The rapid change within the South African workplace and competitiveness of organisations required employed and unemployed individuals to be trained and retrained as a large number of the South African population is unskilled. In the chemical industry employability of individuals is of extra ordinarily importance to both employer and individual. One of the main focuses of the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) is to enable learners through the promotion of employability to enter into learnerships to develop the necessary skills to develop sustainable livelihoods (CHIETA, 2011). There are high expectations of the learnerships system which was implemented during 2001 in South Africa. This system is set as a key strategic component of the National Skills Development Strategy, 2011-2016. Learnership programmes are implemented in South African organisations which is a great platform for employee development. Employees are afforded the opportunity to broaden their knowledge in the studied field and gain the needed skills within the organisation (Department of Labour, 1997). Learnerships are seen as a demand driven formal labour market tool, to address the existing need for critical, scarce - high and intermediate - skills levels. Simultaneously, it is seen as an employment-creation mechanism at the low and intermediate skills levels. This statement is a fundamental principle of a survey done on learnerships (Smith, Jennings, & Solanki, 2005). Researchers concluded that learnership programmes are the ideal for employees to acquire the needed skills to become competent and to provide jobs for the unemployed and in this manner enhance employability (Smith et al., 2005). The main aim of article one was to determine the differences in the levels of the psychological contracts, violation of the psychological contract, learners‟ expectations, employability, life satisfaction and work engagement between individual variables (type of learnership contracts, gender, race, age, date of commencement of learnership, date of completion of learnership). A cross-sectional survey design was used. A total of 237 learners completed the questionnaire. The psychological contract scale, violation of the psychological contract scale, learners‟ expectations scale, employability scale, life satisfaction scale, work engagement scale and biographical scale were administered. The results indicated that a statistically significant difference was obtained for age, date of commencement of learnership and date of completion of learnership, but no relationship exists with type of learnership contract, gender and race. The aim of the second article was to determine the relationship between learners within learnership psychological contract, state of the psychological contract, expectations and violations of psychological contract, employability, work engagement and life satisfaction. Furthermore, the study strives to determine whether violation of the psychological contract, learners‟ expectations and employability could predict life satisfaction of learners. A practically significant relationship with a medium effect exists between violation of the psychological contract, state of psychological contract (negative), and employability (positive). A positive practically significant relationship exists between state of psychological contract and work engagement. No relationship was found between employability, life satisfaction and work engagement. A positive practically significant relationship with a medium effect exists between life satisfaction and work engagement. Employer obligations and employability predict life satisfaction. The state of the psychological contract (trust) and life satisfaction predict work engagement of learners. / MA (Labour Relations Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management & Dietetics / Chihyung Ok / Academics and practitioners alike have studied the concept of person-environment fit (P-E fit) during the last two decades. How well a person fits the work environment may be an effective indicator of attitudes and behaviors in organizations. P-E fit is not completely conceptualized, so existing studies of fit theory have focused only on particular dimensions of fit leading to contradictory results. Therefore, Study 1, using multi-dimensional environment fit, tested relationships among the environment fits, work related attitudes, and outcomes at the individual, group, and organization levels. In addition, Study 2 examined the effect of relationship qualities between hierarchical levels (supervisor-subordinate) and multi-dimensional fit on employee turnover intention. To empirically test the proposed relationships, 288 foodservice employees at continuing care retirement communities (22 facilities) statewide submitted questionnaires. Of these, 261 and 254 were usable in study 1 and study 2, respectively, for further data analysis. The results of structural equation modeling (Study 1) suggested that employee need-supply fit, demand-ability fit, person-group fit, and person-organization fit were positively related to employee need satisfaction. Further, need satisfaction was positively related to outcome variables like work engagement, interpersonal citizenship behavior, and organizational commitment. Results of hierarchical multiple regressions (for Study 2) showed that employee need-supply fit perception related negatively to turnover intention. The study also found that the leader-member exchange relationship moderated the need-supply fit and turnover intention. Thus, a close exchange relationship between leaders and subordinates could keep subordinates from leaving because of a need-supply misfit. Further discussion and managerial implications of the findings along with directions for future studies are provided.

Onboarding is the process where new employees get to know the organization, their colleagues and what rules and conditions that characterize their new workplace. The goal of onboarding is to get employees to perform, obtain work satisfaction and to feel a commitment and a loyalty to the business.This study aims to get increased understanding of the process by studying experiences from employees at an IT consulting company. The questions that are being answered are about how new employes experience their onboarding process and how managers describes the employees' onboarding process.A qualitative method has been used and empirical data has been collected through semistructured interviews with 12 employees, seven employees and five managers within the selected IT consulting company. The result shows that the onboarding process is formal and structured but that the employees' expresses a need for further improvement. Measures that appear as suggestions for improvement of the studied company’s onboarding process includes development towards mentorship, together with clear formal follow-ups with newly employed. These measures can contribute to an improved experience from start and further work to increase the employees willingness to remain within the organization. / Onboarding är den process där nyanställda medarbetare lär känna organisationen, arbetsgruppen samt vilka regler och villkor som präglar arbetet på deras nya arbetsplats. Målet med onboarding är att få medarbetarna att prestera, känna tillfredsställelse i sitt arbete samt att känna ett engagemang och en lojalitet till verksamheten. Denna studie syftar till att skapa en ökad förståelse för processen genom att studera upplevelser från anställda på ett IT-konsultbolag. De frågeställningar som söks svar på är hur nyanställda medarbetare upplever den onboardingprocess de genomgått, samt på vilket sätt chefer beskriver medarbetarnas onboardingprocess. En kvalitativ metod har använts och empiri har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med 12 anställda, varav sju medarbetare och fem chefer inom valt IT-konsultbolag. Resultatet visar på att den studerade verksamheten arbetar formellt och strukturerat med arbetsplatsintroduktion, men att medarbetarnas upplevelser ger uttryck för visst behov av vidare arbete för förbättring. Åtgärder som framkommer som förbättringsförslag av det studerade företagets onboarding innefattar exempelvis ett utökat arbete med nuvarande fadderuppdrag alternativt vidareutveckling av ett mentorskap, tillsammans med tydliga formella uppföljningar med nyanställda medarbetare. Dessa åtgärder kan bidra till en förbättrad upplevelse från start och ett vidare arbete för att få medarbetare att vilja stanna längre inom organisationen.

Employee attrition is a critical issue for organizations as retaining the best professional talent and controlling the costs linked to losing and employing new employees is a costly process. This is especially true for small and medium-sized enterprises that have limited resources and where every individual employee is a big part of the collective effort of the company. It has been argued that in most organizations the utility of human resources is not maximized and that investments in the right human resource practices would provide returns that exceed the costs. The unclear relationship between human resource practices and performance is commonly referred to as ‘the black box' of human resource management. Human resource practices are conceptualized differently in the literature and one of the most popular views states that practices should support and synergize with each other and that a combined implementation of practices leads to better results. This concept is often referred to as high performance work systems (HPWS) which is designed to enhance employee effectiveness. Based on the research of HPWS, the AMO-framework was introduced to better explain the linkage between human resources management and organizational performance. The framework is based on the idea that employees will perform better when they are able to do so (Ability), when they possess the motivation to do so (Motivation), and when their work environment provides the necessary support (Opportunity). Due to the lack of research of the AMO-framework in Scandinavian countries, the purpose of this quantitative study is to tests the relationship between the AMO-framework, intention to leave and the two constructs of organizational commitment and work engagement. Based on the purpose, a research question for this study is addressed as follows: What is the impact of Ability, Motivation and Opportunity HR-practices on organizational commitment, work engagement and employees' intention to leave? The sample consisted of a total of 95 employees from various small and medium-sized enterprises in Sweden. The empirical findings suggest that even though the AMO-framework does not impact employees' intention to leave directly, the individual dimensions of Ability and Motivation might do so indirectly through the constructs of organizational commitment and work engagement. These findings highlight the importance of the impact of the AMO framework on the above-mentioned constructs. Furthermore, this study contributes to the studies on human resource management in SMEs by providing more insight for the owner-managers on how to wisely invest in human resources in order to decrease employee attrition.

Arbetsengagemang har beskrivits som ett positivt arbetsrelaterat tillstånd. Med förståelse för medarbetarnas arbetsmotivation kan arbetsengagemanget öka och riskerna med negativ stress undvikas. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilka motivationstyper som till störst del förklarade dimensionerna i arbetsengagemang hos tjänstemän. Genom en kvantitativ studie har tre regressionsanalyser genomförts. Som mätinstrument utformades en digital enkät baserad på Work Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Scale (WEIMS) och Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). Enkäten skickades via mail till 199 tjänstemän vid en avdelning hos ett företag i industrisektorn. Datainsamlingen genererade 124 enkätsvar som analyserades. Resultaten visade att inre motivation och omotivation var de starkaste prediktorerna för samtliga dimensioner i arbetsengagemang. Integrerad- och identifierad reglering hade signifikant betydelse för dimensionen uppslukande medan integrerad reglering också var signifikant för hängivenhet. Anställda som tilldelas eget ansvar och självbestämmande har högre känsla av inre motivation och känner högre arbetsengagemang än individer som inte får fatta egna beslut. / Work engagement has been described as a positive work related state of mind. With understanding for work motivation work engagement may increase among coworkers and risks of negative stress can be avoided. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine which motivation types that most explain the dimensions in work engagement. A digital questionnaire was designed based on Work Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Scale (WEIMS) and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). The questionnaire was sent by e-mail to 199 white collar workers at a company in the industrial sector. The collected data included 124 answers and was analysed by three regression analysis. Our findings showed that intrinsic motivation and amotivation was the strongest predictors for all dimensions in work engagement. Integrated- and identified regulation showed significant importance for the dimension absorption while integrated regulation also showed significant importance for the dimension dedication. Employees who are self-determined and given own responsibility have both higher feeling of intrinsic motivation and work engagement than individuals who does not get the opportunity to make own decisions.

In the United States, the high turnover rate of registered nurses and indications of a future shortage of registered nurses is detrimental to healthcare organizations. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether, in hospitals, work engagement and job satisfaction predicted registered nurse turnover intention. The theoretical framework was Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action. Probability sampling was used to identify 155 participants, all full-time registered nurses with 2 or more years of employment in New York hospitals. Data, obtained from surveys, were analyzed via multiple linear regression. The results revealed that only job satisfaction predicted turnover intention among the nurses sampled, (F (5,154) = 12.008, p <.001. R2 = .287. The results indicated that low work engagement is not necessarily an indication of job dissatisfaction or of an individual's intention to leave a job. Leaders of healthcare organizations might lower nurse turnover intention by focusing on improving job satisfaction. Specifically, by addressing the issues identified from regular job satisfaction surveys, and by a greater emphasis on creating a satisfying workplace, overall job satisfaction might be increased. The potential increased stability of the registered nurse workforce and the potential cost savings resulting from lower turnover could contribute to positive social change by improving the delivery of health services and by enhancing the healthcare experiences of patients, their families, and the surrounding communities.

Todays workers are living in a rapidly changing environment and adaptability has become one of the most valued competences. Because of economical competition, demands imposed on workers are getting more and more elevated. The opposition between constraints of efficiency, search for performance, workload and private life, combined with a loss in work meaning and in social support, contribute to expose workers to job stress and burnout. Besides dealing with high workload and exigencies of adaptability, workers are expected to create their own career opportunities and development. More specifically, in order to stay competitive, organizations need workers that are active and creative at work, workers that are ready to invest not only their time, but also their mind into their work. In other words, they need workers to be engaged in their work. Given this apparent opposition between increased risk for job stress and burnout on the one hand, and increased need of engaged workers on the other, it is necessary to investigate which conditions are prevalent in the development of those phenomena. In this thesis, we present a theoretical overview of burnout and engagement concepts (chapter1 and chapter2, respectively). We then expose how they are integrated into the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model, and what criticism it can be addressed (chapter3). Chapter4 is dedicated to our research objectives, which are declined in five empirical studies. In study1(chapter5) and study2 (chapter6), we aim at validating the Positive and Negative Occupational States Inventory (PNOSI), a tool that was designed to measure positive and negative workers reactions to their working environment. Results indicate that the tool is composed of two factors, one measuring negative occupational state and the other measuring positive occupational state. This structure was replicated on a variety of samples. Negative occupational state can be conceived as an intermediate state occurring before burnout, while positive occupational state seems to be similar to work engagement. Both are different from commitment and workaholism. The impact of item wording, and interactions between items on the one hand and gender and age on the other were also investigated. In study3 (chapter7), we aim at validating the JDR model on three-wave longitudinal data that we collected among workers of a Belgian public administration. In addition, this study aims at validating the JDR model using predictors derived from stigma and social identity literature. Results indicate that perceived prejudice predicts higher burnout, whereas group identification predicts higher engagement. This was found above the effects of job demands and job resources, respectively. An interaction effect was also observed: among those who identify strongly to their occupational group, engagement was lower when workers also perceived high prejudice towards this group. Study4 and study5 also aim at validating the model using new types of predictors. Study4 (chapter8) more specifically focuses on the health-impairment process of the JDR model. It investigates whether person-related factors (namely workaholism) predict burnout in addition to job demands. Study4 also longitudinally testes whether job strain can indeed be considered as an intermediate state occurring in response to high job demands before burnout develops. We found that job strain acts as an intermediate, shorter term reaction to high job demands, before the occurrence of burnout. Results were mitigated as to the role of workaholism. It was hypothesized that this variable would initiate another kind of process, dealing with person-related issues. In study5 (chapter9), we focus more specifically on the energetic process, and investigate whether workers work-related personal demands (namely, the expectations they develop with regards to their own performance) predict engagement above the effects of job and personal resources. Results indicate that work-related personal demands predict high future engagement, above the impact of job and personal resources. However, no reciprocal impact of engagement was observed. We end this thesis with a discussion of our results and a general conclusion.

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.

Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti įsitraukimo į darbą aspektų (pozityviojo įsitraukimo į darbą, negatyviojo įsitraukimo į darbą) ir profesinio pervargimo sąsajas. Tyrime dalyvavo 332 įvairias pareigas užimantys darbuotojai, iš jų 70 vyrų (amžiaus vid.= 42,23; SD = 13,037) ir 259 moterys (amžiaus vid.= 40,26; SD = 11,51), 3 tirti asmenys lyties nenurodė. Pozityvusis įsitraukimas į darbą buvo matuojamas naudojant Utrecht pozityviojo įsitraukimo į darbą klausimyną (Utrecht work engagement scale - UWES; Schaufeli ir Bakker, 2003). Negatyvusis įsitraukimas į darbą buvo matuojamas naudojant Priklausomybės nuo darbo rizikos klausimyną (Work addiction risk test - WART; Robinson, 1999, modifikuota Flowers ir Robinson, 2002). Profesinis pervargimas buvo matuojamas Kopenhagos Profesinio pervargimo klausimynu (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory – CBI; Borritz, Kristensen, 2004). Pagrindiniai tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad pozityvusis įsitraukimas į darbą, negatyvusis įsitraukimas į darbą ir profesinis pervargimas yra trys atskiri, tačiau tarpusavyje susiję reiškiniai: energingumas (pozityviojo įsitraukimo į darbą komponentas) susijęs su profesiniu pervargimu, pasinėrimas į darbą (pozityviojo įsitraukimo į darbą komponentas) - su negatyviuoju įsitraukimu į darbą, su klientais susijęs pervargimas (profesinio pervargimo komponentas) – su sutrikusia komunikacija (negatyviojo įsitraukimo į darbą komponentas). Taip pat nustatyta, jog profesinį pervargimą prognozuoja įsitraukimo į darbą aspektai:... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of the study was to identify the relationship among aspects of employee's work involvement and burnout. The participants of the present study were 332 employees of a different work domains (259 females and 70 males). Utrecht work engagement scale - UWES (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003) was used to measure work engagement. Work addiction risk test – WART (Robinson, 1999; modified by Flowers & Robinson, 2002) was used to measure workaholism. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory – CBI, (Borritz & Kristensen, 2004) was used to measure burnout. Major research findings showed that work engagement, workaholism and burnout were three distinct, but related concepts: vigor (component of work engagement) was related to burnout; absorption (component of work engagement) was related to workaholism; client - related burnout (component of burnout) was related to impaired communications (component of workaholism). Similarly, it was determined that burnout was predicted by aspects of work involvement: work engagement predicted decreases of burnout; workaholism predicted increases of burnout.