Thesis (MCur)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Absenteeism is a problem all over the world and a solution cannot be easily found. This is also a challenge faced by employers in South Africa. Absenteeism exacerbates the difficulty of health service delivery in many countries where the number of nurses available is insufficient to meet all of the healthcare demands in the health care sector, in this regard South Africa is no exception to this problem. The annual loss to the South African economy caused by absenteeism is between R12 billion and R19.144 billion per year. A combination of factors, namely characteristics of the nurse, the workplace, management, as well as characteristics of the organisation can influence absenteeism. Absenteeism of nurses is on the increase at primary care centres in the Ethekwini municipal district and it has a negative impact on provision of health care services where the study is proposed. It is imperative that sufficient nursing staff be available for duty to provide services to clients. No research on absenteeism has been conducted at these institutions. Therefore, identifying the contributing factors in order to be able to manage it effectively is essential. The aim of this research was to identify factors that contribute to absenteeism of nurses at eight primary care centres in the Ethekwini municipal district of KwaZulu- Natal. A quantitative descriptive exploratory research design was applied for this purpose. The population was all categories of permanently employed nursing staff working at the eight primary care centres. The total population consisted of 689 nurses. Following a pilot study consisting of 10% of the total sample, a research sample was compiled by means of a simple random sampling method and included 30% of all categories of nurses – registered nurses, enrolled nurses and nursing assistants. Hundred and ninety one nurses out of 209 responded to the research study, which sets the response rate at 91%. Data was collected by means of an existing questionnaire. The questionnaire focused on the characteristics of the nurse, manager, work environment and organisation in order to identify factors that contribute to absenteeism of nurses. The data was analysed with the support of a statistician and was expressed as frequencies in tables and histograms. Descriptive statistical analyses, including tests for statistical associations, were performed. Results of this study indicate significant relationships between characteristics of the nurse, the manager, workplace and the organisation. Factors that were identified included stress, staff shortage, work overload, lack of promotion opportunities, lack of child care facilities, lack of appreciation and feedback, bureaucratic leadership styles, inflexible working schedules and lack of a satisfactory reward system. The results further indicate no significant relationship between demographical variables and absenteeism. Recommendations based on the results were offered and recommendations for future research were made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Afwesigheid is ’n probleem dwarsoor die wêreld waarvoor daar nie ’n maklike oplossing gevind kan word nie. Dit is ook ’n uitdaging wat werkgewers in Suid-Afrika in die gesig staar. Afwesigheid vergroot die struikelblok om gesondheidsdienste in menige lande te verskaf waar die aantal beskikbare verpleegsters onvoldoende is vir die gesondheidssorgaanvraag. In hierdie opsig is Suid-Afrika geen uitsondering nie. Die jaarlikse verlies aan inkomste vir die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie veroorsaak deur afwesigheid is tussen R12 en R19.144 biljoen per jaar. ’n Kombinasie van faktore, naamlik kenmerke van die vepleegster, die bestuurder, die werkplek, asook kenmerke van die organisasie kan afwesigheid beïnvloed. Afwesigheid van verpleegsters is aan die toeneem by gesondheidssorg gemeenskapsentrums in die Ethekwini-distrik in Kwazulu-Natal en dit het ’n negatiewe impak op die voorsiening van gesondheidssorgdienste waar die studie onderneem is. Dit is noodsaaklik dat voldoende verpleegpersoneel beskikbaar moet wees vir diensverskaffing aan kliënte. Geen navorsing oor afwesigheid is al onderneem by hierdie inrigtings nie. Die identifisering van die faktore wat bydra tot afwesigheid van die werk is essensieel sodat die probleem effektief bestuur kan word. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om die faktore te identifiseer wat bydra tot die afwesigheid van verpleegsters by agt primêre gesondheidssorg gemeenskapsentrums in die Ethekwini munisipale distrik van KwaZulu-Natal. ’n Kwantitatiewe beskrywende, ondersoekende navorsingsontwerp is toegepas vir hierdie doel. Die populasie het bestaan uit alle kategorieë van permanent aangestelde verpleegpersoneel wat werk by agt primêre gesondheidssorg gemeenskapsentrums. Die totale populasie het bestaan uit 689 verpleegsters. Na ’n loodsprojek van 10% van die totale steekproef, is ’n navorsingssteekproef saamgestel deur middel van ’n eenvoudige ewekansige steekproefmetode wat 30% van alle kategorieë verpleegsters ingesluit het, naamlik geregistreerde verpleegsters, ingeskrewe verpleegsters en verpleegassistente. Honderd een-en-negentig verpleegsters uit 209 het reageer op die navorsingsondersoek wat ‘n responsvlak van 91% daargestel het. Data is ingesamel deur middel van ’n bestaande vraelys. Die vraelys het gefokus op die eienskappe van die verpleegster, die bestuurder, werksomgewing en organisasie ten einde die faktore te identifiseer wat bydrae tot die afwesigheid van verpleegsters. Die data is geanaliseer met die ondersteuning van ’n statistikus en is uitgedruk as frekwensies in tabelle en histogramme en diagramme. Beskrywende statistiese analises, insluitende toetse vir statistiese assosiasies is uitgevoer. Resultate van hierdie studie dui aan dat ‘n beduidende verhouding bestaan tussen die kenmerke van die verpleegster, die bestuurder, werkplek, organisasie en afwesigheid van die werk. Faktore wat geidentifiseer is sluit in stress, personeel tekort, werkoorlading, gebrekkige bevorderingsgeleenthede, afwesigheid van fasiliteite vir die versorging van klein kinders, gebrek aan waardering en terugvoer, burokratiese leierskapstyle, onbuigbare werkskedules en ‘n gebrek aan ‘n bevredigende vergoedingstelsel. Die resultate van hierdie studie dui verder aan dat daar geen verband bestaan tussen demografiese veranderlikes en afwesigheid nie. Aanbevelings ten opsigte van die resultate is gemaak, asook aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing.

Thesis (M. Tech. (Labour Relations Management)--Vaal University of Technology / Sectoral Determination 7: Domestic Worker Sector was proclaimed by the Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana, and has stipulated the minimum employment conditions for the domestic worker sector since 1 September 2002. The purpose of this study evolved from the problem statement which clearly indicated the need for the assessment of awareness and compliance within the domestic worker sector. A detailed literature review enabled the researcher's orientation to the historical context of the sector as well as the need for transformation. Ultimately, the Determination's stipulations guided the assessment of both awareness (knowledge) and compliance (actions that correspond with legislative obligations) during an empirical review. A survey design was used to obtain responses from both domestic workers and employers of domestic workers, who were not necessarily in a direct employment relationship, within the Emfuleni Local Municipal District. Collected data was statistically captured and analysed. Desc1iptive statistics indicated that both employers and domestic workers have limited awareness with regard to the stipulations of Sectoral Determination 7. Results further indicated the difficulty in making a general pronouncement regarding compliance levels. It is suggested that compliance should be considered per individual stipulation of the Determination. The study concludes with the researcher's recommendation that more must be done to raise awareness within the sector amongst both employers of domestic workers and domestic workers. It was also recommended that more labour inspectors be made available not only to ensure the enforcement of Sectoral Dete1mination 7 (compliance) but also to facilitate the creation of continuous awareness.

Thesis (M. Tech. (Labour Relations Management)--Vaal University of Technology / When the South African authorities decided, in the 1970's, to recognize statutorily other Black workers who were engaged in other spheres of employment as employees, domestic workers were excluded from all Industrial Legislation. This resulted from the fact that domestic work, as an occupation, had been excluded from the definition of an employee. It is estimated that over one million people are engaged in this service, comprising eleven percent of overall employment in the informal sector of the South African economy. This significantly large sector of the labour market performs its work under some of the most oppressive working conditions and such exploitation is unchallenged, as it has been noted that some domestic workers do not sign contracts of employment with their employers on appointment, which can lead to insecurity in the domestic worker sector. The purpose of this research was to determine the efficiency of the contract of employment and its effect on the job security of domestic workers. Through a theoretical foundation, a number of studies have advocated that the contract of employment can be trusted to be the perfect instrument in securing jobs in the domestic sector. A survey was carried out for measuring job security. The research instruments used for data collection from 203 domestic workers, were interviews and questionnaires. The SPSS program was used to analyze the data. The results of the empirical study are presented and discussed in detail. Findings of this study revealed, that the majority of domestic workers don't have contracts of employment while a very small percentage of domestic workers do have contracts. Conclusions drawn, indicated that domestic workers who have signed contracts, enjoy reasonable conditions of employment and employment benefits than those without contracts. Recommendations based on this study are that the government encourages a very strong Trade Union Movement in the domestic sector services. The Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and/or the Department of Labour facilitates annual workshops for employers of domestic workers. The CCMA, Trade Unions and/or the Department of labour facilitate training programmes for domestic workers. The government makes it a binding norm, for every employer in the domestic sector, to conclude a contract of employment with his/her domestic worker and furnish such employee with a copy of the contract, regardless of the nature of services rendered by employee. Ongoing research on many aspects of domestic workers will enhance better conditions of employment in making the lawmakers aware of other hidden agendas that require attendance in the domestic sector.

Research presented for the degree of Master of Management in the field of Public and Development Management to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management of the University of Witwatersrand. March 2016 / As an economic hub of Africa, South Africa has been experiencing an influx of economic and political migrants leading to the ethnic diversification of its population. This trend has incited a xenophobic atmosphere due to frustrations from locals, and has led to violent attacks towards foreign nationals. In particular, the Somali population has endured a high number of attacks as this group has successfully penetrated the informal business market in the townships of South Africa. Government has responded to these xenophobic attacks by proposing, amongst others, a Licensing of Businesses Bill in 2013. The bill has been criticised by the public as it is considered a hostile policy that aims to enforce regulations that restrict foreign nationals from operating businesses in the informal sector. This political dilemma has also led to questions as to how this policy response may have an effect on social cohesion in unequal societies where violence against Somalis is prevailing. The Klipspruit community was selected as it forms part of the City of Johannesburg that has a significant amount of Somali informal traders. The purpose of the study was to examine the root causes of violence against Somalis and the potential of the governments’ policy response to mitigate this phenomenon. In particular, the study also investigated the effect of the proposed Licensing of Businesses Bill on social cohesion development between Somalis and South Africans in Klipspruit. The qualitative research findings indicate that violence against Somalis was due to the economic situation, lack of regulation, competition and business miscommunication. The responses were generally driven by the perception that the government of South Africa introduced a bill that is fostered by nationalistic interests to the detriment of foreign nationals such as Somalis. It is therefore recommended that the government develops a way to enhance power sharing in decision-making processes, monitoring and correcting inequalities amongst culturally distinct groups, promoting cultural diversity and integration through education and lastly ensuring that the government acts in a constitutional manner. / GR2018

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2008 / The aim of the study was to asses the socio-economic impact of casualisation of female farm workers and to determine whether they understand their rights as provided in labour policies. The study was conducted in the Letsitele area in the Greater Tzaneen municipality, Mopani District, Limpopo Province of South Africa. A sample of eighty female farm workers was drawn from the population. The self-constructed questionnaire elicited biographic information, the socio-economic impact of casualisation and knowledge of female farm workers about labour policies was from the respondents The findings of the study showed that casualisation of female farm workers have a large impact on their lives. The low wages that they earn are usually insufficient to meet their basic financial needs such as schooling their children, buying food, and building proper houses. It was also established that they are not properly informed about labour policies.

M. Tech. Comparative Local Development. Department of Economics / This study is a theoretical exploration of what constitutes the economic worth of domestic work in South Africa. Due to the particular conditions of the South African economy, it has been difficult to measure the economic worth of this type of labour. Domestic work was performed by housewives, but now women in South Africa seek employment in domestic labour for economic survival. This study will explore the factors which determine the value of domestic labour in the South African economy today. Though domestic employment is undervalued it contributes vastly to the formal sector directly or indirectly. Domestic workers have experienced a specific type of economic exploitation as their labour is perceived to carry low economic value because no formal training is required for domestic labour. In South Africa, government has enforced legislation that governs and protects domestic workers. This however may still not be enough to fundamentally alter the conditions of domestic work in South Africa and this study may provide a framework for a future exploration of the rationale for changing the conditions of work in this sector.

Quantitative, descriptive research was conducted to determine which factors contribute to absenteeism among nurses. A structured self-administered questionnaire was administered to the entire population of nurses who worked at a district hospital in the Limpopo Province. Statistical data analysis, involving factor analysis, frequencies and Chi-squares was performed. The findings revealed that various factors related to the characteristics of the nurse, characteristics of the manager, characteristics of the work and characteristics of the organisation contribute to absenteeism. Professional nurses and sub-professional nurses, as well as nurses younger than 40 and nurses who are 40 years and older, appeared to disagree on the extent to which various factors contribute to absenteeism in the workplace. This study was aimed at assisting organisations and managers in reducing absenteeism in the workplace, and by doing so, improving the quality of care. / Health Studies / MA (HEALTH STUDIES)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for Doctoral Degree in Philosophy – Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / South African municipalities are key institutions that are close to the heart of communities and therefore, their employees form the cornerstone of service delivery to communities. Many municipalities have been blamed for unreliable delivery of basic services whilst those that are located in rural areas still struggle to generate own revenue and faces serious skills shortages. It is important to note that there has been very little research conducted in rural districts and other similar sized municipalities on evaluating the impact of skills development, service delivery and management of learning transfer. Existing studies although they provide useful data, they seem to be aggregate, broad and not tailor made for rural district[s] and some other South African municipalities. Studies which are directed at local municipalities adopts ‘one size fit all approach’ and they did not consider that rural district municipalities have enourmous challenges in evaluating the impact of skills development in service delivery and attracting people with requisite technical and managerial expertise. According to Punia and Kant (2013) most literature on impact and evaluation of transfer training is mainly drawn from the corporate sector. Furthermore, Topno, (2012), Pallares, (2012), Bird and Cassel (2013), they similarily pointed that existing models on evaluating effectiveness of development programs in various companies have the most limitations in assessing post training job performance and organisational impact. This is supported by Wenzel and Cordery (2014 stresses that for the past 40 years, evaluation and impact of learning transfer concept remained complex, underdeveloped and with limited clearly defined empirical findings. Raliphada, Coetzee and Ukpere (2014) indicates that there are organisational factors affecting learning transfer in the South African Public Service. The identification of factors affecting learning transfer is a critical step toward ensuring that successful strategies are developed to remove barriers to learning transfer and ultimately improve implementation which leads to enhanced service delivery (Raliphada et al 2014). Since 2000, Government has undertaken steps to transform South African municipalities. However, systematic problems contributing to poor management and service delivery challenges have continued to engulf local government and in most instances such grievances translated to service delivery protests across the country. Amongst dilemmas facing local government in South Africa is the shortage of skills, poor management, corruption, conflict management and unreliable service delivery. Researchers consistently argued that grievances concerning local government relates to unreliable service delivery, shortage of skills and poor management. The purpose of this is to assess the role of line managers in implementation of skills development at the UMzinyathi rural – district and other similar sized municipalities and impact on service delivery. The study investigated perceptions of line managers, skills development facilitators and employees about the impact of skills development on service delivery at uMzinyathi District Municipality in Kwazulu Natal. The study investigated challenges experienced by managers in training and skills development. The questions were to indicate how challenges in training and skills development can be addressed in rural –district municipality and other South African municipalities. The research adopted qualitative methodology. Furthermore, thematic analysis was used for presentation and discussion of the results. The responses or data collected from participants was interpreted and analysed. The findings of the study imply that there is no human resource development strategy, absence of mentoring and coaching, managers are not involved in skills development, there are no Skills development facilitators, high management turnover, poor planning, absence of effective employee performance management system across all levels in a municipality, no proper training and development sections and there are no tools to measure impact and success of training in local municipalities of a District. The research proposes that integrative transfer of training model developed by Lee C et al (2014), be extended to UMzinyathi District municipality in KwaZulu-Natal and other South African municipalities. The study is also suggesting that existing transfer of training model be modified to add the evaluation of impact and post organisational performance. The study targeted a rural district municipality because of limited research directed at this sphere of government. The modified Integrative Transfer of training Model will contribute to the new knowledge which is currently not existing in the municipalities. The model is modified to consider not only post training job performance but to add the evaluation of organisational performance and impact influenced by skills development programmes. / D

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / Skills Development is one of the key priorities of the National Development Plan Vision for 2030, which views it (skills development) as a catalyst for the unemployment reduction in South Africa. Skills Development is a key National Priority in South Africa and requires a new approach to training and development, one that calls for positive interventions. However, a challenge has been identified, namely the lack of commitment and support to skills development by line managers at municipal level. The problem was not confined to the institutional capacity of the Municipality but included the individual capacity of the line managers who is responsible for managing employees. The challenge was ensuring that they have the relevant capacity and skills to undertake their functions. Managers are accountable for the development of their subordinates but tend to neglect their role in the area of skills development. Existing research focuses on the role of line managers in training and development and the significance of managerial support in training and development. However, there is a gap because managers understand training and development but do not understand their role in supporting and developing their subordinates, which impacts negatively on the performance of the organisation which in turn impacts negatively on the delivery of services. Human Resource Development (HRD) literature remains largely theoretical and rhetorical in encouraging line managers to take responsibility for training and development. The overall aim of the study was to identify the role of line managers in the implementation of skills development at a local municipality and the impact thereof on service delivery. A quantitative research study was undertaken to achieve the objectives of the study. One hundred and ten managers on Patterson Grades D1 to E2 were targeted for the study. They were required to complete self-administered questionnaires. The findings of the study will assist line managers to understand the positive impact that training and development has on the performance of employees, which ultimately impacts on the achievement of business goals and objectives. The findings are; • Managers understand the training and development practices of the municipality but do not know how to support the training and development of their subordinates. • Managers believe that the organisation supports training and development but do not know if the organisation has an approved Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) that is being implemented; whether the organisation has a training and development strategy which is related to the overall strategy of the organisation; and whether the training of employees is given adequate importance in the organisation and is being managed in a proactive way. • A majority of the managers believe that training and development of employees has an impact on service delivery, but cannot agree whether training and development has helped improve the performance of employees in the organisation. • In terms of what can be used to encourage managers’ buy-in to training and development within the organisation, the overall average level of agreement was 88.0% .The scores for this section demonstrated that managers lack the necessary skills and competencies when it comes to the identification of training needs and training gaps. The findings of this research has identified that although managers are experienced in local government and have an understanding of the training and development practices of the municipality, they tend to get stuck in the authoritative managerial role and cannot switch into the facilitator role, which impacts on the way that they perform their skills development function as a manager. This therefore impacts negatively on the development of employees and on the delivery of services by the municipality. Without skilled, competent employees, no services can be rendered to communities. / M

This research hypothesises a statistical positive significant correlation between job satisfaction and absenteeism among the shop floor workers of a motor manufacturing plant in the impoverished province of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. According to the literature review, two schools of thought exist that argue on the nature of the relationship. One believes that absence from work is in some way a natural consequence of job dissatisfaction, i.e. arguing for a job satisfaction-absenteeism relationship. The second one argues for a no relationship, arguing that absence is a result of habitual behaviour and or behaviours influenced by socioeconomic factors such as poverty that affect the employees' ability and pressure to attend work. A sample of 150 workers was randomly selected from the 2500 shop floor workers. The Job Descriptive Index (lDI) questionnaires were used to measure the satisfaction index of the workers. The absence statistics for the sample workers were gathered from the organisation's Human Resources department and statistical tests for correlation and regression were conducted on the two variables - lDI and absence data. Contrary to the expectations of the study, the results showed that overall job satisfaction and absenteeism were not correlated. It concluded that the job dissatisfaction theory of absenteeism is empirically unsupportable and alternative conceptualisations of absence contributors and potentially fruitful research strategies are discussed.