Work engagement experiences of employees in a technical services department of a South African institution of higher learning.
Ngobese, Njabulo Ndumiso
Ngobese, Njabulo Ndumiso
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Abstract
Work engagement is a crucial concept for positive organisational change in the workplace. It contributes to organisational success and long-term survival of an
organisation, yet it remains under-researched in South African Higher Education Institutions (HLIs). Work engagement involves elements such as job demands, job resources, and personal resources. Job demands including physical, mental, social, and organisational aspects, can cause exhaustion and reduced engagement. Job resources, which include physical, social, psychological, and organisational aspects, can ease these demands, and stimulate engagement. Understanding and addressing these factors can help organisations thrive and remain competitive. The study intended to establish the work engagement experiences of staff in a technical services department of a South African institution of higher learning. The study employed qualitative research methods and strategies in attempting to obtain relevant answers to the study question. The study was guided by an interpretivism paradigm. The researcher developed interview questions in line with the JD-R model. A sequence of semi-structured interviews was conducted using ten partakers who were selected purposefully. Thematic analysis was employed to manually explore data and derive meaning from the raw data collected. The outcomes of this study emphasise the challenges of managing excessive workloads, and the negative attitudes employees hold towards their jobs due to high work demands. Under-staffing and lack of training opportunities contribute to this issue. The lack of necessary tools is likely to lead to a disengaged workforce. These findings call for well managed and equally distributed workloads to promote positive well-being of employees. The results further indicate a need to equip workforce with relevant skills and to provide adequate resources in order for them to contribute meaningfully to the targets and objectives of the organisation.
Description
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree, Master of Management Sciences in Human Resources Management in the Department of People Management and Development, Faculty of Management Sciences at the Tshwane University of Technology.
Date
2023-12-05
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Tshwane University of Technology
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Keywords
Job demands, Work engagement, Job resources, Job resource model, Personal resources, Institution of higher learning