Harsh realities exist in the South African Police Service (SAPS) that require concepts such as burnout and work engagement to be studied in the context of work-related well-being. Although these difficulties relate to police officials experiencing work-related trauma, more stressors seem to manifest on an organisational level, which in turn affects the psychological well-being of police officials. This study seeks to focus on the burnout and engagement of members of the Local Criminal and Record Centre (LCRC) in the SAPS. The members of the LCRC are exposed to severe occupational stressors relating to their job content, which necessitates research in occupational stress relating to the health of SAPS members. For the purposes of this study, the model of occupational stress, commitment and ill health of Cartwright and Cooper (2002) will be utilised to explain strain and organisational commitment. Work-related well-being, on the other hand, can best be explained by referring to the model of well-being developed by Schaufeli and Bakker (200 1 ). Since job demands play a central role in burnout, it is necessary to implement preventive organisationally-based strategies to address high job demands. Upon reviewing stress research, it became clear that a serious lack of intervention research exists. Little information is available about the work-related well-being of SAPS members, whilst no documented research could be found regarding the effects of an intervention programme on the work-related well-being of LCRC members. The study aimed at utilising three levels of intervention (primary, secondary and tertiary) on organisational and individual level. An integrated classification scheme of both the positive and negative aspects of work-related well-being on the organisational and individual level was developed and presented to members from the LCRC over a one-year period. The research method for each of the three articles of this study consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. An availability non-randomised sample was selected because the entire in-tact group of the LCRC of the SAPS (N=111) in the North West Province was included in the study. A survey design was used to achieve the research objectives of both Articles 1 and 2, whilst a longitudinal survey design was utilised in Article 3, where the same instruments were administered at two different times (over a one-year period) to the same group of participants. The measuring instruments used in this study are the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS), Health subscales, Organisational Commitment subscales, the ASSET questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was implemented to test a structural model of work-related wellbeing. A good fit was found for the model in which perceived job demands contributed to burnout which, in turn, impacted on ill health. Work wellness was determined by the relationship between two opposite constructs, namely burnout and engagement. The work-related well-being of members of the LCRC was affected by an environment of high job demands and inadequate resources. In Article 2, multiple regression analyses showed that occupational stress explained 19% of the variance in psychological ill health and 17% of the variance in physical ill health. A two-step multiple regression analysis conducted with the variables in their continuous form revealed that control was a statistically significant predictor of both physical and psychological ill health, while job overload statistically significantly predicted psychological ill health. Occupational stress also explained 17% of the variance in individual commitment and 16% of the variance in organisational commitment. It was concluded that individual commitment moderated the effects of stressful work relations on ill health. LCRC members portrayed a high risk to fall ill due to exhaustion; they were less enthusiastic about their job and tended to derive a lower sense of significance from their work. In addition, members showed a major risk for developing low affective commitment due to low work engagement. Exhaustion influenced the way members view their job demands, organisational and social support, as well as growth opportunities available to them. A lack of advancement opportunities and job insecurity contributed to feelings of exhaustion and cynicism. Another objective of this study was to evaluate interventions used to promote work-related wellbeing of LCRC members. Although no significant differences were found between the pre- and post-measurements, some positive aspects did flow from the interventions. For instance an active effort by management to address resource needs. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

The continuous alignment of human resource strategies, activities. processes and competencies within an ever-changing business environment poses certain challenges for the human resource profession in a global petrochemical industry. Modem business managers have realised the necessity of work wellness initiatives and that a relationship exists between employee wellness and business results, but very few companies measure whether such initiatives actually had any impact on work performance. Defining performance indicators and competence models for human resource practitioners has developed into a dynamic activity. Adaptation to continuously changing business needs has the potential to create a sense of incompetence, exhaustion, decreased motivation and dysfunctional work attitudes, collective1y defined as burnout. This highlights the need to identify and research psychological constructs that hold predictable value for the ability of human resource practitioners to prevent and overcome burnout by generating sufficient emotional energy to adapt to changing business needs, acquiring strategic human resource competencies to increase their feelings of professional efficacy and increasing their contribution towards organisational performance. The objective of this study was to determine perceived importance and actual performance of human resource practitioners in a global petrochemical company in terms of human resource roles, and to determine the influence of work wellness (burnout, engagement and workaholism) on the perceived value adding contribution of human resource practitioners in a global petrochemical company. The research method for each of the three articles of this study consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. Stratified samples were taken of human resource personnel (N = 128) and their internal line customers (N = 67). The measuring instruments used in this study included the Ulrich Human Resource Role Assessment Survey (HRRAS), Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Workaholism Scale. Article I compared perceptions of human resource practitioners and their internal customers regarding expected and actual contributions of human resource practitioners towards business performance in a global petrochemical company. It was found that human resource practitioners and their line customers are in agreement concerning the importance of the human resource roles that enable business performance, indicating that human resource practitioners have a good understanding of their job requirements. Both human resource practitioners and their line customers perceived the performance of human resource practitioners as average, which is lower than the expected level of performance as indicated by importance scales. In Article 2, a correlation study revealed that burnout (Exhaustion, Professional Efficacy and Cynicism) statistically significantly predicted the perceived level of performance of human resource practitioners in the organisation. It was found that Cynicism was a statistically significant predictor of the perceived level of performance of human resource practitioners in the organisation in terms of all the human resource roles (Strategic Partnering, Administrative Support, Employee Support and Change Management). Vigour and Dedication statistically significantly predicted perceived performance on the Administrative Support role. In Article 3, a three-factor model of workaholism (consisting of Compulsiveness, Involvement and Overwork) was found which showed positive relationship with burnout factors. Statistical analysis indicated that workaholism factors of the Workaholism Scale practically significantly correlate. Multiple regression analysis showed that burnout and workaholism factors can explain perceptions of human resource practitioner performance. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

A sample of 816 metropolitan police officers in Thailand completed a survey consisting of a set of job characteristics, including job control, support, and job demands, in addition to measures of emotional labour (surface acting and deep acting), and a set of psychological outcomes, to test a proposition based on Karasek and Theorell's (1990) model. 1t was argued that the emotional labour requirements of police officers would act as a moderating factor that would impact adversely on their wellbeing. The survey instruments were translated and back-translated from the original English to Thai, and their psychometric properties were assessed through confirmatory factor analysis. Tests based on validation and cross-validation procedures indicated that the measurement model was valid and reliable. The effects of job characteristics on wellbeing were assessed through canonical correlation and hierarchical moderated multiple regression analyses. Results revealed that deep acting was inversely related to wellbeing, and had a moderating effect on the relationship between job demands and wellbeing/psychological distress. A moderating effect was also detected for surface acting on the relationship between co-worker support and wellbeing. Neither surface acting nor deep acting had a moderating effect on the relationship between job control and wellbeing/ psychological distress. Implications of the results and recommendations for future research are discussed together with methodological limitations of the study.

<p>The overall aim of the present thesis is to gain an understanding of the working life of social workers working in public social services in Crete. It is a three-phase study, consisting of three distinct but related research parts; each research part is built upon issues and questions derived from the preceding part. In this work, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed. Theoretical perspectives regarding the impact of the welfare environment on social welfare workers’ behaviour and on their well being as well as gender aspects of welfare work constitute the main theoretical framework.</p><p>The findings of this thesis reveal the significant impact of the organisational environment on social workers’ well being, on their effectiveness as well as on their coping behaviour with unsatisfactory organisational conditions. The main sources of social workers’ dissatisfaction were organisational and extrinsic work aspects; their main sources of satisfaction were intrinsic work aspects. Social workers found themselves facing ethically difficult situations arising from the organisations’ inability to cover clients’ needs as well as from difficulties concerning interprofessional relationships with their superiors or physicians.</p><p>The most common pattern of coping that social workers used in order to deal with unsatisfactory organisational conditions was the ‘active defensive’ kind of adjustment aiming mainly at offering clients temporary relief. They adjusted their work attitudes to reflect lower expectations of their work. As their professional orientation called for altruistic behaviour towards clients, social workers tried to find solutions within the resource constraints they encountered; they did not risk trying to change the limitations imposed by the employing agencies. Certain common beliefs, such as that offering clients temporary help was the best they could do under the organisational circumstances, contributed to the forming of a dominant view: “the culture of silence”, which resulted in the perpetuation of unsatisfactory organisational conditions.</p><p>There were influences on social workers’ coping behaviour which affected them in order to accept limitations in their work rather than challenge them. The inability of welfare programmes to cover social needs, organisational factors, factors related to gender and the insufficient amount of social workers’ knowledge limited their potential for intervention in order to improve unsatisfactory conditions. The most common patterns of coping resulted in the partial covering of clients’ needs. Social workers who used active strategies experienced frustration due to their limited effectiveness and the perpetuation of the organisational problems; most of them wanted to quit working in the organisation. The high job demands they experienced due to their efforts to deal with organisational constraints along with the low level of job control resulted in emotional exhaustion.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

The overall aim of the present thesis is to gain an understanding of the working life of social workers working in public social services in Crete. It is a three-phase study, consisting of three distinct but related research parts; each research part is built upon issues and questions derived from the preceding part. In this work, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed. Theoretical perspectives regarding the impact of the welfare environment on social welfare workers’ behaviour and on their well being as well as gender aspects of welfare work constitute the main theoretical framework. The findings of this thesis reveal the significant impact of the organisational environment on social workers’ well being, on their effectiveness as well as on their coping behaviour with unsatisfactory organisational conditions. The main sources of social workers’ dissatisfaction were organisational and extrinsic work aspects; their main sources of satisfaction were intrinsic work aspects. Social workers found themselves facing ethically difficult situations arising from the organisations’ inability to cover clients’ needs as well as from difficulties concerning interprofessional relationships with their superiors or physicians. The most common pattern of coping that social workers used in order to deal with unsatisfactory organisational conditions was the ‘active defensive’ kind of adjustment aiming mainly at offering clients temporary relief. They adjusted their work attitudes to reflect lower expectations of their work. As their professional orientation called for altruistic behaviour towards clients, social workers tried to find solutions within the resource constraints they encountered; they did not risk trying to change the limitations imposed by the employing agencies. Certain common beliefs, such as that offering clients temporary help was the best they could do under the organisational circumstances, contributed to the forming of a dominant view: “the culture of silence”, which resulted in the perpetuation of unsatisfactory organisational conditions. There were influences on social workers’ coping behaviour which affected them in order to accept limitations in their work rather than challenge them. The inability of welfare programmes to cover social needs, organisational factors, factors related to gender and the insufficient amount of social workers’ knowledge limited their potential for intervention in order to improve unsatisfactory conditions. The most common patterns of coping resulted in the partial covering of clients’ needs. Social workers who used active strategies experienced frustration due to their limited effectiveness and the perpetuation of the organisational problems; most of them wanted to quit working in the organisation. The high job demands they experienced due to their efforts to deal with organisational constraints along with the low level of job control resulted in emotional exhaustion.

The purpose of the present study is to find the relationship between characteristics of working life such as job demands (e.g. workload), and job resources (e.g. colleague support) and job attachments of employees, such as burnout, work engagement, and workaholism. Moreover, the effects of work characteristics on physical health, organizational commitment and work-family balance are investigated. Additionally, the relationship between three major employee attachment styles to work, namely, burnout, workaholism and work engagement was examined. Psychometric qualities of the main study scales were established through a pilot study. Data for the main study were collected from 266 Turkish hotel and health care service employees. The results of regression analyses showed that job demands have effect on burnout and work engagement / whereas job resources are related to increased workaholism and decreased burnout. Work engagement predicted physical well-being, increased organizational commitment, and work-family harmony whereas burnout had a negative effect on these outcomes. Workaholism was related only to organizational commitment. Mediation analyses showed that burnout mediated between job demands, and resources and perceived health, organizational commitment and work-family harmony, whereas work engagement mediated only between job resources and the above consequences. A proposed job stress framework was tested through Job Demand and Resources (JD-R) Model. Structural Equation Modeling results exhibited good fit to the model, thus providing support for employee well-being aspect of JD-R Model. The analyses also showed that burnout, workaholism and work engagement are different constructs. Implications for managers, limitations of the study and suggestions for future studies were presented.

Continuous changes along with the increased pressure to perform may result in feelings of distrust, strain in interpersonal relations, psychological strain, fatigue and tension, all affecting the well-being of employees. Tracking and addressing the effectiveness of employees in the work context in areas that could impact on the standard of their services is important. Burnout and work engagement are specific focus areas in this regard. To measure burnout and work engagement, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments. However, there is a lack of empirical research systematically investigating burnout and work engagement in South Africa, as well as serious limitations, including poorly designed studies, a lack of sophisticated statistical analyses and poorly controlled studies. Furthermore, South Africa is a multicultural society and therefore, when burnout and work engagement measures are applied to different cultural groups, issues of equivalence become important. The objectives of this study were to standardise the MBI-GS and UWES for employees in an insurance company and to determine equivalence for each instrument, to determine the occupational stressors experienced and demographic differences in terms of the experience of occupational stressors and to test a causal model of work wellness consisting of burnout, work engagement, job demands, job resources, health, optimism and intention to leave. The research method for each of the three articles consists of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. An availability sample (N = 613) fiom employees in an insurance company was taken. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R), An Organisational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), Job Characteristics Scale (JCS) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SAS program and AMOS. The statistical methods utilised in the three articles consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlations, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling methods. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also utilised to determine differences between the subgroups of the sample. Structural equation modelling confirmed a three-factor model of burnout, consisting of exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy. The three-factor model of work engagement represented the data quite well after certain items had been replaced due to semantic differences. The MBI-GS and UWES both showed acceptable internal consistencies. Construct equivalence for different language groups were confumed for the MBI-GS and UWES. The continuous exposure to things like change, competitiveness and rivalry may result in feelings of stress. Stress may have a negative impact on the health and well-being of individuals. Physical and psychological ill health was found to be the major outcome of stress for employees. Commitment moderated the effect of occupational stress on ill health. Specific occupational stressors indicated in an insurance company had to do with performance management, job characteristics, redundancy of skills and remuneration. Biographical factors (i.e. department, level, years' experience) had an impact on the experience of occupational stressors. A one-factor, four-factor and three-factor wellness model was tested. The three-factor model, comprising exhaustion and cynicism loading on burnout and a combined work engagement (vigour and dedication) dimension, provided the best fit with the data. The causal model of work wellness provides support for the COBE model, assuming job demands and job resources. A lack of job resources increases the levels of burnout of employees, as well as the intention to leave the organisation. The availability of job resources increases the levels of work engagement. Employees who experience excessive workloads are likely to develop high levels of burnout which, in turn, may lead to health problems. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Continuous changes along with the increased pressure to perform may result in feelings of distrust, strain in interpersonal relations, psychological strain, fatigue and tension, all affecting the well-being of employees. Tracking and addressing the effectiveness of employees in the work context in areas that could impact on the standard of their services is important. Burnout and work engagement are specific focus areas in this regard. To measure burnout and work engagement, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments. However, there is a lack of empirical research systematically investigating burnout and work engagement in South Africa, as well as serious limitations, including poorly designed studies, a lack of sophisticated statistical analyses and poorly controlled studies. Furthermore, South Africa is a multicultural society and therefore, when burnout and work engagement measures are applied to different cultural groups, issues of equivalence become important. The objectives of this study were to standardise the MBI-GS and UWES for employees in an insurance company and to determine equivalence for each instrument, to determine the occupational stressors experienced and demographic differences in terms of the experience of occupational stressors and to test a causal model of work wellness consisting of burnout, work engagement, job demands, job resources, health, optimism and intention to leave. The research method for each of the three articles consists of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. An availability sample (N = 613) fiom employees in an insurance company was taken. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R), An Organisational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), Job Characteristics Scale (JCS) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SAS program and AMOS. The statistical methods utilised in the three articles consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlations, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling methods. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also utilised to determine differences between the subgroups of the sample. Structural equation modelling confirmed a three-factor model of burnout, consisting of exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy. The three-factor model of work engagement represented the data quite well after certain items had been replaced due to semantic differences. The MBI-GS and UWES both showed acceptable internal consistencies. Construct equivalence for different language groups were confumed for the MBI-GS and UWES. The continuous exposure to things like change, competitiveness and rivalry may result in feelings of stress. Stress may have a negative impact on the health and well-being of individuals. Physical and psychological ill health was found to be the major outcome of stress for employees. Commitment moderated the effect of occupational stress on ill health. Specific occupational stressors indicated in an insurance company had to do with performance management, job characteristics, redundancy of skills and remuneration. Biographical factors (i.e. department, level, years' experience) had an impact on the experience of occupational stressors. A one-factor, four-factor and three-factor wellness model was tested. The three-factor model, comprising exhaustion and cynicism loading on burnout and a combined work engagement (vigour and dedication) dimension, provided the best fit with the data. The causal model of work wellness provides support for the COBE model, assuming job demands and job resources. A lack of job resources increases the levels of burnout of employees, as well as the intention to leave the organisation. The availability of job resources increases the levels of work engagement. Employees who experience excessive workloads are likely to develop high levels of burnout which, in turn, may lead to health problems. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Harsh realities exist in the South African Police Service (SAPS) that require concepts such as burnout and work engagement to be studied in the context of work-related well-being. Although these difficulties relate to police officials experiencing work-related trauma, more stressors seem to manifest on an organisational level, which in turn affects the psychological well-being of police officials. This study seeks to focus on the burnout and engagement of members of the Local Criminal and Record Centre (LCRC) in the SAPS. The members of the LCRC are exposed to severe occupational stressors relating to their job content, which necessitates research in occupational stress relating to the health of SAPS members. For the purposes of this study, the model of occupational stress, commitment and ill health of Cartwright and Cooper (2002) will be utilised to explain strain and organisational commitment. Work-related well-being, on the other hand, can best be explained by referring to the model of well-being developed by Schaufeli and Bakker (200 1 ). Since job demands play a central role in burnout, it is necessary to implement preventive organisationally-based strategies to address high job demands. Upon reviewing stress research, it became clear that a serious lack of intervention research exists. Little information is available about the work-related well-being of SAPS members, whilst no documented research could be found regarding the effects of an intervention programme on the work-related well-being of LCRC members. The study aimed at utilising three levels of intervention (primary, secondary and tertiary) on organisational and individual level. An integrated classification scheme of both the positive and negative aspects of work-related well-being on the organisational and individual level was developed and presented to members from the LCRC over a one-year period. The research method for each of the three articles of this study consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. An availability non-randomised sample was selected because the entire in-tact group of the LCRC of the SAPS (N=111) in the North West Province was included in the study. A survey design was used to achieve the research objectives of both Articles 1 and 2, whilst a longitudinal survey design was utilised in Article 3, where the same instruments were administered at two different times (over a one-year period) to the same group of participants. The measuring instruments used in this study are the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS), Health subscales, Organisational Commitment subscales, the ASSET questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was implemented to test a structural model of work-related wellbeing. A good fit was found for the model in which perceived job demands contributed to burnout which, in turn, impacted on ill health. Work wellness was determined by the relationship between two opposite constructs, namely burnout and engagement. The work-related well-being of members of the LCRC was affected by an environment of high job demands and inadequate resources. In Article 2, multiple regression analyses showed that occupational stress explained 19% of the variance in psychological ill health and 17% of the variance in physical ill health. A two-step multiple regression analysis conducted with the variables in their continuous form revealed that control was a statistically significant predictor of both physical and psychological ill health, while job overload statistically significantly predicted psychological ill health. Occupational stress also explained 17% of the variance in individual commitment and 16% of the variance in organisational commitment. It was concluded that individual commitment moderated the effects of stressful work relations on ill health. LCRC members portrayed a high risk to fall ill due to exhaustion; they were less enthusiastic about their job and tended to derive a lower sense of significance from their work. In addition, members showed a major risk for developing low affective commitment due to low work engagement. Exhaustion influenced the way members view their job demands, organisational and social support, as well as growth opportunities available to them. A lack of advancement opportunities and job insecurity contributed to feelings of exhaustion and cynicism. Another objective of this study was to evaluate interventions used to promote work-related wellbeing of LCRC members. Although no significant differences were found between the pre- and post-measurements, some positive aspects did flow from the interventions. For instance an active effort by management to address resource needs. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.