scholarly journals Factors associated with employee engagement in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastiaan Rothmann ◽  
Sebastiaan Rothmann Jr
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Work Role ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Psychological Conditions ◽  
Organisational Support ◽  
Psychological Meaningfulness ◽  
Engagement Scale

Orientation: Knowledge of the factors associated with employee engagement is important for practitioners and researchers in industrial/organisational psychology in South Africa.Research purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the factors associated with employee engagement using two models, namely the personal engagement model of Kahn (1990), and the work engagement model of Schaufeli and Bakker (2004).Motivation for the study: Scientific knowledge is needed regarding the factors that are associated with employee engagement.Research design, approach and method: Survey designs were used with two samples taken from various South African organisations (n = 467 and n = 3775). The Work Engagement Scale, the Psychological Conditions Scale and the Antecedents Scale were administered for purposes of study 1. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Job Demands-Resources Scale were administered for purposes of study 2.Main findings: The results of study 1 showed that two psychological conditions, namely psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability, were positively associated with employee engagement. Work role fit was the best predictor of psychological meaningfulness and employee engagement. The results of study 2 showed that all job resources were positively associated with employee engagement. Organisational support and growth opportunities were the best predictors of vigour, dedication and absorption.Pratical/managerial implications: Interventions to increase employee engagement should focus on work role fit. Job resources, including an intrinsically rewarding job, organisational support and advancement opportunities should be made available to increase employees’ engagement.Contribution/value-add: This study isolated the most important factors associated with employee engagement in South Africa.

scholarly journals Towards happiness: Experiences of work-role fit, meaningfulness and work engagement of industrial/organisational psychologists in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Llewellyn E. Van Zyl ◽  
Elmari Deacon ◽  
Sebastiaan Rothmann
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Work Role ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Meaning Of Work ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Psychological Meaningfulness ◽  
The Relationship

Orientation: The work of industrial/organisational (I/O) psychologists presents an interesting and relevant context for studying meaning and engagement as components of happiness.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to determine how I/O psychologists experience the meaning of their work and to investigate the relationships between their experiences of work-role fit, meaning of work, psychological meaningfulness and work engagement, utilising the happiness framework proposed by Seligman (2002).Motivation for the study: I/O psychologists spend more than 88% of their working day with people, and they are primary role models for happiness in the workplace. Information about their work engagement and experiences of meaning is therefore needed.Research design, approach and method: A survey design was used. A convenience sample (n = 106) was taken of I/O psychologists in South Africa. A biographical questionnaire, the Work-Role Fit Scale, the Work-Life Questionnaire, the Psychological Meaningfulness Scale, the Work Engagement Scale and a survey measuring the actual and desired time spent on six broad categories of work were administered.Main findings: Work-role fit predicted psychological meaningfulness and work engagement. The calling orientation to work predicted both psychological meaningfulness and work engagement. Work-role fit mediated the relationship between the meaning of work and psychological meaningfulness. Work-role fit partially mediated the relationship between a calling orientation to work and work engagement.Practical implications: A calling orientation to work should be fostered in I/O psychologists because it contributes to experiences of work-role fit, psychological meaningfulness and work engagement.Contribution/value-add: The results of this study contribute to scientific knowledge about work-role fit, engagement and meaning as components of happiness of I/O psychologists.

scholarly journals Employee engagement: The effects of work-home/home-work interaction and psychological conditions

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 515-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastiaan Rothmann ◽  
Candice Baumann
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Uranium Mine ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Measuring Instruments ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Psychological Conditions ◽  
Home Work ◽  
Psychological Meaningfulness ◽  
Work Interaction

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between work-home and home-work interference, psychological conditions and employee engagement. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The participants were 292 employees of a uranium mine in Namibia residing in towns distant from their workplace. The following measuring instruments were used: Survey Work-Home Interaction – Nijmegen, Psychological Conditions Scale and Employee Engagement Questionnaire. Negative work-home interaction (work-home/home-work spillover) was negatively related to psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability, and employee engagement. Positive work-life interaction (work-home/home-work interaction) was positively related to psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability, and employee engagement. The study builds on the work-life interaction literature by showing that negative and positive interactions indirectly affect employee engagement via psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability.

scholarly journals A structural model of job resources, organisational and individual strengths use and work engagement

2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheri Botha ◽  
Karina Mostert
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
The South ◽  
Strengths Use ◽  
Organisational Support ◽  
Proactive Behaviour ◽  
Perceived Organisational Support ◽  
Individual Perspective

Orientation: Organisations will not be able to maintain a competitive advantage by merely focusing on the development of their employees’ weaknesses. Employees should also be provided with sufficient job resources and opportunities to develop and use their strengths, as this could lead to work engagement.Research purpose: To test a structural model of job resources, perceived organisational support for strengths use, proactive behaviour towards strengths use and work engagement amongst South African employees.Motivation for the study: To gain more knowledge and a better understanding of the outcomes of following an organisational and individual strength-based approach focused on the use of strengths within the South African context.Research approach, design and method: A quantitative approach with cross-sectional research design was used. An availability sample (N = 401) of employees from various occupational groups in South Africa was used. Structural equation modelling was used to test the model.Main findings: The results indicated that perceived organisational support for strengths use and employees’ proactive behaviour towards strengths use were strongly and positively associated with work engagement in the structural model.Practical/managerial implications: Knowledge of using strengths from an organisational and individual perspective could assist organisations in gaining a better understanding of the relationship with work engagement.Contribution/value-add: This study adds to the limited research on using strengths from both an organisational and individual perspective and possible outcomes within the South African context.

scholarly journals The job demands-resources model of work engagement in South African call centres

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolandi Janse van Rensburg ◽  
Billy Boonzaier ◽  
Michèle Boonzaier
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Team Effectiveness ◽  
Leadership Effectiveness ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Call Centres

Orientation: A ‘sacrificial human resource strategy’ is practised in call centres, resulting in poor employee occupational health. Consequently, questions are posed in terms of the consequences of call centre work and which salient antecedent variables impact the engagement and wellbeing of call centre representatives.Research purpose: Firstly, to gauge the level of employee engagement amongst a sample of call centre representatives in South Africa and, secondly, to track the paths through which salient personal and job resources affect this engagement. More specifically, the relationships between sense of coherence, leadership effectiveness, team effectiveness and engagement were investigated, thus testing the Job Demands-Resources model of work engagement.Motivation for the study: To present an application of the Job Demands-Resources model of work engagement in a call centre environment in order to diagnose current ills and consequently propose remedies.Research design: A cross-sectional survey design was used and a non-probability convenient sample of 217 call centre representatives was selected. The measuring instruments comprise the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale to measure engagement, the Team Diagnostic Survey to measure team effectiveness, the leadership practices inventory to gauge leadership effectiveness, and the Orientation to Life Questionnaire to measure sense of coherence. A series of structural equation modelling analyses were performed.Main findings: Contrary to the ‘electronic sweatshop’ image attached to call centre jobs depicted in the literature, results show a high level of employee engagement for call centre representatives in the sample. Also, personal resources such as sense of coherence and job resources such as team effectiveness related significantly to engagement. A non-significant relationship exists between leadership effectiveness and engagement.Practical/managerial implications: Both the content and context of jobs need to be addressed to increase the personal and job resources of call centre representatives.Contribution/value-add: The Job Demands-Resources model of work engagement can be used to improve the occupational health and performance of employees in call centres.

scholarly journals Peran Conscientiousness sebagai Moderator dari Hubungan Job Resources dan Work Engagement Karyawan Information Technology (IT) pada PT. X

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Winoto Sugiarto ◽  
P. Tommy Y. S. Suyasa ◽  
Daniel Lie
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Probability Sampling ◽  
Utrecht Work Engagement Scale ◽  
Engagement Scale

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat peran dari conscientiousness sebagai moderator hubungan antara job resources dan work engagement yang ada pada PT. X khususnya pada unit kerja Information Technology (IT). Karyawan IT yang bekerja menunjukkan work engagement yang rendah, indikatornya adalah semangat, dedikasi dan kekhusyukan yang rendah terhadap pekerjaan. Partisipan diambil dari 72 karyawan IT yang terdiri dari developer dan support di PT. X. Teknik sampling menggunakan probability sampling. Pengambilan data dilakukan dengan cara menyebarkan kuesioner Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job-Demands Resources Questionnaire, dan NEO PI. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa job resources berelasi positif terhadap work engagement. Relasi positif antara job resources dan work engagement tidak berbeda antara partisipan yang memiliki conscientiousness tinggi dan partisipan yang memiliki conscientiousness rendah pada dimensi coaching dan opportunity for development. Namun peran conscientiousness sebagai moderator hubungan antara job resources dan work engagement terlihat pada dimensi feedback, social support dan autonomy. Keywords: work engagement, job resources, conscientiousness, moderator, karyawan IT

scholarly journals Engagement of employees in a research organisation: A relational perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris Asiwe ◽  
Sebastiaan Rothmann ◽  
Lene Jorgensen ◽  
Carin Hill
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Psychological Conditions ◽  
Research Organisation ◽  
Relational Factors ◽  
Psychological Meaningfulness

Background: Increasing work engagement in a sustainable way remains a challenge despite years of research on the topic. Relationships at work are vital to foster engagement or disengagement. While the relational model by Kahn and Heaphy is conceptually appealing to explain work engagement, it lacks empirical support.Aims: The aims of this study were to investigate the associations among relational factors, psychological conditions (psychological meaningfulness, availability and safety) and work engagement and to test a structural model of work engagement.Setting: A total of 443 individuals in an agricultural research organisation participated in a cross-sectional study.Methods: Four scales that measured relational factors, the Psychological Conditions Scale and the Work Engagement Scale were administered. Latent variable modelling was used to test the measurement and structural models.Results: The results confirmed a structural model in which relational facets of job design contributed to psychological meaningfulness. Emotional exhaustion (inverse) and co-worker relationships contributed to psychological availability. Supervisor relationships contributed to psychological safety. Psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability contributed to work engagement, while emotional exhaustion contributed to disengagement.Conclusion: The relational context is an important target for intervention to affect the psychological conditions which precede work engagement. To promote work engagement, it is vital to focus on psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability and emotional exhaustion.

scholarly journals Job resources, job demands, uncertain working environment and employee work engagement in banking industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-212
Author(s):  
Tabitha Eliaba Kenyi ◽  
Ludo Bosco John
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Banking Industry ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Employee Work Engagement

Employee engagement is the key factor in any success in the organization’s growth, quality, and good performance. This study conducted to shed insights on the effect that job resources, job demands, and uncertain working environments have an impact on the banking industry in South Sudan. The study focused on addressing the following objectives: To find out the relationships between job demands, job resources and employee engagement in the context of South Sudan; to explore the role of uncertain working environment on employee work engagement. We received the final responses from a sample of 160 employees. The quantitative research technique was used by analyzing our data via SPSS software. The study found that job resources positively affect employee work engagement, job demands had a negative significant influence on the relationship between job resources and employee work engagement. The uncertain work environment also negatively moderates job resources and work engagement relationships.

scholarly journals Job demands, job resources, burnout and work engagement of managers at a platinum mine in the North West Province

2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Rothmann ◽  
J. H.M. Joubert
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Organisational Support ◽  
North West Province

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between job demands, job resources, burnout, and engagement of management staff at a platinum mine in the North West Province. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population (N = 310) consisted of managers at the platinum mine. The Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and the Job Demands-Resources Scale were administered. The results revealed that exhaustion was predicted by workload, job insecurity and a lack of resources, while cynicism was predicted by lack of organisational support and advancement opportunities. Vigour was predicted by organisational support. Dedication was predicted by organisational support and high workload. Engagement was predicted by organisational support.

scholarly journals Job demands, job resources and work engagement of academic staff in South African higher education institutions

2006 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Rothmann ◽  
G M E Jordaan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Organisational Support ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

The objective of this study was to investigate the work engagement of academics in selected South African higher education institutions as well as the impact of job demands and job resources on their work engagement. Stratified random samples (N = 471) were drawn from academic staff in three higher education institutions in South Africa. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) were administered. The results confirmed a two-factor structure of work engagement, consisting of vigour and dedication. Six reliable factors were extracted on the JDRS, namely organisational support, growth opportunities, social support, overload, advancement and job insecurity. Job resources (including organisational support and growth opportunities) predicted 26% of the variance in vigour and 38% of the variance in dedication. Job demands (overload) impacted on dedication of academics at low and moderate levels of organisational support.

scholarly journals What’s love got to do with it? Employee engagement amongst higher education workers

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orla Byrne ◽  
Joe MacDonagh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Organisational Support ◽  
Practical Implications

AbstractEmployee engagement is an important construct in management research as engaged employees not only perform better in their jobs but also feel happier and more fulfilled in the workplace. Employee engagement is a function of the job resources employees have in coping with their job demands. This paper makes a threefold contribution to the existing engagement literature by: (1) exploring this construct with a sample of third-level academics in the Irish public sector – a relatively unmapped sample in engagement research, (2) identifying organisational support as a key job resource that enables academics to cope with their job demands and (3) proposing that employee engagement reflects how strongly an employee puts his or her heart into work – suggesting a reconceptualization of engagement as love. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document