3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Sources of occupational stress among correctional officials in a Gauteng correctional centre(2018) Masingi, Gladys RukananiBackground: Work stress is recognised worldwide as a major challenge to the worker's health and the healthiness of their organisation. Correctional officials as a professional group are exposed to unique and powerful stressors such as taking charge of an unwilling and potential violent population. The stressors of correctional officials are well documented in literature; however the sources of occupational stress in the selected prison are not known and have not been investigated. Aim and Objective: The overall purpose of the study was to investigate the sources of stress among correctional officials in a selected Gauteng Prison and the objective was to describe the sources of stress among correctional officials. Research design and Method: The study was a quantitative, descriptive survey, the survey design was cross-sectional using a structured open and closed ended questions, selfadministered questionnaire that was developed by MithatDurak. Findings: A total of 72 questionnaires were completed, yielding a response rate of 48%. The majority of correctional officials were concerned about safety and the fact that the type of work they are doing is putting them at risk. Nevertheless, Correctional officials were not concerned about workload. They reported low on role conflict and role ambiguity (95.8%) reported that they know their duties and responsibilities and they know how to get their job done. Majority of correctional officials are concerned about absence of rewards (47%, n=34) reported that it hurts to learn that their work is associated with lack of rewards and the fact that they don't spend quality time with their families due to work commitments Data Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data, statistical assistance was obtained from statistician. Data was analysed using the data analysis and statistical software version 15 software(STATA) and presented in tables, categorical data presented using frequencies and percentages. Conclusions: Limited research was done on the sources of stress among correctional officials in South Africa on the OCH point of view. Implications for OHN practice: The research will contribute to the body of knowledge of occupational health nursing, occupational health as well as occupational psychology. It is also envisaged that the research provides scientific information for the motivation, development and implementation of a stress prevention and management programme in correctional workplace settings. Key words: Sources, Stress, Occupational stress, Correctional Centre, Correctional OfficialItem Job demands, job resources, safety behaviours, and burnout in air traffic management(2017) Kalaitzis, Eleni AnnaThe aim of the present study was to utilise a mixed methods design as a means of investigating the relation between job demands, job resources, safety, and burnout in Air Traffic Management (ATM) technicians. It was also of interest to determine participants’ perspectives on the job demands and resources that may be present in their occupational environment, their participation in safety behaviours, and their perceptions regarding their work and safety performance. Non-probability, convenience sampling was employed to acquire the participants of the present research study. Participants included 33 ATM technicians (50.77% response rate) who took part in the quantitative component of the research study and 14 ATM who took part in the interview process. Participants’ ages ranged from 27 to 55 years (M = 38.91; SD = 8.76) and 90.1% were male (n = 30). Jackson and Rothmann’s (2005) original Job Demands-Resources Scale was used for the assessment of the job demands and resources sixteen items were also added to the original JDRS scale. Sixteen items were added to incorporate the possible job resources and demands experienced by ATM technicians, which were separated into the following sub-scales: shifts, weather conditions, travel, and equipment. Schaufeli, Leiter, Maslach, and Jackson’s (1996) Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBIGS) was used to assess ATM technicians’ burnout. Safety behaviours were assessed through the integration of items found within two safety behaviour scales developed by Neal and Griffin (2006) and Hofmann and Morgeson (1999). A semi-structured interview process consisting of open-ended questions was used to discuss the following issues: job tasks, job demands, job resources, burnout, job safety, work-family spillover, and job performance. The findings depicted a weak, positive correlation between the perception of job demands and the experience of burnout (r = .376, p < .05) and a weak, negative correlation between the perception of job resources and the experience of burnout (r = -.383, p < .05). Job resources significantly predicted the experience of burnout (β = -.494, p = .002), as did job demands (β = .489, p = .003). A moderate, positive correlation between the perception of job resources and safety behaviours was obtained (r = .514, p < .01). The participants’ perceptions of job resources explained 26.5% of the variance in safety behaviours, (R2= .265, F(1, 31) = 11.16, p < 0.05. ATM technicians took part in the following safety behaviours: they consistently communicated with both management and air traffic controllers as a way of knowing exactly what the problem is before they went to a site, they took part in training programs as a means of keeping up to date with the latest technological knowledge, attended safety meetings, always communicated with management on how to increase safety, and made sure that a first aid kit was always available. ATM technician’s safety and performance appeared to be heavily influenced by their own personal understanding of the occupation’s risks, the weather conditions that take place on each specific site, the safety equipment that is worn, the knowledge of the possible repercussions that may arise from making any mistakes, and their own individual mood or disposition.Item The risk of psychological derailment in complex environments(2016) Minnie, AllayneStratified Systems Theory classifies roles within organisations according to varying discontinuous levels or layers of work (Stamp, 1981). These levels are differentiated according to the time frames within which employees typically see results, the level of responsibility they are expected to take on, as well as the complexity of the work they are engaged in (Jaques, 2007a). The aim of the current study was to contribute towards existing literature on managerial derailment by investigating whether there is an association between the level of work and the risk of derailing behaviour, and if the degree of fit between an individual’s level of work and their current and future cognitive capability is associated with the risk of derailing behaviour. Derailing behaviour is conceptualised as destructive actions that have a detrimental effect on the career progression or success of an individual (Freedman, 2005). Archival data was made available to the researcher from a single large, international telecommunications organisation based in South Africa. Participants who had been assessed using the Modified Career Path Appreciation (MCPA) as well as the Hogan Development Survey (HDS) were included in the study. The final sample (n=252) consisted of managers working at various levels of the organisation who had been assessed for the purposes of either selection or development during 2015. Overall, the research hypotheses were not supported. Contrary to what was expected, a higher level of work was not associated with a greater risk of derailing behaviour. In fact, a greater number of derailers were evident at a lower level of work when compared to a slightly higher level of work. Furthermore, contrary to what was hypothesised, those whose level of work exceeded their current or future capabilities did not display a greater risk of derailing behaviour than those who achieved fit with their environment. On the contrary, a greater risk of derailing behaviour was found for those whose current or future capabilities exceeded that required by their level of work. No differences in the types of derailing behaviour reported were found to be associated with the level of work an individual is operating at, the degree of fit they experience between their current capability and their work environment, or the degree of fit they experience between their future capability and their work environment. All the analyses conducted reinforced the same finding that participants in the sample were more likely to report a high risk of displaying derailers falling into the ‘moving against’ category, regardless of these factors.Item Lifestyle behaviours, psychological wellbeing and cardiovascular disease in women executives and senior management(2016) Crowhurst, RhiannonThis study investigated whether the lifestyle behaviours and psychological well-being of women executives and managers predicted their ten-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The sample of South African women executives and managers work in a variety of industries in the cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The study sought to determine the predictability of the women executives and managers’ risk of developing cardiovascular disease through examining their level of alcohol consumption, level of physical exercise and the nutritional and dietary choices that they made as well as their level of depression, anxiety and stress. The data was gathered through an executive health and wellness programme and logistic regression and Chi-squared tests of association were used in conducting the analyses. The results suggested that the level of alcohol consumption and the nutritional and dietary choices made were predictive of the individual’s ten-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the level of anxiety was found to be associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The results suggest that both individuals and organisations should prioritise the changing of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, specifically excessive alcohol consumption and daily dietary choices, in order to lower their risk of developing cardiovascular disease.Item Supervisor social support as a moderator of stress-strain relationships(2016-07-20) Bernstein, ColleenCould not copy abstractItem Perceptions of line managers at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipaity regarding the impact of stress and trauma on work performance among employees.(2008-05-30T05:45:09Z) Mbawu, MulaloABSTRACT This study is a combination of the qualitative and quantitative approach using an exploratory/descriptive design conducted at the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Northern Region. The study explored how Line Managers at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality perceive the impact of stress and trauma on work performance among employees. The study was conducted with 29 line managers sampled through a random sampling procedure, who had been working for Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality for at least three years. A questionnaire was used to collect the required data. The study found that line managers at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality were of the view that stress and trauma can affect work performance among employees. It was also found that line managers are uninvolved in their sub-ordinates’ personal matters that are likely to cause mental health problems like stress and trauma.