Text in Afrikaans / 'n Opname is onder geregistreerde verpleegkundiges in diens van plaaslike besture onderneem met die doel om 'n perspektief op die gehalte van hul werkslewe te verkry, faktore te identifiseer wat hulle motiveer om 'n loopbaan in plaaslike besture te kies en die faktore te identifiseer wat werkstevredenheid positief /negatief be"lnvloed. Ontleding van die data het aangedui dat negatiewe faktore in die werkslewe soos onder andere die gebrek aan deelname in besluitneming en beperkte loopbaangeleenthede werksontevredenheid tot gevolg kan he. Positiewe faktore soos die geleentheid om gereelde diensure te werk en die status wat geregistreerde verpleegkundiges in die gemeenskap geniet, bevorder werkstevredenheid. Dit is hoofsaaklik hul belangstelling in primere gesondheidsorg en die geleentheid om gereelde diensure te werk wat geregistreerde verpleegkundiges motiveer om 'n loopbaan in plaaslike besture te kies. Aanbevelings om die kwaliteit van die werkslewe van geregistreerde verpleegkundiges te verbeter en werkstevredenheid te bevorder, is geformuleer. / A survey was undertaken among registered nurses in the service of local authorities to obtain a perspective on the quality of their worklife, to identify factors that influence registered nurses in local authorities and to identify those factors that influence the quality of the worklife and job satisfaction positively /negatively. Analysis of the data indicated that negative factors in the worklife such as limited participation in decision-making and limited career opportunities could lead to dissatisfaction in the work situation. Positive factors such as the ability to work regular hours and the status of registered nurses in the community promote job satisfaction. It is mainly their interest in primary health care and the opportunity to work regular hours of duty, that motivate registered nurses to choose a career in local authorities. Recommendations to improve the quality of the worklife of registered nurses and to promote job satisfaction were formulated. / Nursing Science / M.A. (Verpleegkunde)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Commercial Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2012. / Stress management is becoming more and more important as workloads increase. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2005:1-22) estimates that there will be a gradual rise in the number of people experiencing mental health difficulties in the workplace by the year 2020. Current trends indicate an emphasis on the employer's responsibility to provide services that meet their employees' mental health (WHO, 2005:1-22). International organizations such as the European Union and the World Health Organizations have thus been making recommendations about the measures that employers need to take to tackle workplace stress and promote employee wellbeing. Research indicates that employee wellbeing is determined both by an individual's personality and the context of the work situation. Employers can have a huge impact on employee wellbeing, by creating appropriate work demands, support and levels of control, effective communication and engagement, supportive leadership and management and by promoting activities that improve health and wellbeing. This research attempted to better understand the happy/productive worker thesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of job satisfaction on the wellbeing of administrative staff at the Durban University of Technology (OUT). A mixed methods approach was used to collect data in the form of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from administrative staff on the six campuses of DUT. Analysis of results indicated that: job satisfaction significantly impacts on the wellbeing of employees; staff were unhappy with their work conditions and this subsequently led to physiological symptoms of stress and which in turn negatively impacted on the their health; and were experiencing many symptoms of burnout. Further investigation is needed to fully understand the predictors of burnout, i.e. the organizational and individual factors that impact burnout so that appropriate interventions may be put into place to increase employee wellbeing. / M

Text in Afrikaans / 'n Opname is onder geregistreerde verpleegkundiges in diens van plaaslike besture onderneem met die doel om 'n perspektief op die gehalte van hul werkslewe te verkry, faktore te identifiseer wat hulle motiveer om 'n loopbaan in plaaslike besture te kies en die faktore te identifiseer wat werkstevredenheid positief /negatief be"lnvloed. Ontleding van die data het aangedui dat negatiewe faktore in die werkslewe soos onder andere die gebrek aan deelname in besluitneming en beperkte loopbaangeleenthede werksontevredenheid tot gevolg kan he. Positiewe faktore soos die geleentheid om gereelde diensure te werk en die status wat geregistreerde verpleegkundiges in die gemeenskap geniet, bevorder werkstevredenheid. Dit is hoofsaaklik hul belangstelling in primere gesondheidsorg en die geleentheid om gereelde diensure te werk wat geregistreerde verpleegkundiges motiveer om 'n loopbaan in plaaslike besture te kies. Aanbevelings om die kwaliteit van die werkslewe van geregistreerde verpleegkundiges te verbeter en werkstevredenheid te bevorder, is geformuleer. / A survey was undertaken among registered nurses in the service of local authorities to obtain a perspective on the quality of their worklife, to identify factors that influence registered nurses in local authorities and to identify those factors that influence the quality of the worklife and job satisfaction positively /negatively. Analysis of the data indicated that negative factors in the worklife such as limited participation in decision-making and limited career opportunities could lead to dissatisfaction in the work situation. Positive factors such as the ability to work regular hours and the status of registered nurses in the community promote job satisfaction. It is mainly their interest in primary health care and the opportunity to work regular hours of duty, that motivate registered nurses to choose a career in local authorities. Recommendations to improve the quality of the worklife of registered nurses and to promote job satisfaction were formulated. / Nursing Science / M.A. (Verpleegkunde)

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / Optimal performance outcomes when working from home (small office home office) (SOHO) refers to the impact of job satisfaction and work-life-balance on it. Working from home doesn't have an effect on job satisfaction but does influence work-life-balance positively. Two hypotheses were investigated: (1) whether the job satisfaction of employees working from home at Alexander Forbes was affected and (2) whether the work-life-balance of employees working from home at Alexander Forbes was affected.

Yadav & Khanna (2015) argue that quality of work life (QWL) defines the life at work and the life at home with family members. The work of research-fieldworkers is an exceptional work in that it requires them to frequent households and commercial businesses, unlike other occupations where the work is conducted at the workplace of the employer. The private households by their very nature, and the locations where these households are based present risky conditions to the research-fieldworkers. In order for remedial measures to be suggested that can be implemented to improve the QWL of the research-fieldworkers of the agency, the perceptions of the QWL need to be investigated. Research objectives: To address the research problem, research objectives and questions were established. The main objective of the study is to investigate the perceptions of the QWL of the research-fieldworkers of the research agency in the Western Cape with the goal of improving employee performance through the cost effective interventions that will be implemented. Research questions: Three research questions were established and these were; What is the QWL among the research-fieldworkers in the Western Cape? Do some groups, distinguished by gender, age, work experience, working hours and location experience significantly different levels of QWL? Which measures can be recommended for maximizing QWL among the research-fieldworkers in the Western Cape Province? Research design: The nature of this research is descriptive in nature. The study used a self-administered questionnaire to collect work-related quality of life information from research-fieldworkers. Major findings: The results above show that research-fieldworkers perceptions of the QWL were more affected by the location, working hours and age sub-groups. Gender, family responsibility and marital status did not have much impact on the perceptions of research-fieldworkers on the QWL. Differences were observed with regards to control at work, stress at work, home-work interface against sub-groups. Lastly, the fieldworkers’ perceptions about the working conditions were negative for all the sub-groups. For example, the results show that there are poor working conditions for research-fieldworkers of the agency. This was evident irrespective of gender, age, family responsibility, hours of work and location.

M. Tech. (Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / It is essential for universities of technology to employ academics who are willing to go beyond the requirements of the job to contribute to the university’s effectiveness. The developing trend in the organisational behaviour literature indicates that quality of work life (QWL) and job satisfaction are attitudes that have a major impact on organisational outcomes such as productivity, job performance, turnover intention and happiness. Although the relationship between the aforementioned constructs is considered important, there is a scarcity of research regarding these constructs in the context of a university of technology (UoT) in South Africa. The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between quality of work life, job satisfaction and happiness among academics at a UoT in southern Gauteng, South Africa. A quantitative research approach and a survey-based descriptive method was used to achieve the primary objective. A structured questionnaire was distributed among 300 academic employees at a UoT in southern Gauteng, South Africa. Means and factor analysis were performed to gather insights of employees in terms of factors of QWL, job satisfaction and happiness of employees and to establish the underlying factors of the constructs respectively. Additionally, a correlation analysis was conducted to establish the strength and direction of the association among the constructs. Finally, a regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive relationship between the constructs. The results of this study indicated positive significant correlations between the factors of QWL, job satisfaction and happiness. Regarding model 1, QWL was entered as the independent variable, and job satisfaction as the dependent variable. With reference to model 2, the independent variable was job satisfaction and happiness the dependent variable. Regression analysis indicated positive predictive relationships between the five factors of QWL and job satisfaction and between job satisfaction and happiness. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the workload of academics should be reassessed to reduce pressure, task overload and mental exhaustion that will negatively impact on the QWL. Furthermore, employee involvement in decision making should be introduced to improve academics' job satisfaction. Finally, self-efficacy should be considered to assist academics to have confidence in their abilities to complete their work or achieve their goals.

In contemporary society, work and home represent the two most significant domains in the life of working individuals. South Africa’s socioeconomic, political, and societal circumstances will influence employees’ experiences of work-life balance differently, compared to that of employees in other countries, suggesting that the construction of work-life balance amongst different race and cultural groups may differ. The present study used in-depth qualitative interviews with ten black women and men employed in a customer care environment, to explore their construction of work-life balance. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse the data and identify themes. This study suggests that work-life balance is a unique experience for individuals, which varies over time and in different situations. The study confirmed that attaining work-life balance is a process of balancing ever-changing experiences over time, and in different life stages. The results of this study are also discussed in relation to the relevant literature. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om te bepaal of betekenisvolle verskille bestaan tussen werknemerdoeltreffendheid en persepsies van gehalte van werklewe van bemagtigde en niebemagtigde skofwerkers in die Suid-Afrikaanse petrochemiese bedryf. Skofwerknavorsing het gedurende die afgelope dekade internasionaal toegeneem. Hiermee gepaardgaande het verskeie intervensies ontstaan om die doeltreffendheid van skofwerkers en hulle gehalte van werklewe te bevorder. Deur gebruik te maak van 'n gekombineerde vraelys ("Standard Shiftwork Index") en werklike data ten opsigte van afwesigheid en prestasiebeoordelings, is 'n steekproef van 102 gevalle geanaliseer. 'n 90 persent betroubaarheidinterval is gebruik om waardes ten opsigte van elke veranderlike te bepaal. Daar is bevind dat werknemerbemagtiging weinig invloed het op skofwerkers se werkbywoning. Daar is ook gevind dat werknemerbemagtiging nie lei tot 'n meer positiewe persepsie, by toesighouers, van skofwerkwerkers se algemene werkprestasie nie. Daar is egter bevind dat skofwerkers se persepsies van hulle gehalte van werklewe, ten opsigte van werkdissatisfaksie, chroniese vermoeidheid en tevredenheid met sosiale omstandighede, wel positiefbelnvloed word deur werknemerbemagtiging. Aanbevelings is gemaak ten opsigte van die aanwending van werknemerbemagtiging, as intervensie in skofwerkomgewings, asook vir verdere skofwerknavorsing in Suid-Afrika. / The purpose of this research was to determine if significant differences exist between employee effectiveness and perceptions of quality of working life of empowered and non-empowered shiftworkers in the South-African petrochemical industry. By using the Standard Shiftwork Index and real absenteeism and appraisal data, a sample of 102 cases was analysed. A 90 percent confidence interval was used to determine t-values for variables. It was found that empowerment has little influence on the work attendance of shiftworkers and that empowerment does not lead to more positive perceptions of general work performance of shiftworkers, among their supervisors. It was, however, found that shiftworkers' perceptions of their quality of working life are improved by empowerment in respect of work dissatisfaction, chronic fatigue and satisfaction with social circumstances. Suggestions were made concerning the use of empowerment, as an intervention, in shiftwork environments and for future shiftwork research in South-Africa. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M.Comm. (Bedryfsielkunde)

This researcher investigates the role of communication satisfaction in job satisfaction in the Department of Communications, a government policy-making institution that deals with post, telecommunications, and broadcasting services in South Africa. This study describes communication satisfaction as the overall degree of satisfaction an employee perceives in his total communication environment and job satisfaction as the degree of satisfaction the individual feels with his job. Focus groups are used to explore the role of communication satisfaction in job satisfaction in the Department of Communications because they are appropriate and suitable in capturing the discussions reflecting emotions, particularly uncovering individuals' feelings about their environment. The emphasis is on finding out how communication motivates and makes employees satisfied in their jobs. Qualitative content analysis, based on transcriptions from audiotapes, is used for interpretation and analysis of the data. These transcnptions reflect the descriptive nature of the data and people's own spoken words. / Communication Science / M. A. (Communication)

In contemporary society, work and home represent the two most significant domains in the life of working individuals. South Africa’s socioeconomic, political, and societal circumstances will influence employees’ experiences of work-life balance differently, compared to that of employees in other countries, suggesting that the construction of work-life balance amongst different race and cultural groups may differ. The present study used in-depth qualitative interviews with ten black women and men employed in a customer care environment, to explore their construction of work-life balance. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse the data and identify themes. This study suggests that work-life balance is a unique experience for individuals, which varies over time and in different situations. The study confirmed that attaining work-life balance is a process of balancing ever-changing experiences over time, and in different life stages. The results of this study are also discussed in relation to the relevant literature. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)