Counselling services as provided by non-professional counsellors have been in place for a number of decades. Counselling traumatised people demands a significant amount of emotional investment from the counsellor. A neglected area as far as non-professional counsellors in South Africa is concerned, is the well-being of the counsellors. Burnout as well as its antithesis, work engagement, are two possible transactional outcomes impacting on the well-being of these counsellors. The measurement of burnout and work engagement requires valid and reliable measuring instruments. The dearth of research studies in the area of burnout and work engagement, together with the unique contribution of non-professional counsellors in organisational settings, has led to the primary focus of this study being the exploration of the experience of this group of counsellors doing trauma counselling in financial institutions in South Africa. A lack of norms for the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) for non-professional counsellors doing trauma counselling makes the identification of burnout and work engagement within this specialist environment difficult. Consequently, investigating the reliability and validity of the MBI-HSS and the UWES would result in the standardisation of these specific measuring instruments, therefore contributing to the identification of burnout and work engagement with non-professional trauma counsellors. Some of the factors that could play a role in the prevalence of burnout and work engagement are secondary traumatic stress, the demands of counselling, lack of resources, personal consequences, social support and sense of coherence. The objectives of this research were to standardise the MBI-HSS and UWES for non-professional counsellors as well as to develop and test a causal model of burnout and work engagement for this specialist group. The research method involved four separate articles, each consisting of a brief literature overview and an empirical study. A cross-sectional design, whereby a sample is drawn from a population at a particular point in time, was used. The data for this study was collected from 168 non-professional counsellors, employed by three of the major banks in South Africa. The MBI-HSS, UWES, Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) as well as a Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlations, canonical analysis, and structural equation modelling were used. Structural equation modelling confirmed a three-factor model of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment). In contrast with research findings confirming the three-factor model of the UWES (vigour, dedication and absorption), a one-factor model for the UWES was confirmed for non-professional counsellors. The internal consistency of the scales for the MBI-HSS and UWES was found to be satisfactory and in line with reported findings in the literature. Structural equation analysis showed that the lack of resources and job demands predicted the core of burnout, namely emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. The conflicts and pressures that are already associated with the everyday work of non-professional counsellors are likely to be magnified by the counselling role. Non-professional counsellors continually face conflicts created by the fact that they are accountable to large organisations, but professionally, ethically and morally devoted to their clients (the victims of trauma who are being counselled by them). They must balance the competing, and sometimes opposing demands of several parties such as trauma victims, employees, families and communities. To add to these circumstances it is important to remember that counselling is not the main job objective of the non-professional counsellors. Counselling is seen as an "add-on" to their job description and is in most instances not part of their performance measurement/assessment. Work engagement was related to low burnout scores, while personal accomplishment was associated with work engagement. High sense of coherence had a mediating effect on burnout and a positive effect on work engagement. This study seems to emphasise that job demands have a more negative effect on engagement when sense of coherence is low than when sense of coherence is high. Conversely, it is assumed that sense of coherence provides functions such as increased perception of coping capacity or minimised stress appraised, which decreases the effects of stress on an individual. Recommendations for the organisations and future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Academia is a demanding profession, as evidenced by a body of research that documents the debilitating impact of occupational stress and burnout on the personal and professional welfare of academics. In particular, high levels of these pathological phenomena, left unchecked, undermine the quality, productivity and creativity of the academics' work in addition to their health, well-being and morale. Despite these indicators of "weaknesses" and "malfunctioning", academics know that there is times that they operate in a "milieu" of work - there is an intense focus and pleasurable emotions, accompanied by high levels of enthusiasm. Especially, with the upcoming positive paradigm in Occupational Health Psychology, "positive" trends such as work engagement, optimism, organisational commitment and life satisfaction are also commonplace among academics. The first step in the enhancement of work wellness is the successful diagnosis of stress, burnout and work engagement. However, to measure these constructs, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments, and at the same time, take into account the cultural diversity in a multicultural setting such as South Africa. Clearly then, an assessment of this type should be concerned with the issue of construct equivalency. Furthermore, little information exists regarding the causes and effects of occupational stress, burnout and work engagement of academics in South Africa. The general aim of this study was to standardise an adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) for academics in South African higher education institutions, to determine their levels of occupational stress, organisational commitment and ill-health, and to test a structural model of work wellness for South African academics. A cross-sectional survey design was used, with stratified random samples (N = 595) taken of academics in six South African universities. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Job Characteristics Inventory, the Health and Organisational Commitment subscales of the ASSET, The Life Orientation Test and Satisfaction with Life Scale were administered. Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlations, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-tests and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Structural equation modelling was used to test a structural model of work wellness. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations resulted in a three-factor model of burnout, consisting of Exhaustion, Mental Distance and Professional Efficacy. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies and construct equivalence for two language groups. Practically significant differences were found in the burnout levels of academics with regard to their age, marital status and working hours. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations resulted in a two-factor model of work engagement, consisting of Vigour/Dedication and Absorption. The scales showed acceptable construct equivalence for two language groups (Afrikaans and English). One scale, namely Vigour/Dedication showed acceptable internal consistency. Practically significant differences were found between the work engagement of academics with different job levels and qualifications. Compared to the normative data, academics reported significantly high levels of stress relating to pay and benefits, overload and work-life balance. Academics also reported high levels of psychological ill-health, but experienced high levels of commitment both from and towards their organisation. Organisational commitment did not moderate the effects of occupational stress on ill-health. Analysis of variance revealed differences between the levels of occupational stress and ill-health of demographic groups. Regarding a model of work wellness, the results showed that job demands contributed to burnout, while job resources contributed to work wellness (low burnout and high work engagement). Burnout mediated the relationship between job demands and ill-health; work wellness mediated the relationship between job resources and organisational commitment. Dispositional optimism moderated the effects of a lack of job resources on work engagement. Work wellness and health contributed to life satisfaction. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The mining industry is driven by performance and intense working environments, accompanied by high demands, hazardous working conditions and socially undesirable working hours. These factors could impact on the interaction between work and home, as well as contributing to health problems of employees. The objectives of this research were to test the construct validity, construct equivalence and reliability of a work-home interaction measuring instrument, the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen (SWING), to determine if work-home interaction differences exist between different demographical groups, and to test a structural model of job characteristics (job demands and job resources), ill health and negative work-home interference. Random samples (n = 320) were taken from employees working in the mining industry (gold, platinum and phosphate mines) in the Gauteng, North West and Northern provinces. The SWING, a self-developed job characteristics questionnaire and an adapted version of the General Health Questionnaire were administered. Structural equation modelling, descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, Pearson product-moment correlations, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the data. Structural equation modelling confirmed the four-factor structure of the SWING and the construct equivalence for two language and ethnic groups. The four factors showed acceptable internal consistencies. Statistically significant differences were found based on age, ethnicity, gender, qualification, marital and parental status, language, flexibility at work and whether individuals had a partner with a paid job. Regarding the structural model, the results showed that job demands and job resources have an impact on ill health, and that ill health is associated with negative WHI. It was also found that job demands and job resources have a direct relationship with negative WHI on their own, but when both high demands and a lack of resources are present, only an indirect relationship with negative WHI exists though ill health. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The tertiary education environment has become known for its stressful working conditions. Factors such as high work demands (i.e. work overload, excessive time demands and work pressure) and insufficient resources (i.e. limited developmental possibilities, poor performance feedback, lack of support, etc.) all contribute to these stressful circumstances. As a result, these circumstances can cause employees to experience negative interferences between their work and nonwork roles. In addition, employees do not have adequate time to invest in their nonwork domains, hence nonwork roles are neglected (such as being a parent, being a spouse, spending time on domestic activities and spending time on religious/spiritual activities). To decrease these negative interferences, it is important for employees to recover from strains that were activated at work. The objectives of this study were to determine 1) which demands and resources significantly predicted work-nonwork interference among employees working in a tertiary education institution; and 2) which recovery strategies were significant in dealing with high levels of work-nonwork interference caused by high demands and a lack of resources. A random sample of 366 married parents was taken from a tertiary education institution in the North-West Province. A list was obtained of all the married parents of the institution. All of these employees were given the choice to participate in the research. A measuring battery measuring job demands (i.e. work pressure, emotional demands and cognitive demands), job resources (i.e. autonomy, social support and developmental possibilities), work-nonwork interference (i.e. work-parent, work-spouse, work-domestic and work-religion/spirituality) and recovery strategies (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery and control) respectively was utilised in this study. Descriptive and inferential statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, Pearson product-moment correlations and stepwise multiple regression, using the enter method, were used to analyse the data. The results indicate that work pressure and emotional demands significantly predict interference between all four nonwork roles. Additionally, autonomy and developmental possibilities significantly predicted work-parent and work-religion/spirituality interference respectively. Furthermore, all of the recovery strategies decreased specific worknonwork interference. Psychological detachment decreased the interference between the workspouse relationship and the work-religion/spirituality relationship. Relaxation predicted the decrease of interference between the following relationships: work-parent, work-spouse, and work-domestic. Mastery and control only significantly predicted the decrease of interference between the work-parent relationship and between the work-domestic activities respectively. Various recommendations were made for tertiary education institutions as well as for future research. Tertiary education institutions should manage high job demands by examining employees’ workload and job descriptions. Managers could possibly diminish work pressure and emotional demands by means of courses/workshops pertaining to self-management, time and organisational skills, emotional intelligence and/or coping with emotions. Tertiary education institutions should also focus on supporting employees who experience work-nonwork interferences and manage it effectively. In addition, the awareness of recovery and various recovery strategies should be promoted. Recommendations for future research include expanding the research to other occupational groups, longitudinal research designs, obtaining various opinions and perspectives of individuals also involved in the work-nonwork dyad and the study of the positive interaction between the work and nonwork roles. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

The reforms in the public sector, as consequence of New Public Management, have led to flattened organizational structure, increasing the span of control(SOC) width for managers. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between SOC width, working conditions (job demands, job resources and engaged leadership), employee health and engagement. SOC was measured as predictor for employee health and engagement, where mediation of working conditions effect on the relation was examined. Self-administrated surveys were collected from 1551 employees working under 109 managers in four public sector municipal operations in Sweden. The result displayed that it was unfavorable to have managers with a wide SOC for the employees working conditions, engagement and health. SOC was a significant predictor for health, while mediation of working conditions could not account for the relationship. These results indicate that a narrow SOC may improve working conditions and health outcomes for employees.

No description available.

The goal of this study was to explore the factors impacting on the well-being of ICU employees. The objectives of the study were: <ul> <li> To theoretically conceptualise the factors impacting on employees in a hospital ICU.</li> <li> To explore the role of personal factors such as personality, behaviour risks and resilience that impact on the well-being of ICU employees.</li> <li> To explore the organisational and work related factors that impinge on ICU employees and the impact these factors have on their well-being.</li> <li> To make recommendations regarding the implementation of proactive strategies.</li></ul> The research question of the qualitative study is: What are the factors impacting on the well-being of intensive care employees at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital? This is an applied, qualitative research study. The research design used was a collective case study using focus group interviewing. The research study was conducted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Intensive Care Unit. The sample was selected using non-probability, purposive sampling. The sample consisted of ten doctors, thirteen nursing personnel and seven allied professionals (four physiotherapists and three dieticians). A pilot study was conducted with two doctors, two nurses and a social worker to test the interview schedule. This group did not form part of the sample. The researcher did her best to adhere to ethical considerations. Participants were informed of the nature of the research and completed informed consent forms. Anonymity was ensured through presenting responses collectively. No individual names or responses will be identified. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect data during focus group interviewing. The four focus group sessions were tape recorded. After completion of the focus group interviewing, the data was transcribed verbatim and then the data was organised into themes and sub-themes. The findings were released in a mini-dissertation. The report is accurate and reflects the true facts. All sources, references and assistance are acknowledged. The themes and sub-themes identified were: <ul> <li> Theme one: Job Satisfaction and sub-themes-Fulfilment, Meaning to Work, Emotions experienced, Changes healthcare workers would like implemented.</li> <li> Theme two: Stressors and sub-themes- What the stressors are, Control over the Stressors, Self-care techniques utilised, Personal Resources and Ways of de-stressing.</li> <li> Theme three: Trauma</li> <li> Theme four: Interpersonal Relationships and sub-themes- Connectivity amongst team, Impact connectivity has on functioning and Teamwork.</li> <li> Theme five: Role Demands and sub-themes- Job Description, Role Conflict and Balance between work and personal life.</li> <li> Theme six: Job Resources and sub-themes- Adequacy of resources, Resources Lacking and Impact job resources have on functioning.</li> <li> Theme seven: Job Conditions and sub-themes- Work Overload, Job Security and Working Conditions.</li></ul> The findings of the study were as follows: <ul> <li> CHBH employees experience high job satisfaction as they are doing what they want to do. They feel that they make a difference and enjoy trauma work. They are where things happen and where they want to be.</li> <li> The stressors faced by ICU employees can be divided into emotional and physical/resource stressors. The physical stressors were found to be: long working hours, lack of resources, untrained staff, budget, procuring equipment and resources, lack of human resources, equipment and linen shortages. The emotional stressors were related to having to deal with trauma and the impact thereof, dealing with death and dying, decisions regarding the switching off of life support machines, not always knowing if you did the right thing and wondering if you did everything you could for the patient to save their life.</li> <li> Daily, employees are faced with dealing with trauma and the impact thereof. This has an impact on well-being and can lead to compassion fatigue or soul weariness.</li> <li> It is important to examine the interplay of job resources and job demands. If job demands are high and job resources lacking, well-being is impacted. Job resources may buffer the impact of job demands and thus reduce burnout, exhaustion and increase motivation.</li> <li> If job demands are high and job resources low, job demands will exceed the individuals’ capacity to cope and overtax or stretch ability to cope. ICU employees experience being overstretched and overtaxed due to high job demands and being under-resourced. Work overload results in exhaustion.</li> <li> Relationships are an important aspect of organisational support. Employees value their relationships with colleagues and this provides opportunities for discussing patients, sharing knowledge and obtaining assistance with patient care. By pooling resources the team has additional resources to resolve complex situations.</li> <li> The working conditions of ICU employees are impacted by shortages in human and equipment resources.</li></ul> Recommendations arising from the study are: <ul> <li> A lifestyle and health management program dealing with issues of nutrition, exercise, relaxation, self awareness and disease management.</li> <li> An educative stress management program which is presented at induction and orientation.</li> <li> Preventative programs that enhance knowledge and skills on coping and self-care.</li> <li> Self awareness programs designed to assist employees in understanding their own stressors and reactions, enhance their self-esteem by developing strengths, resilience and coping.</li> <li> Human capital management- developing strategies to attract retain and reduce staff shortages.</li> <li> Facilities for exercise and relaxation- the provision of a gym facility.</li> <li> Program to reduce fatigue and recovery time.</li> <li> Group sessions focussing on catharsis and ventilation of feelings.</li> <li> A comprehensive Employee Wellness Program. </ul> / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted

First-line nurse managers are very important to healthcare organizations. They are the ones who have the closest contact to employees and are responsible for on-the-floor management duties. Due to being in between upper management and employees they are responsible for numerous tasks both concerning administration but also the staff. They face high work demands on a daily basis and are, therefore, more susceptible to experience job stress and lower job satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to examine how first-line nurse managers perceive their work environment and how it influences job stress and job satisfaction. In this qualitative study, data was collected through semi-structured interviews. A total of eight Icelandic nurse managers were interviewed, so the data was analyzed from an Icelandic perspective. The interviews focus on exploring what work-related factors contribute to a higher stress-level, as well as what factors increase job satisfaction, and how the nurse managers are impacted by them. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, from which eight different themes emerged; ‘Shortage of staff’, ‘Lack of time’, ‘High workload’, ‘Formal power’, ‘Work-life interface’, ‘The importance of support’, ‘Fun work environment’, ‘Individual coping strategies’. These themes demonstrate different aspects of the work environment. The main findings show that the work environment of nurse managers is highly demanding and they face many challenges daily, and that these are the factors that have the most impact on job stress and job satisfaction.