention. Multiple regression analyses showed that organisation links and dedication negatively predicted the participants’ turnover intention. Significant differences between age, race, gender, marital status and tenure were also found. The findings contribute valuable knowledge to the field of Career Psychology and can be applied in the retention of employees in the higher education institution. The study concludes with recommendations for future research and practice. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This research focused on constructing a psychological profile for change interventions by investigating both the interrelationships and overall relationships between work stress (as the independent variable), psychological attachment (job embeddedness and organisational commitment) (as the mediating variables) and attitudes towards change (as the dependent variable). A non-experimental cross-sectional quantitative survey design approach using standardised valid and reliable measuring instruments (Sources of Job Stress Scale, Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, Job Embededdness Questionnaire, Attitudes towards Change Questionnaire) was used on a non-probability purposive sample of employees from one of the largest, fast-moving consumer goods companies in South Africa (N = 350), ranging from administrative to executive level. Bivariate correlations showed a statistically positive inter-relationship between sources of work stress, psychological attachment (job embeddedness and organisational commitment) and attitudes towards change. A canonical correlation analysis indicated a significant overall relationship between the sources of work stress, psychological attachment (job embeddedness and organisational commitment) and attitudes towards change dispositions. Mediation modelling revealed the mediating role of psychological attachment (organisational commitment and job embeddedness) in the sources of work stress and attitudes towards change relationship. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses showed that age and gender significantly moderated the relationship between individuals’ sources of work stress and their attitudes towards change dispositions. Tests for mean differences revealed that significant differences exist between age and sources of work stress, affective and continuance commitment, fit and sacrifice embeddedness. Differences exist between race groups’ affective and continuance commitment. Job security is a concern across all employment levels in the organisation. Individuals at an executive, upper administrative and administrative level revealed significant differences in terms of their continuance commitment. Cognitive and behavioural attitudes towards change did not differ significantly across all employment levels. At a theoretical level, this study developed an understanding of the cognitive, affective, conative and interpersonal behavioural dimensions of the hypothesised psychological profile to manage change. At an empirical level, it developed an empirically tested psychological profile for change interventions in terms of the various behavioural dimensions. At a practical level, organisational change practices in terms of the behavioural dimensions of the psychological profile were recommended. / Psychology / D. Phil. (Psychology)

L’objectif de la présente thèse est de mieux expliquer le concept de retrait organisationnel et ses déterminants. À travers l’étude de la littérature plus générale des comportements contreproductifs et celle du retrait organisationnel, nous exposons les différentes facettes du retrait organisationnel tant sur le plan du retrait du travail que sur le plan du retrait de l’emploi. Nous proposons également une nouvelle définition du retrait organisationnel, une typologie du retrait du travail et un modèle théorique intégrateur multi-niveaux du retrait organisationnel. Ce modèle original avancé dans cette thèse, duquel découle un certain nombre de propositions théoriques, mobilise principalement l’approche sociologique multi-niveaux, le modèle de l’adaptation en comportement organisationnel, ainsi que la perspective du contrat psychologique et celle de l’ancrage dans l’emploi. L’approche sociologique multi-niveaux de Marchand et al. (2006) permet de répertorier plusieurs déterminants du comportement et/ ou de l’attitude dans les différentes sphères de la vie de l’individu qui, selon le modèle de l’adaptation de Rosse et Miller (1984), agit en s’adaptant adéquatement aux différentes situations au travail. La présente thèse utilise également la perspective du contrat psychologique de Rousseau (1989, 1990). Il s’agit d’une approche pertinente dans l’explication des réactions comportementales et/ou attitudinales de l’employé dans une optique d’échange social (Blau, 1964), suite à une évaluation du degré de respect de son contrat psychologique par son employeur. Cette évaluation porte sur l’ensemble des conditions de travail dans le cadre de la relation d’emploi. Nous privilégions également la perspective de l’ancrage dans l’emploi de Mitchell et al. (2001) pour démontrer que les liens sociaux tissés entre l’employé et les personnes dans son organisation pourraient atténuer l’intensité ou l’ampleur des réponses comportementales et/ou attitudinales négatives résultant d’une situation de non-respect du contrat psychologique de celui-ci de la part de son employeur. Afin de vérifier l’impact du respect du contrat psychologique ainsi que de l’ancrage dans l’emploi dans l’adoption du retrait organisationnel, nous avons choisi d’étudier plus spécifiquement le cynisme comme attitude de retrait du travail et ce, dans le cadre d’un devis quantitatif transversal ainsi que le départ volontaire comme comportement de retrait de l’emploi dans le cadre d’un devis quantitatif longitudinal. Les résultats de régressions multiples multi-niveaux de ces deux études indiquent la présence de certains facteurs de protection et de certains facteurs de risque associés à l’adoption du cynisme et du départ volontaire. L’utilisation des compétences au travail, le fait de recevoir de la reconnaissance et le fait qu’il existe des possibilités de développement de carrière constituent des facteurs communs de prévention contre le cynisme et le départ volontaire. De plus, le soutien reçu de la part du superviseur permet de prévenir les attitudes cyniques au travail, alors que la présence de demandes psychologiques élevées au travail, le fait d’être exposé à des horaires irréguliers et de vivre une certaine insécurité d’emploi pourraient augmenter le cynisme. Les résultats indiquent également que le soutien social des collègues, ainsi que la présence de possibilités de développement de carrière, jouent un rôle conjoint dans la prévention du départ volontaire. Quant à la prévention du cynisme, à la fois le soutien social du superviseur et celui des collègues jouent un rôle supplémentaire de protection contre l’attitude cynique éventuelle chez l’employé qui perçoit le non-respect de son contrat psychologique en matière d’utilisation des compétences, d’autorité décisionnelle, de reconnaissance, de développement de carrière et d’insécurité d’emploi. Nous avons également réalisé une troisième étude quasi-expérimentale, selon un devis quantitatif transversal, sur les déterminants du départ volontaire. Les résultats de l’ANOVA sur le test de trois conditions expérimentales (cynisme, soutien social et durée du soutien social) sur le départ volontaire indiquent que le fait d’être cynique ou le fait de recevoir un faible soutien social augmentent l’intention de quitter chez l’employé. De plus, ces faits, vécus sur une longue durée augmentent davantage l’intention de quitter son emploi. La présente thèse permet de faire avancer les connaissances théoriques et empiriques en matière de retrait organisationnel, de cynisme et de départ volontaire. Elle se conclut sur des recommandations possibles pour les praticiens vers une intervention intégrée pour prévenir ces deux réponses possibles à des conditions insatisfaisantes au travail. La thèse souligne l’importance pour l’employé d’utiliser pleinement ses compétences au travail, d’être reconnu pour ses efforts et contributions à l’organisation et d’avoir des opportunités suffisantes de développement et d’avancement de carrière dans le cadre de son emploi. / The purpose of this thesis is to better explain the concept of organizational withdrawal and its determinants. Through the study of the more general literature on counterproductive behavior and organizational withdrawal, we expose the different facets of organizational withdrawal in terms of both work withdrawal and job withdrawal, a definition of organizational withdrawal, a typology of work withdrawal and a multilevel integrative theoretical model of organizational withdrawal. This original model advanced in this thesis, from which a certain number of theoretical propositions arise, mainly mobilizes the multilevel sociological approach, the model of adaptation in organizational behavior, as well as the perspective of the psychological contract and that of job embeddedness. The multilevel sociological approach of Marchand et al. (2006) identifies several determinants of behavior and / or attitude in the different spheres of the individual's life which, according to Rosse and Miller's adaptation model (1984), acts by adapting appropriately to different situations at work. The present thesis also uses the perspective of Rousseau's psychological contract (1989, 1990). It is a relevant approach in the explanation of the behavioral and / or attitudinal reactions of the employee, with a view to social exchange (Blau, 1964), following an assessment of the degree of respect of his psychological contract by his employer. This assessment covers several working conditions in the employment relationship. We also favor the job embeddedness perspective of Mitchell et al. (2001) to demonstrate that the social connections that exist between the employee and the persons in organization could reduce the intensity or magnitude of the negative behavioral and / or attitudinal responses resulting from a situation of non-compliance with the psychological contract of the latter by his employer. In order to verify the impact of the respect of the psychological contract as well as the job embeddedness on the adoption of the organizational withdrawal, we chose to study more specifically the cynicism as attitude of work withdrawal in the frame of transversal quantitative estimate as well as voluntary departure as a behavior job withdrawal in the context of a long-term quantitative estimate. The results of multiple multilevel regressions of these two studies indicate the presence of certain protective factors as well as certain risk factors associated with the adoption of cynicism and voluntary leaving. The use of one's skills in the workplace, receiving recognition for the work and the presence career development opportunities are common factors in preventing cynicism and voluntary departure. In addition, the support received from the supervisor helps to prevent cynical attitudes at work, while the presence of high psychological demands at work, being exposed to irregular hours and experiencing job insecurity could increase cynicism. The results also indicate that social support from colleagues and the presence of career development opportunities play a joint role in preventing voluntary departure. As for the prevention of cynicism, both social support from the supervisor and colleagues play an additional role of protection against the cynical attitude possible to develop by the employee who perceives the non-respect of his psychological contract as regards use of skills, decision-making authority, recognition, career development and job insecurity. We also carried out a third quasi-experimental study, according to a cross-sectional quantitative estimate, on the determinants of voluntary leaving. The results of the ANOVA regarding the effects of three experimental conditions (cynicism, social support, and duration of social support) on voluntary leaving indicate that being cynical or receiving weak social support increases the intention to leave. In addition, being cynical, receiving weak social support for a long time is the situation that further increases the intention to quit one's job. This thesis helps to advance the theoretical and empirical knowledge of organizational withdrawal, cynicism and voluntary departure and concludes with possible recommendations for practitioners to an integrated intervention to prevent these two possible responses to unsatisfactory conditions at work. The thesis stresses the importance for the employee to fully utilize his skills at work, to be recognized for his efforts and contributions to the organization and to have sufficient opportunities for career development and advancement within the framework of his job.

<p dir="ltr">In recent years, the agricultural industry has been working to improve the retention of their newly hired Black employees. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, millennial employees across the United States have been voluntarily leaving their jobs in favor of hybrid or remote work, better benefits, or an improved work environment. Today, the median tenure of millennials is only 2.8 years on the job, and research has shown that Black employees are 30% more likely to leave their positions. The agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) sector is more heavily represented in rural America, where the Black population makes up just 7.8% and the White population comprises 78.2%. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the workplace and community embeddedness experiences of young Black professionals early in their AFNR careers. Specifically, the lived experiences of young Black professionals in their positions for five years or less were investigated through interviews with participants to examine the contributors of their embeddedness. Job Embeddedness Theory informed the study and seven young Black AFNR professionals participated in virtual Zoom interviews lasting an average of 75 minutes. Initial, structural, and pattern coding techniques were used to analyze the data, and three major conclusions emerged. First, many young Black professionals have chosen a career in the AFNR sector because they desire to engage with meaningful work related to the agricultural industry. Second, my participants had to overcome many obstacles related to their age or race that impacted their abilities to become more embedded in their workplaces or communities. Finally, an extensive network of linkages to other Black professionals at work or in the community provides young Black professionals with more substantial support and visibility. Implications for theory and practice were provided, along with recommendations for future research.</p>

Konkurrensen på arbetsmarknaden är idag hög och det blir allt viktigare för organisationer att vara attraktiva arbetsgivare för att kunna attrahera och behålla personal. De olika generationerna som idag är yrkesverksamma har enligt forskning olika förväntningar och idéer om vad som identifierar en attraktiv arbetsgivare. Det är därför viktigt för organisationer att ta hänsyn till generationernas olika förväntningar och anpassa sitt arbetsgivarvarumärke därefter. I denna studie undersöker vi en organisation som upplever svårigheter att behålla medarbetare i generation Y och Z. Vi vill därmed identifiera vad dessa personer anser är attraktivt arbete, hur organisationen arbetar för att vara en attraktiv arbetsgivare och hur anställda och tidigare anställda inom generation Y &amp; Z upplever att organisationen kan utvecklas. Denna studie bygger på en kvalitativ metod, datainsamlingen har skett genom semistrukturerade intervjuer samt information från avvecklingssamtal. Tillsammans med teorin och datainsamlingen indikerar studien att generation Y och Z lägger stor vikt vid bland annat feedback, flexibilitet och utveckling på arbetsplatsen. Andra identifierade faktorer har också visat sig ha betydelse, bland annat lön, relationer och ledarskap. Slutligen diskuteras förbättringsförslag till organisationen som kan bidra till att behålla medarbetare i generation Y och Z i framtiden. / In today’s labor market the competition is high and it is becoming increasingly important for organizations to be attractive employers in order to attract and retain employees. According to research, the different generations that are currently active in the labor market have different expectations and ideas about what identifies an attractive employer. It is therefore important for organizations to consider the different expectations and adapt their employer brand to the generations they recruit accordingly. In this study, we are examining an organization that is experiencing difficulties in retaining employees in the Y and Z generation. Thus, we want to identify what these people consider attractive work, how the organization today works to be an attractive employer. As well as how employees and former employees within generation Y and Z believe that the organization can be developed. A qualitative method has been used, data collection has taken place through semi-structured interviews and information from exit interviews. Together with the theory and data collection, the study shows that generation Y and Z attaches great importance to factors such as feedback, flexibility, and development in the workplace. Other identified factors have also been found to be important, including salary, relationships in the workplace and leadership. Finally, suggestions for improvements to the organization that can help to retain employees ingeneration Y and Z in the future are discussed.