Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / The study examines three emerging salient themes. Firstly, it highlights the current perception of informal learning in the workplace which has multiple definitions and descriptions. The second theme draws attention to the sociocultural structures and the impact on individual engagement in workplace learning. The last theme illustrates the potential of informal learning and how individuals and their learning environment at work cannot function independently. Employees no longer have time for the inefficiencies of the past, old-style training they want to be co-participants in learning not simply receivers (Cross, 2007).By diagnosing the current status of informal workplace learning, the research examines the employee engagement, the perceived factors that affect learning engagement and explores the links between informal workplace learning and the performance of the organisation. Against the background of informal learning in the workplace, a learning organisation has been characterised, as an organisation that has development in place that supports learning and recognises the value of learning and extends itself towards the enhancement of employee’s proficiency and transfer of learning to others (Berg & Chyung, 2008).

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Set against the tenuous relationship between government (public sector), organisations (private sector) and trade unions, employees’ commitment to the success of their respective organisations are of utmost importance. Heugens and Schenk (2004) maintains stakeholders may oppose restructuring efforts as invariably some constituencies will be likely to lose a strategic advantage as a result of drastic change such as a restructure. This reality has resulted in these stakeholders having to find a common ground to ensure economic competitiveness and longevity of South African organisations. Where this common ground has been elusive, organisations need to find the balance between profitability, environment and its people. According to the King III Report (2009, as cited in Du Plooy & Roodt, 2013) this is referred to as the triple bottom line that is profit, planet and people, which are integrally linked to employee turnover and organisational strategy. Organisational commitment is a key factor to success for organisations in order to obtain and maintain a competitive advantage. Coetzee and Botha (2012) posit that organisations in today’s competitive world require each employee to be committed to the organisation’s objectives and function as an effective team. A competitive advantage is needed to achieve high performance (Nienaber & Masibigiri, 2012). The working world has evolved from one where job security is no longer as prevalent as it used to be. Consequently and understandably, employees’ commitment to their organisations has diminished. Organisations are required to now investigate, understand and put measures in place to grow employee commitment in order have a successful business operation. This study intended to primarily establish whether a relationship exists between organisational commitment and turnover intentions amongst employees in an organisation undergoing restructuring. Additional variables namely age and tenure were used to establish if these variables have any bearing on levels of organisational commitment. The matter of organisational restructuring may act as an antecedent variable to both organisational commitment as well as turnover intentions. An organisational restructuring is likely to have a negative effect on employees’ organisational commitment. Thus, the affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment of employees were also contrasted with turnover intentions. Correspondingly, news of an impending restructure may serve to increase employees’ intentions to terminate employment with the organisation. The sample included 144 respondents (n = 144) from an organisation within the hospitality industry. A method of non-probability, convenience sampling was utilised due to the nature of the study. A Biographical Questionnaire, Organisational Commitment Questionnaire and Turnover Intention Questionnaire were utilised for data collection purposes. The biographical questionnaire aimed to elicit among others important details such as gender, race, age, marital status, qualifications, language preferences and years of service were used for statistical purposes. Once the information was collected, the Pearson data analysis technique and Analysis of Variance technique were used to establish the relationships and differences between the respective variables under investigation. The results in the study indicate that significant inverse relationships exist between organisational commitment and turnover intentions. Significant differences were found in organisational commitment based on age and tenure. Similar statistically significant differences were discovered in turnover intentions according to employees’ age and tenure. Affective, continuance and normative commitment exhibited significant relationships with turnover intentions. The study in closing makes reference to the limitations experienced in the study as well as recommendations for future research especially on organisational commitment and turnover intentions of employees within a restructured or restructuring environment.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / To gain further insight, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of leadership styles, particularly the impact of transformational and transactional leadership on employee engagement. Within a business context, transformational leaders are those “extraordinary” individuals that have the ability to capture their employees’ attention, intellectually stimulate them and strategically align them with the vision and mission of the organisation. Contrary to this, is transactional leadership which is basically an exchange relationship between the leader and employee whereby the leader exchanges rewards and/or incentives for performance. Both styles of leadership are instrumental in engaging employees within the organisation, although a plethora of literature suggests that transformational leadership impacts more significantly on employee engagement (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004).

This research project was concerned with the description of the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) mainly in the South African mining industry. The focus was on the impact of legislation on the practice of EAP in the South African mining industry. The researcher used a qualitative approach in this applied research study. The researcher employed a phenomenological strategy within the exploratory study. This was done through the utilization of semi-structured interviews. The researcher first looked at the evolvement of EAP as a field of practice, following by a discussion of the current state of the EAP in the South African mining industry. The researcher continued by discussing relevant pieces of legislation that have a direct influence on the practice of EAP in the mining industry. The second part of the project was the empirical study. Ten respondents were drawn through the process of purposive sampling. The researcher mainly dealt with the views of four Human Resource practitioners and six EAP practitioners in the mining industry. Through this exercise, the researcher looked at what the practitioners’ views were on the role of legislation as specifically to two issues. The first was the general provision of EAP services. The second was the stipulation of the legislation according to them, pertaining the practicalities of the provision of the service. The researcher’s conclusions regarding impact of legislation on the practice of EAP in the South African mining industry can be presented in the following manner: • Legal provisions have played a significant role towards the development of the field of EAP in general; • Other implications have been difficult to implement for mostly two main reasons. The first is that they are too general and therefore are seen to mean different things to different people. The second is that the people who matter most do not know them. These are either human resources practitioners, occupational social workers and/or EAP professionals or union and/or employee representatives. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

In this study, the purpose was to describe the knowledge of, and involvement in, retirement planning among employees in their middle adulthood. Retirement is often viewed as an issue only relevant to older people who are on the verge of retiring and as something that has nothing to do with young employees or young people in general. This study will therefore add knowledge regarding middle adulthood employees and their understanding of, and involvement in planning for retirement. The first objective of the study was to conceptualise theoretically retirement planning. The second objective was to describe empirically the knowledge of and involvement in retirement planning among employees in their middle adulthood and the third objective was to formulate conclusions and recommendations to the Department of Health and Social Development. A descriptive applied study was conducted with the aim of describing the knowledge of, and involvement in, retirement planning among employees in their middle adulthood. It was a mixed methodology approach with the quantitative design being more dominant. A sample of 119 respondents was identified with the final response rate of (50%). No sampling methods were used because the population was too small. A questionnaire was used as the tool for data collection and the respondents had to complete these themselves. All respondents signed a consent form prior to the commencement of data collection. In achieving its objectives, the study discovered that although most of the employees still lack knowledge regarding retirement planning information, some are already involved in financial planning activities. There is not a retirement education programme within the institution even though it is supposed to be part of the induction programme. It was therefore concluded that there is a need for more education and encouragement among employees to assist them in planning for retirement. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore employees’ knowledge at Naledi-Nkanyezi Private Hospital of the role of the employer in workplace skills development. To achieve this, a literature review was conducted which provided an in-depth knowledge of the role of the employer in workplace skills development in the South African context. The literature review looked specifically at different roles that are awarded to South African employers to train and develop their employee. These roles were classified as: financial role, human resource development role and administrative role. Although the claiming of a mandatory skills grant, the completion of a workplace skills plan and an annual training report fall within the financial and administrative aspects respectively, they were discussed separately. Furthermore the literature looked at the role of the employee as a recipient of workplace skills development programmes. The information gained from the literature review was used as the basis for the development of a survey questionnaire to explore employees’ knowledge of the employers’ role on workplace skills development. Through a systematic sampling technique a sample was selected, and a group-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from a list of full-time employees at Naledi-Nkanyezi Private Hospital. The results obtained were used to arrive at a theoretical conclusion. The empirical study established that employees at Naledi-Nkanyezi Private Hospital have a limited knowledge of what the role of the employer is on workplace skills development Based on analysis and interpretation of the research findings, recommendations to management, human resources department, EAP personnel and to union representatives were made on how to engage employees in workplace skills development planning and implementation. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

This research is aimed at investigating the perceptions of employees regarding the utilization of the in-house Employee Assistance Programme mode in the North West Department of Education. The objectives of the study were: 1. To define EAP and describe its different models through literature review; 2. To determine the extent to which employees are aware of the in-house EAP service; 3. To determine the perceptions of the employees regarding the in-house EAP model; 4. To formulate the functioning of the in-house model; and 5. To provide conclusions and recommendations. RESULTS/FINDINGS From the information gathered, the employees’ perceptions regarding the use of in-house EAP model is negative. RECOMMENDATIONS The researcher proposes the following recommendations: Management support Senior managers must support the programme and take it as one of those programmes that, when properly utilized, will assist the employer to attain its strategic goal. Marketing the programme An extensive marketing strategy has to be put in place and implemented. This must, among other things, outline the rationale, advantages, and disadvantages of the programme in general as well as an in-house EAP model in particular. This could as well motivate the reason why an in-house EAP model is a viable option for the Department. / Dissertation (M.Soc.Sci (Employee Assistance Programme))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Social Work and Criminology / MSocSci / unrestricted

Despite the global and local response to the HIV epidemic, the disclosure of HIV status in the workplace is still a problem globally and in South Africa, due to the stigma attached to the disease. However, often, by “going public” about their HIV status, HIV infected people give a face to the disease. This however has not been the case in the workplace due to fear of discrimination and stigma (Lutaaya, 1999; Van der Borght, van ,Janseens, der Loeff, Kajemba, Rijckborst, Lange&de Wet, 2009:676). It has been discovered that HIV and AIDS are not only medical problems but a psycho-social issue as well. Adding to the problem of HIV status disclosure in South Africa prior to 2010, HIV and AIDS were met with denial and a lack of political will to take action and thus adding to the reluctance in HIV status disclosure. The goal of the study was to explore the experiences of HIV positive employees in the transport sector after they have disclosed their HIV status in the workplace. A qualitative phenomenological approach was appropriate for this study using in-depth interviews. And as such one question that was put forward to all participants was: How would you describe your daily living with HIV after you have disclosed your HIV status in the workplace? Fifteen participants from Organisation Alpha formed a sample for this study. Some conclusions based on the findings were that: Participants’ experiences varied from one participant to the other. There were participants who experienced support in the workplace while others experienced isolation and rejection. One issue that stood out was the experience of stigma in the workplace. The experiences felt by the participants were mostly attributed to lack of HIV knowledge in the workplace which needs to be addressed by the application of various strategies and action programmes. The study was concluded with relevant recommendations to the transport sector. Copyright / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Psychological capital and work engagement, both constructs rooted in positive psychology, have been associated with positive outcomes in the workplace, such as better job performance and organisational citizenship behaviours. The rewards practices of organisations have not been widely studied in relation to these positive psychological constructs, despite the clear importance of understanding how the way that employees are rewarded serves to motivate behaviour in the workplace. This study sought to bring together two rewards-centred constructs, namely, the perceptions of equity of rewards and the equity sensitivity of employees, and the two positive psychological constructs of psychological capital and work engagement, with the aim of understanding how these constructs relate to each other and, ultimately, discerning how reward systems might best be aligned to improve employee performance. A theoretical model was constructed based on a review of relevant literature, and eight hypotheses were set to test the model. This research took the form of a cross-sectional design, using a composite questionnaire to measure psychological capital, work engagement, equity sensitivity and perceptions of equity in rewards by means of a self-report electronic survey. Employees at a South African university were invited to participate in the study by means of an emailed invitation, and a sample of 305 respondents was achieved. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics, which included frequency tables, Cronbach’s alpha testing, Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlations, chi-square tests, t-tests, analysis of variance, hierarchical regression analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling. The results of the survey showed that respondents had high levels of psychological capital with the exception of the medium scores on the Optimism dimension; levels of work engagement were high overall; responses regarding the perceptions of equity of rewards relating to promotions were most negative, with the rest of the perceptions of equity of rewards dimensions being scored neutrally; and scores for equity sensitivity showed a tendency toward a benevolent disposition. Significant differences were found between demographic groups in the sample for all of the constructs under investigation. Evidence was found in support of the hypothesised relationships in the theoretical model, with the exception of the hypothesised link between equity sensitivity and the perceptions of equity of rewards. The hypotheses regarding moderation relationships were not accepted, based on the results of the hierarchical regression analysis. Structural equation model testing resulted in unsatisfactory fit of the statistical model. Confirmatory factor analysis results provided support for the acceptability of the Equity Sensitivity Instrument, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Psychological Capital Questionnaire for use on a South African sample. As far as it could be ascertained, the constructs under investigation have not been examined together before. The study therefore contributes uniquely to the existing body of positive organisational behaviour research, and begins to fill the gap identified in the Rewards literature. A number of recommendations for researchers and for organisations stemming from the study are put forward.

A lot of attention over the years has been focused on understanding employees resistance to change. A few researchers have provided insights into the reasons why some employees remain positive and engaged during times of uncertainty and changes in the organosation. To help build this knowledge area the study was aimed to investigating the factors that drive employee engagement during change. One-hundred-and-twenty employees, across a cross-section of jobs at a specific bank in South Africa, were surveyed. The empirical results obtained from the survey showed that independent variables such as dialogue, organisational culture and a clear4 career plan were congruent with the expected results. In other words these vriables displayed a significant association with the de[endent variables (e.g. job involvement, organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour.).