Perceptions of social and living conditions and quality of working life: a study of border-post employees
- Authors: Geldenhuys, Linda
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Quality of work life , Work environment Work and family -- South Africa Job stress
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14289 , vital:27520
- Description: Research problem: Yadav and Khanna (2015) argue that the quality of work life defines the life at work and at home with family members. There is no existing definition of social and living conditions in the literature although it can be considered to include dimensions such as recreation, accommodation, health, education, family, religion and food (SLCB questionnaire). The social and living conditions of employees in rural towns situated close to borders is unique and, in order to offer suggestions with regard to what and how to improve the social and living conditions, their relationship with the quality of work life was investigated. Research objectives: The main objective of this study was to determine the possible relationship between the social and living conditions of employees in rural areas situated close to the South African border and the quality of work-related life. To address the research problem, research objectives and questions were formulated.Research questions: Four research questions were formulated:- What is the relationship between the overall quality of working life (WRQoL.Ovl1) and that of the social and living conditions (SLCB.Ovl1)?, -What is the relationship between the seven dimensions of social and living conditions and the seven dimensions of quality of working life? -Are there differences among the groups regarding the dimensions and overall social and living conditions? Are there differences among the groups regarding the dimensions and overall quality of working life? -Research design: This study is descriptive in nature, and used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data on work-related quality of life and social and living conditions from employees from rural towns close to the border posts. Major findings: The results showed a significant correlation between social and living conditions and the quality of working life. Furthermore, they revealed that accommodation, food and health are the three dimensions of social and living conditions that have the strongest relationship with quality of working life, with accommodation bearing the most significant relation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Geldenhuys, Linda
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Quality of work life , Work environment Work and family -- South Africa Job stress
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14289 , vital:27520
- Description: Research problem: Yadav and Khanna (2015) argue that the quality of work life defines the life at work and at home with family members. There is no existing definition of social and living conditions in the literature although it can be considered to include dimensions such as recreation, accommodation, health, education, family, religion and food (SLCB questionnaire). The social and living conditions of employees in rural towns situated close to borders is unique and, in order to offer suggestions with regard to what and how to improve the social and living conditions, their relationship with the quality of work life was investigated. Research objectives: The main objective of this study was to determine the possible relationship between the social and living conditions of employees in rural areas situated close to the South African border and the quality of work-related life. To address the research problem, research objectives and questions were formulated.Research questions: Four research questions were formulated:- What is the relationship between the overall quality of working life (WRQoL.Ovl1) and that of the social and living conditions (SLCB.Ovl1)?, -What is the relationship between the seven dimensions of social and living conditions and the seven dimensions of quality of working life? -Are there differences among the groups regarding the dimensions and overall social and living conditions? Are there differences among the groups regarding the dimensions and overall quality of working life? -Research design: This study is descriptive in nature, and used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data on work-related quality of life and social and living conditions from employees from rural towns close to the border posts. Major findings: The results showed a significant correlation between social and living conditions and the quality of working life. Furthermore, they revealed that accommodation, food and health are the three dimensions of social and living conditions that have the strongest relationship with quality of working life, with accommodation bearing the most significant relation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The role of organisational culture in fostering work life balance in business and private banking
- Authors: Gabayi, Simiselo Albert
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Corporate culture -- Finance , Work-life balance , Banks and banking , Quality of work life
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15204 , vital:28178
- Description: The current socio-economic climate has induced stress on organisations and employees, since they are expected to double their efforts with limited resources. Organisational culture poses a challenge to employees, especially in a high-pressure environment. A highly competitive environment demands organisations that have the ability to change constantly to ensure sustainability. This has resulted in employees feeling that organisational culture has changed to that of sales culture with disregard for people resulting in a lack of work-life balance (WLB). This study intends to contribute to developing a framework of how organisational culture could support work-life balance. When negative in nature, organisational culture can impact negatively on organisational performance and quality of work-life causing best workers to leave. The problem identified by this study is a poor organisational culture in banking that may discourage work-life balance practices. When an organisations’ primary focus is on sales and less on people, this leads to work-life imbalances. A comprehensive questionnaire was developed for this study to establish the perception of employees towards organisational culture and work-life as an aspect of employee wellness. The total sample was forty-four (44) respondents who are from business and private banking space of the four major banks. The results showed that the type of organisational culture that is prevalent in business and private banking is a combination of market and hierarchy culture. Job satisfaction is also positively correlated to organisational culture. Management must ensure that the workforce is satisfied in order to create a positive culture. A positive organisational culture has a positive influence on employees, attaining the desired work-life balance in business and private banking space.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Gabayi, Simiselo Albert
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Corporate culture -- Finance , Work-life balance , Banks and banking , Quality of work life
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15204 , vital:28178
- Description: The current socio-economic climate has induced stress on organisations and employees, since they are expected to double their efforts with limited resources. Organisational culture poses a challenge to employees, especially in a high-pressure environment. A highly competitive environment demands organisations that have the ability to change constantly to ensure sustainability. This has resulted in employees feeling that organisational culture has changed to that of sales culture with disregard for people resulting in a lack of work-life balance (WLB). This study intends to contribute to developing a framework of how organisational culture could support work-life balance. When negative in nature, organisational culture can impact negatively on organisational performance and quality of work-life causing best workers to leave. The problem identified by this study is a poor organisational culture in banking that may discourage work-life balance practices. When an organisations’ primary focus is on sales and less on people, this leads to work-life imbalances. A comprehensive questionnaire was developed for this study to establish the perception of employees towards organisational culture and work-life as an aspect of employee wellness. The total sample was forty-four (44) respondents who are from business and private banking space of the four major banks. The results showed that the type of organisational culture that is prevalent in business and private banking is a combination of market and hierarchy culture. Job satisfaction is also positively correlated to organisational culture. Management must ensure that the workforce is satisfied in order to create a positive culture. A positive organisational culture has a positive influence on employees, attaining the desired work-life balance in business and private banking space.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Three important principles for trade unionism: unity, independence and democratic methods
- Date: 19--?
- Subjects: Labour unions -- South Africa , Quality of work life
- Language: English
- Type: text , pamphlet
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111235 , vital:33418
- Description: The first principle of trade unionism is unity: the unity of workers, or put another way, solidarity, “one for all, all for one. With solid unity, many things can be achieved by the workers. Without unity, nothing of significance can be achieved by an individual worker. What this means in practice is: the organizational objective of a union is 100 percent membership.The strength and influence of a trade union in its relationship to employers depend on the extent the employees of the company concerned are unionized. The higher the proportion of unionized workers to non-unionized workers, the greater the strength. Apart from numbers, strength also come from organizing the key, skilled workers in the enterprise. Depending on what the basis of organization of the union is—whether it be craft occupation, a specific industry, an undertaking, a common employer or general labor —all workers should be united into one union, irrespective of race, religion, creed, sex, skill, etc. All are equal in the eyes of the organization. Trade unions should also operate nationally because local or regional unions cannot develop sufficient bargaining power or competence over a whole range of issues to adequately safeguard the interest of workers. Trade unions should not be considered as closed societies. They should not be an instrument of privileged or elite workers, jealously guarding member’s privileges against nonmember workers who receive lower wages and are unorganized. They should be open to all workers, otherwise, these same underprivileged workers could be used as scabs against organized workers in the event of a serious conflict. If an organization is to serve the needs of its members, it must be controlled by the members themselves, for who but they themselves can best define and guard their own interests? If a union intends to truly achieve the principles and objectives upon which it was founded, it should not allow itself to be dominated or controlled by external interests, be it government, employers, political parties, religious, communal or fraternal organizations, or individual persons. A government may or may not be well disposed to trade unions, but in general, it is very responsive to the interests of the powerful groups in society, usually the employers. Moreover, if a government can control the operation and policies of a trade union, it becomes an instrument of the government rather than of the workers for whom it was originally set up. There are cases where a so-called “union” is organized by the employer for the employees. This kind of union is a “yellow union” (company dominated union). It is dominated by the management or its stooges. It is usually a local union (or a one-shop union), which means that only employees of that undertaking are allowed to join it. Needless to say, this kind of union is totally useless because its basic purpose is not to promote the workers’ interest but to prevent them from setting up a genuine one. When management starts to pressure employees to join a local union, the signals are clear: it is a yellow union. Equally, the union should resist any attempt by any political party to control and dominate it. The interests of the political party are not necessarily the same as those of the union. Even if there are some areas of shared interests, the ultimate aim of a trade union is to serve its members. This aim may be distorted under the domination of a political party whose basic aim is to obtain support from all sectors to secure power.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 19--?
- Date: 19--?
- Subjects: Labour unions -- South Africa , Quality of work life
- Language: English
- Type: text , pamphlet
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111235 , vital:33418
- Description: The first principle of trade unionism is unity: the unity of workers, or put another way, solidarity, “one for all, all for one. With solid unity, many things can be achieved by the workers. Without unity, nothing of significance can be achieved by an individual worker. What this means in practice is: the organizational objective of a union is 100 percent membership.The strength and influence of a trade union in its relationship to employers depend on the extent the employees of the company concerned are unionized. The higher the proportion of unionized workers to non-unionized workers, the greater the strength. Apart from numbers, strength also come from organizing the key, skilled workers in the enterprise. Depending on what the basis of organization of the union is—whether it be craft occupation, a specific industry, an undertaking, a common employer or general labor —all workers should be united into one union, irrespective of race, religion, creed, sex, skill, etc. All are equal in the eyes of the organization. Trade unions should also operate nationally because local or regional unions cannot develop sufficient bargaining power or competence over a whole range of issues to adequately safeguard the interest of workers. Trade unions should not be considered as closed societies. They should not be an instrument of privileged or elite workers, jealously guarding member’s privileges against nonmember workers who receive lower wages and are unorganized. They should be open to all workers, otherwise, these same underprivileged workers could be used as scabs against organized workers in the event of a serious conflict. If an organization is to serve the needs of its members, it must be controlled by the members themselves, for who but they themselves can best define and guard their own interests? If a union intends to truly achieve the principles and objectives upon which it was founded, it should not allow itself to be dominated or controlled by external interests, be it government, employers, political parties, religious, communal or fraternal organizations, or individual persons. A government may or may not be well disposed to trade unions, but in general, it is very responsive to the interests of the powerful groups in society, usually the employers. Moreover, if a government can control the operation and policies of a trade union, it becomes an instrument of the government rather than of the workers for whom it was originally set up. There are cases where a so-called “union” is organized by the employer for the employees. This kind of union is a “yellow union” (company dominated union). It is dominated by the management or its stooges. It is usually a local union (or a one-shop union), which means that only employees of that undertaking are allowed to join it. Needless to say, this kind of union is totally useless because its basic purpose is not to promote the workers’ interest but to prevent them from setting up a genuine one. When management starts to pressure employees to join a local union, the signals are clear: it is a yellow union. Equally, the union should resist any attempt by any political party to control and dominate it. The interests of the political party are not necessarily the same as those of the union. Even if there are some areas of shared interests, the ultimate aim of a trade union is to serve its members. This aim may be distorted under the domination of a political party whose basic aim is to obtain support from all sectors to secure power.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 19--?
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