Retention strategies in the nursing profession have been a significant subject among researchers for decades. The current shortages of these skilled professionals have reached an alarming extent globally, making it difficult for organisations to retain these workers, also in South Africa. It has become evident that nursing professionals from South Africa emigrate to other countries for more lucrative remuneration, sophisticated work resources and better career opportunities, impacting the South African economy and nursing workforce negatively. The general objective of the research was to determine whether a relationship exists between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and turnover intention among a group of South African healthcare workers in the private healthcare sector. Specifically of interest was also to see if nurses’ turnover intention could be predicted by the other variables. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A convenience sample of 152 healthcare workers was obtained from three private hospitals in the Gauteng and North-West provinces. A measuring instrument for intrinsic and extrinsic rewards was adapted from a previous study, and applied with measures of job satisfaction, affective organisational commitment and turnover intention. Results indicated that the measure of rewards did not present with sufficient reliability, and it was subjected to factor analysis. This delivered two reliable factors, which were labelled Objective experience of rewards and Perceived lacking organisational support. Objective experience of rewards showed to be significantly related to job satisfaction and inversely to turnover intention, and Perceived lacking organisational support was significantly negatively related to job satisfaction and positively to turnover intention. It was also seen that both job satisfaction and objective experience of rewards showed predictive value in terms of nurses’ turnover intention. Conclusions and limitations regarding this study were made, and recommendations regarding the profession and future research are made. / Thesis (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Text in English / Staff turnover affects employees, employers and their clients. When counsellors leave a particular employment context, relationships have to be modified or terminated, and in some instances, clients have to start counselling afresh. This study focused on testing whether self-esteem and burnout can be predictors of voluntary turnover. Relating the three variables of self-esteem, employee burnout, and employee turnover intentions among counsellors reveals a dearth in literature and research. This study utilised qualitative and quantitative data. A sample of 200 counsellors received questionnaires to collect quantitative data and 162 questionnaires were analysed. The Intentions-To-Stay Questionnaire by Roodt (2004) measured turnover intention, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1981) measured Burnout and the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) measured self-esteem. Qualitative data collection utilised the focus group interview. 23 participants for one group interview were selected using Convenience sampling. Significant relationship was found between self-esteem and age, gender, marital status, duration of work, academic qualification and job status. Results indicated that the emotional exhaustion subscale has statistically significant relationships with age, academic qualification, marital status and employment status. The depersonalization subscale indicated a statistically significant relationship with age, gender, marital status and employment status. The personal accomplishment subscale indicated statistically significant relationship with gender, academic qualification, marital status, duration of employment and employment status. A statistically significant relationship was found between turnover intention and age, marital status, highest academic qualification of participant and employment status. Further, a statistically significant relationship was found between turnover intention and burnout but not between turnover intention and self-esteem. This analysis confirmed burnout as a predictor variable and self-esteem as not. Study findings revealed three categories of reasons influencing turnover among counsellors; namely diversification reasons, growth and development reasons, and remunerative reasons. Counsellor narratives of burnout revealed three major themes namely: exhaustion, work settings, characteristics, and sources of stress. Workplace and institutional interventions were categorized into two namely developmental and normative. An integrated model of clinical supervision for responding to burnout and turnover intention was presented as part of the discussion. / Psychology / D.Phil. (Psychology)

Job insecurity in the workplace has become an increasingly important trend in organisational research. The appraisal of job insecurity by individuals plays a significant part in how reactions manifest in the experiences of workplace stressors, job satisfaction, positive and negative work attributes and social support. However, there is a lack of research regarding specific workplace stressors at work leading to certain outcomes like safety behaviour, turnover intention and mental health, especially within a South African working context. Job insecurity has also been classified as a workplace stressor. The existence of other stressors tends to increase the ultimate effect of insecurity for the individual. The attempts from organisational management to manage this phenomenon are therefore crucial in decreasing the negative effects of job insecurity and increasing the productivity of the organisation. In order to measure the job insecurity levels of employees, it is important to make use of valid and reliable job insecurity measures. An absence of empirical research on validity and reliability studies in terms of job insecurity in South African is evident. The main objectives of this research were: 1) to establish the psychometric properties of a measure of job insecurity in a selected gold mining company in South Africa; 2) to determine the influence of job insecurity and work stress (i.e. role conflict, clarity and overload) on worker safety performance and if coping could moderate this; 3) to investigate the theoretical and empirical relationships between job stressors (task completion ambiguity and task quality ambiguity), competency demands, employability perceptions, job satisfaction and turnover intention over time, and 4) to investigate if social support has a mediating effect between positive interpersonal attributes, negative interpersonal attributes, job insecurity and subsequent health. To achieve the first objective, a cross-sectional design was used (N = 566), including various business units of a South African-based gold mining company. The assessment of the psychometric properties of a measure of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity for employees was determined through construct (structural) equivalence, exploratory factor analysis and multivariate analysis of variance to calculate the comparison of the factor structure for the different cultural groups. For qualitative job insecurity, the scale shows low equivalence for the African languages group. Statistically significant differences were found between the levels of job insecurity of employees in terms of gender. The second objective, concerning the investigation into the relationship of work stress and job insecurity with unsafe behaviour at work, was achieved with across-sectional survey design (N = 771). The hypothesised model included the influence of role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, and job insecurity on unsafe work behaviour. Coping was introduced as a moderator in this relationship. The results indicated that when employees experience work stress and job insecurity, their safety compliance is low. This relationship was also moderated by a coping strategy of Avoidance. To achieve the third objective, a longitudinal study was conducted and data was gathered by means of an electronic survey, with 771 employees participating at Time 1, and 345 participating at Time 2. Results for predicting employees’ turnover intentions, experience of task completion and quality ambiguity, external employability and job satisfaction made a direct contribution in predicting their turnover intention. No mediating role of job satisfaction between job stressors, competency demands and employability perceptions on the one hand and turnover intentions on the other hand, were found. Addressing the fourth objective in investigating the moderating role of social support between the relationship of experiencing positive interpersonal (communication with the manager and feedback), negative interpersonal experiences (powerlessness and interpersonal conflict), job insecurity (quantitative and qualitative) and health, was met with a longitudinal random sample of employees in different business units in one selected multi-national mining company based in South Africa (N = 771). Results for these employees indicated that all the proposed variables, except feedback from the manager, were statistically significantly related to health. No moderating effect for social support could be found over time, but it was shown that interpersonal conflict at work is a longitudinal predictor of employee health. By way of conclusion, the implications of the research were discussed and recommendations for managers and for future research were made. / Thesis (PhD (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Job insecurity in the workplace has become an increasingly important trend in organisational research. The appraisal of job insecurity by individuals plays a significant part in how reactions manifest in the experiences of workplace stressors, job satisfaction, positive and negative work attributes and social support. However, there is a lack of research regarding specific workplace stressors at work leading to certain outcomes like safety behaviour, turnover intention and mental health, especially within a South African working context. Job insecurity has also been classified as a workplace stressor. The existence of other stressors tends to increase the ultimate effect of insecurity for the individual. The attempts from organisational management to manage this phenomenon are therefore crucial in decreasing the negative effects of job insecurity and increasing the productivity of the organisation. In order to measure the job insecurity levels of employees, it is important to make use of valid and reliable job insecurity measures. An absence of empirical research on validity and reliability studies in terms of job insecurity in South African is evident. The main objectives of this research were: 1) to establish the psychometric properties of a measure of job insecurity in a selected gold mining company in South Africa; 2) to determine the influence of job insecurity and work stress (i.e. role conflict, clarity and overload) on worker safety performance and if coping could moderate this; 3) to investigate the theoretical and empirical relationships between job stressors (task completion ambiguity and task quality ambiguity), competency demands, employability perceptions, job satisfaction and turnover intention over time, and 4) to investigate if social support has a mediating effect between positive interpersonal attributes, negative interpersonal attributes, job insecurity and subsequent health. To achieve the first objective, a cross-sectional design was used (N = 566), including various business units of a South African-based gold mining company. The assessment of the psychometric properties of a measure of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity for employees was determined through construct (structural) equivalence, exploratory factor analysis and multivariate analysis of variance to calculate the comparison of the factor structure for the different cultural groups. For qualitative job insecurity, the scale shows low equivalence for the African languages group. Statistically significant differences were found between the levels of job insecurity of employees in terms of gender. The second objective, concerning the investigation into the relationship of work stress and job insecurity with unsafe behaviour at work, was achieved with across-sectional survey design (N = 771). The hypothesised model included the influence of role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, and job insecurity on unsafe work behaviour. Coping was introduced as a moderator in this relationship. The results indicated that when employees experience work stress and job insecurity, their safety compliance is low. This relationship was also moderated by a coping strategy of Avoidance. To achieve the third objective, a longitudinal study was conducted and data was gathered by means of an electronic survey, with 771 employees participating at Time 1, and 345 participating at Time 2. Results for predicting employees’ turnover intentions, experience of task completion and quality ambiguity, external employability and job satisfaction made a direct contribution in predicting their turnover intention. No mediating role of job satisfaction between job stressors, competency demands and employability perceptions on the one hand and turnover intentions on the other hand, were found. Addressing the fourth objective in investigating the moderating role of social support between the relationship of experiencing positive interpersonal (communication with the manager and feedback), negative interpersonal experiences (powerlessness and interpersonal conflict), job insecurity (quantitative and qualitative) and health, was met with a longitudinal random sample of employees in different business units in one selected multi-national mining company based in South Africa (N = 771). Results for these employees indicated that all the proposed variables, except feedback from the manager, were statistically significantly related to health. No moderating effect for social support could be found over time, but it was shown that interpersonal conflict at work is a longitudinal predictor of employee health. By way of conclusion, the implications of the research were discussed and recommendations for managers and for future research were made. / Thesis (PhD (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The study set out to assess the impact of organisational restructuring (OR), the independent variable on organisational behaviour (OB), the dependent variable, in private and public sector organisations as well as state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in South Africa. OB, for the purposes of this study, consists of turnover intention, resistance to change, commitment to change and job security. It further aimed to evaluate whether the various types and magnitude of OR impact on employees in the different sectors. OR was delineated into three factors, that being Restructuring (Type), Restructuring (Leadership) and Restructuring (Frequency), before being further regressed into sub-factors, that being Restructuring (Type_Count), Restructuring (Leadership_Count) and Restructuring (Frequency_Count), for the purposes of using it as categorical variables and indexing it. The study assessed whether effective change management (ECM) mediated the relationship between OR and OB, across sectors. ECM is underpinned by effective change management processes, leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived organisational support (POS). Finally, it aimed to assess whether employees’ psychological capital (PC), comprised of self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience, moderated the relationship between ECM and OB. The study found that OR does, indeed, impact on the OB of employees in different sectors. It has also confirmed the mediating role of ECM and that PC moderated the relationship between ECM and OB. The study assessed whether effective change management (ECM) mediated the relationship between OR and OB, across sectors. ECM is underpinned by effective change management processes, leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived organisational support (POS). Finally, it aimed to assess whether employees’ psychological capital (PC), comprised of self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience, moderated the relationship between ECM and OB. The study found that OR does, indeed, impact on the OB of employees in different sectors. It has also confirmed the mediating role of ECM and that PC moderated the relationship between ECM and OB. The study found that the unidimensional construct, effective change management, coupled with PC, another unidimensional construct, has indeed been able attenuate the impact of OR on OB. In the case of this study, it was primarily the employees of large organisations, such as SOEs, which are affected, while employees of private and public organisations were also affected. Recommendations to organisational leaders and practitioners are provided, with the aim of assisting with the successful implementation of organisational change and restructuring initiatives, while at the same time reducing the impact thereof on the organisational behaviour of employees / Business Management / DBL (Business Leadership)

Bibliography: pages 273-351 / The context of this research is the occupational wellbeing of employees in the healthcare industry in South Africa. The purpose of this study was to identify occupational wellbeing types that cluster as a result of variables (burnout, work engagement, workaholism and job satisfaction) which can be plotted on the circumplex model of wellbeing, and determining the extent of type differences in as far as it pertains to psychosocial antecedent variables (age, job demands, job resources and work-related sense of coherence), as well as positive and negative outcome variables (comprising organisational commitment and turnover intention). A quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample of healthcare workers (N = 461). The population consisted of predominately black African females, aged between 31 and 45 from the nursing profession. Cluster analysis using k-means found statistically significant support for three occupational wellbeing types, namely, Exhausted, Engaged and Burned-Out. Results from MANOVA revealed a difference between all occupational wellbeing types and the psychosocial antecedent variables of job demands, job resources and work-related sense of coherence. The occupational wellbeing types did not however differ, based on the age of the participants. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that age was additionally not a significant predictor of the occupational wellbeing types, whilst Work-SoC predicted the engaged type, and job demands and job resources predicted the engaged and exhausted types in comparison to the burned-out type. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis concluded that each of the occupational wellbeing types played a significant role by moderating the relationship between the psychosocial antecedent variables of job resources and work-related sense of coherence, and the positive and negative outcomes of organisational commitment and turnover intention. Theoretically the study highlighted the importance of addressing the occupational wellbeing concerns and challenges faced by healthcare employees in South Africa face. The empirical value of the study was the identification of the occupational wellbeing types and a potential nomological net. The knowledge derived from the relationship between the variables may be valuable in informing a holistic affective wellbeing model which could direct practices within the healthcare industry in South Africa. / Die konteks van hierdie navorsing is die beroepswelstand van werknemers in die gesondheidsorgbedryf in Suid-Afrika. Die doel van hierdie studie was om tipes beroepsmatige welstand te identifiseer wat saamgevoeg word as gevolg van veranderlikes, naamlik uitbranding, werkbetrokkenheid, werksverslawing en werkstevredenheid wat op die sirkumpleksmodel van welstand geteken kan word, en om die omvang van tipe verskille in so ver aangesien dit betrekking het op psigososiale antesedente veranderlikes, naamlik ouderdom, werksvereistes, werksbronne en werkverwante samehang, sowel as positiewe en negatiewe uitkomsveranderlikes (wat organisatoriese toewyding en omsetintensiteit bevat). 'N Kwantitatiewe opname is gedoen oor 'n gerieflikheidsteekproef van gesondheidswerkers (N = 461). Die bevolking het bestaan uit hoofsaaklik swart vroulike vroue, tussen 31 en 45 jaar oud, uit die verpleegberoep. Cluster-analise met behulp van k-middele het statisties beduidende ondersteuning gevind vir drie tipes beroepswelstand, naamlik uitgeputting, betrokkenheid en uitgebranding. Resultate van MANOVA het 'n verskil aan die lig gebring tussen alle tipes beroepswelstand en die psigososiale antesedente veranderlikes van werksvereistes, werkbronne en werkverwante samehang. Die tipes beroepswelstand verskil egter nie op grond van die ouderdom van die deelnemers nie. Multinomiale logistieke regressie-analise het aan die lig gebring dat ouderdom ook nie 'n beduidende voorspeller was van die tipes beroepswelstand nie, terwyl Work-SoC die betrokke tipe voorspelling en werksvereistes voorspel het, en dat werkbronne die betrokke en uitgeputte tipes voorspel in vergelyking met die uitgebrande tipe. Hiërargiese gemodereerde regressie-analise het tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat elkeen van die tipes beroepswelstand 'n belangrike rol gespeel het deur die verhouding tussen die psigososiale voorgaande veranderlikes van werkbronne en werkverwante sin vir samehang te modereer, en die positiewe en negatiewe uitkomste van organisatoriese toewyding en omsetintensiteit. Teoreties het die studie die belangrikheid daarvan beklemtoon om die kommer en uitdagings wat gesondheidswerkers in Suid-Afrika in die gesig staar, aan te spreek. Die empiriese waarde van die studie was die identifisering van die tipes beroepswelstand en 'n potensiële nomologiese netwerk. Die kennis wat verkry word uit die verband tussen die veranderlikes, kan waardevol wees om 'n holistiese affektiewe welstandsmodel in te lig wat praktyke binne die gesondheidsbedryf in Suid-Afrika kan rig. / Umongo walolu cwaningo wukuphila kahle kwabasebenzi abasembonini yezokunakekelwa kwempilo eNingizimu Afrika. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo kwakuwukuhlonza izinhlobo zenhlalakahle yomsebenzi ezihlangana ngenxa yokuguquguqukayo (ukutubeka, ukuzibandakanya emsebenzini, ukusebenza ngokweqile nokweneliseka emsebenzini) okungabekwa kumodeli yenhlalakahle ye-circumplex, nokunquma ubukhulu bezinhlobonhlobo zohlobo kuze kube manje njengoba kumayelana nokuhlukahluka kokuphikisana kwengqondo (iminyaka, izidingo zomsebenzi, izinsiza zomsebenzi kanye nokuzwana okuhlobene nomsebenzi), kanye nokuhlukahluka kwemiphumela emihle nemibi (ehlanganisa ukuzibophezela kwenhlangano kanye nenhloso yenzuzo). Ucwaningo oluningi lwenziwe kusampula elula yabasebenzi bezokunakekelwa kwezempilo (N = 461). Isibalo besinabantu besifazane ikakhulukazi abamnyama base-Afrika, abaneminyaka ephakathi kuka-31 no-45 abavela emsebenzini wobunesi. Ukuhlaziywa kweqoqo ngokusebenzisa izindlela ezingama-k kutholwe ukwesekwa okubalulekile kwezibalo zezinhlobo ezintathu zomsebenzi, okungukuthi, Ukhathele, Ukuhlanganyela kanye Nokushiswa. Imiphumela evela kwa-MANOVA iveze umehluko phakathi kwazo zonke izinhlobo zenhlalakahle yomsebenzi kanye nokuhlukahluka kokuphikiswa kwengqondo kwezidingo zomsebenzi, izinsiza zomsebenzi kanye nokuzwana okuhlobene nomsebenzi. Izinhlobo zezenhlalakahle zomsebenzi azizange zehluke, ngokuya ngeminyaka yabahlanganyeli. Ukuhlaziywa kokuhlelwa kabusha kwezinto kwamazwe amaningi kuveze ukuthi iminyaka yobudala ibingeyona imbonakaliso ebalulekile yezinhlobo zenhlalakahle yomsebenzi, ngenkathi i-Work-SoC ibikezela uhlobo lokuzibandakanya, nezimfuno zomsebenzi, nezinsizakusebenza zibikezela izinhlobo ezibandakanyekile nezikhathele uma kuqhathaniswa nohlobo olushile. Ukuhlaziywa kokuhlehliswa kwe-hierarchical kuphethe ukuthi uhlobo ngalunye lwezinhlalakahle zomsebenzi lubambe iqhaza elibalulekile ngokuhlolisisa ubudlelwano phakathi kokuhlukahluka kokuphikiswa kwengqondo kwengqondo kwezinsiza zomsebenzi kanye nokuzwana okuhlobene nomsebenzi, kanye nemiphumela emihle nemibi yokuzibophezela kwenhlangano kanye nenhloso yenzuzo. Ngokwezifundo lolu cwaningo luqhakambisa ukubaluleka kokubhekana nezinkinga nezinselele ezibhekene nabasebenzi bezempilo eNingizimu Afrika ababhekene nazo. Inani lezobuciko lolo cwaningo kwakuwukuhlonzwa kwezinhlobo zenhlalakahle yomsebenzi kanye nenetha elingaba namandla lokuqanjwa. Ulwazi olususelwe ebudlelwaneni obuphakathi kokuguquguqukayo lungaba lusizo ekwaziseni imodeli yenhlalakahle ephelele engaqondisa izindlela ezenziwa embonini yezokunakekelwa kwempilo eNingizimu Afrika. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Phil. (Psychology)