The objective of this study was to: (1) assess the overall wellness climate profile of a sample of higher education call centre employees for national benchmarking purposes; (2) explore the relationship between the participants‟ sense of coherence, affective wellbeing and burnout; and (3) determine how the participants differ regarding these variables in terms of socio-demographic contextual factors such as gender, race, age, and marital status. The South African Employee Health and Wellness Survey was used as a measuring instrument. Compared to the national norm, the results indicated a risky wellness climate reflecting a burnout propensity, lower morale (affective wellbeing) and lower resilience (sense of coherence). Significant relations existed between the participants‟ sense of coherence, affective wellbeing and burnout levels. Significant differences regarding these variables were also detected between males and females and the various marital status groups regarding the participants‟ sense of coherence, affective wellbeing and burnout. The findings of this study contributed new knowledge that may be used to inform employee wellness programmes within a higher education call centre environment. The study concluded with recommendations for future research and practice. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Geen opsomming beskikbaar nie / No summary available / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This research has utilised Antonovsky's SOC construct and explored its role in a group relations training event. A quantitative and qualitative design was used. A sample of eight (N = 8) human resources practitioners was recruited through convenience sampling. The qualitative analysis of the group relations training event was facilitated by split mean procedure analysis of the SOC results. The research demonstrated that the SOC is a pervasive disposition in determining the way in which one appraises and copes with group relations· training. All participants experienced anxiety, stress, defensive behaviour, negative emotions and learning associated with a group relations training event. However, the high-SOC participants were better able to cope, manage and make sense of the group relations training than low-SOC individuals. Recommendations were formulated in doing future research for human resource practitioners on the role of SOC in group relations training. / Industrial & Organizational Psychology / M.Admin. (Industrial Psychology)

Die studie foku.s op die verwantskap tussen sin vir koherensie as 'n intrinsieke hanteringsbron aan die een kant, en elk van streshantering, algemene gesondheid en sielkundige uitbranding aan die antler kant. Vraelyste wat hierdie veranderlikes meet is aan 200 bestuurders gegee om te voltooi. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie toon aan dat bestuurders met 'n hoi! sin vir koherensie goeie algemene gesondheid geniet. Die bestuurder met 'n hoi! sin vir koherensie behoon dus meer e.ffektief te junksioneer in die werksiruasie as die bestuurder met 'n lae sin vir koherensie. Voons is ook bevind dar 'n hoi! sin vir koherensie nie noodwendig aanleiding gee tot lae vlakke van stres of van sielkundige uitbranding nie. Aanbevelings word gedoen oor hoe om die negatiewe gevolge van stres en sielkundige uitbranding te venninder en algemene gesondheid te bevorder, ten einde die bestuurder se potensiaal optimaal benut. This study focuses on the relationship between sense of coherence as an intrinsic coping mechanism. and work stress, general health and psychological burnout. To measure these variables, questionnaires were completed by 200 managers. The findings of this study indicate that managers with a high sense of coherence experience good general health. The manager with a high sense of coherence should therefore junction more efficiently in a work situation·than the manager with a low sense of coherence. It was also found that a high sense of coherence does not necessarily lead to low levels of stress nor of psychological burnout. Recommendations are made on how to reduce the negative effects of stress and psychological burnout and how to improve general health in order to make optimal use of the manager's potential. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Formål:Formålet med studiet var at få en forståelse af hvordan hygiejnesygeplejersker i Danmark oplever, at de nationale infektionshygiejniske retningslinjer er anvendelige og relevante i arbejdet med at forebygge smitte med antibiotikaresistente bakterier. Desuden var der en forventning om, at studiet kunne belyse om der var behov for eller ønske om at optimere eller revurdere det infektionshygiejniske fokus på forebyggelse af smitte med antibiotikaresistente bakterier i forhold til de generelle og supplerende infektionshygiejniske retningslinjer. Metode: Studiet var et kvalitativ studie, hvor det empiriske materiale blev indsamlet i fem fokusgruppeinterviews med i alt 24 danske hygiejnesygeplejersker Til analysen blev der anvendt systematisk tekstkondensering. Den teoretiske og begrebsmæssige ramme omfattede Antonovsky`s teori om Salutogenese, Kommunikation, og Health literacy. Resultater: Hygiejnesygeplejerskerne fandt varierende støtte i retningslinjerne, som de opfattede som deres teoretiske fundament og som den ramme, de arbejdede ud fra. Deoplevededesuden en stor udfordring i at få de nationale retningslinjer gjort anvendelige i praksis. Dele af sundheds-personalet havde ikke de fornødne forudsætninger for at kunne læse og forståden skrevne tekst, bl.a. fordi demanglede grundlæggende viden om hygiejne. Der var derfor enighed om at retningslinjerne ikke kunne stå alene, men skulle oversættes og suppleres med tilstedeværelse i praksis. Kendskabet og tilgængeligheden til retningslinjerne varierede hos sundhedspersonalet ogdettevar,sammenholdt med hospitalernes indretning og økonomiske prioritering,med til at gøre retningslinjernes anvendelighed i praksis problematisk. Samtidig udtrykte hygiejnesygeplejerskerne manglende tillid til udviklingen afretningslinjerne og opfordrede til nytænkning, specielt mindre fokus på de supplerende og øget fokuspå de generelle retningslinjer. Konklusion: Der er behov for at revurderefokus for forebyggelse af smitte med antibiotikaresistente bakterier. Desuden bør man fra national side initiere et samarbejde som kan optimere indhold, kommunikation og layout af de infektionshygiejniske retningslinjer for derigennem at gøre dem mere forståelige, anvendelige og relevante i arbejdet med at forebygge smitte med antibiotika-resistente bakterier. / Objectives:This study aimed to understandwhetherinfection control nurses in Denmark considerthe national guidelines on infection control asuseful and relevant regarding multi-drug resistant microorganisms. We also aimedto identify potential needs and wishes to optimizeor reconsider the general and supplementary guidelines on infection controlas applied to preventing multi-drug resistant microorganisms. Methods: This qualitative study collected data from 24 Danish infection control nursesin 5 focus group discussions. Data was analyzedusing systematic text condensation. The theoretical and conceptual frame included Antonovsky’s theory of salutogenesis, communication, and health literacy. Results: Participants experienced varying levels of support from the guidelines,but mainly perceived them as a theoretical foundation and framework. They saw a great challenge in making the guidelines understandable in practice. Due to language difficulties and lake of helth literacy, some health care professionals lacked elementary knowledge of hygiene because they were unable to read and understand the text. Accordingly, the guidelines required translation and follow up in practice. The health care professionals’ knowledge and ability to access the guidelines also varied. Combined these challenges with hospitals’ arrangements and economic priorities,the guidelines’practicability was problematic. Furthermore, participants distrusted the guidelines’development processand called a new perspective that focuses less focus on making more supplementary guidelines and instead focus more on the general guidelines. Conclusions: Denmark should reconsider its level of focus on preventing multi-drug resistant microorganisms. A national collaboration could optimizethe contents, layout, and communication of the guidelines to make them understandable, useful,and relevant in preventing infections caused by multi-drug resistant microorganisms / <p>ISBN 978-91-86739-84-3</p>

The objective of this study was (i) to determine the relationship between sense of coherence, work engagement and burnout; and (ii) to determine whether, in terms of the various socio-demographic groups, namely, gender, age, race, marital status, number of years in current position and number of years in public service, the sample differed significantly in terms of their levels of sense of coherence, work engagement and burnout. A quantitative study, using primary data, was conducted using a convenience sample (N = 172) of middle managers in a public service organisation. The psychometric properties of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale were investigated before the hypothesis was tested. The statistical analysis of the data included descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics. The Kaiser-Meyer Olkin and Bartlett’s test of sphericity techniques were used to determine the exploratory factor analysis of all three measuring scales. A correlation analysis between the one-factor sense of coherence, one-factor work engagement and the three burnout sub-dimensions (exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy) was conducted. The Pearson product-moment correlation was used to determine the strength of the relationships between the variables. The level of significance was set at a 95% confidence interval level (p 􀀂􀀁0,05). Standard multiple regression analysis was used to establish whether there is a significant relationship between sense of coherence, work engagement and burnout. The Wilk’s lambda technique was used to test the results for significance, while Levene's test of equality of error variances technique was used to test the results for significance on the sense of coherence and work engagement scales with regard to the demographic groups. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between the participants’ sense of coherence, work engagement and burnout levels. Significant differences were also found between respondents in the marital status group and the burnout dimension, depersonalisation or cynicism. The results also reflected the wellbeing status of middle managers and indicated that the respondents were flourishing (feeling good as they scored a high sense of coherence and functioning well as indicated by a high score for work engagement). It is anticipated that the findings of the study will contribute valuable knowledge to employee wellbeing programmes in public service. The study concludes by making recommendations for future research practice. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between, personal meaning, sense of coherence, organisational commitment and selected biographical variables, specifically age, tenure and occupational level. It was found that mostly significant positive relationships exist between personal meaning and sense of coherence. Personal meaning and sense of coherence exhibit predictive value for organisational commitment. It was established that self-transcendence plays a significant role in the development of affective and normative organisational commitment. Some significant differences were found between management and non-management employees in the manifestation of personal meaning. Management approximate more personal meaning to achievement, self-acceptance, and fair treatment. On sense of coherence and organisational commitment there were no significant differences between management and non-management employees. It was recommended that the relationship between personal meaning and other positive psychology variables be researched in order to determine the significance of such relationships so as to add to this relatively new body of research. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.Comm.

The general aim of this study was to investigate whether a relationship exists between employee wellness (specifically sense of coherence, burnout, sources of job stress and work engagement) and career anchors, and to determine whether gender, race, employment and age groups differed in terms of the employee wellness and career anchors variables. The study was conducted among a random sample of 90 employees in a typical South African work context. The data was collected by means of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ), Maslach’s Burnout Inventory (MBI), Sources of Job Stress, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Career Orientations Inventory (COI). Supporting evidence indicates significant associations between employee wellness and the career anchors variables. The results also showed significant differences between the career anchors of males, females, blacks, whites, permanent staff, contract staff and age groups. The findings contribute valuable new knowledge to the wellness and career literature and organisational practices related to employee wellness and career decision making. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between Salutogenic constructs (Sense of Coherence, Locus of Control and Self-Efficacy) and Interpersonal Styles. In addition it sets out to examine whether there are any differences between both aforementioned variables and selected individual and organisational variables, specifically, gender, race, age and tenure. A significant positive relationship was found to exist between Salutogenic constructs and Interpersonal Styles classified as Friendly, while significant negative relationships were found between Salutogenic constructs and Interpersonal Styles classified as Hostile and Hostile-Submissive. Salutogenic constructs were found to have no significant relationships with the remaining five Interpersonal Styles namely Dominant, Dominant-Friendly, FriendlySubmissive, Submissive and Hostile-Dominant. Salutogenic constructs showed no significant differences with regards gender and race, but significant differences with regards age and tenure. Interpersonal Style showed significant differences with regard to race, age and tenure, but not with gender with the exception of the Hostile-Submissive, Hostile and Friendly styles / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This study investigates whether a relationship exists between two constructs, namely sense of coherence (SOC) and organisational commitment, and their relationship with specific biographical attributes of consultants working in the enterprise resource and planning (ERP) industry. The results of the study indicate that, overall, a relationship at a significant level could not be established between the two constructs. However, some of the correlations in this study showed that a few relationships could be established at a significant level between age and tenure and some of the subscales of the two constructs. On the basis of the results of the study, recommendations could be made that apply in the ERP industry. Suggestions were also made for possible further research in other areas such as recruitment, employee development, employee reward, compensation and recognition, employee retention, succession planning, employee wellbeing and talent management. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)