Working towards employee's satisfation : exploring the perceptions of cleaners on the elements of job satisfaction in the private cleaning sector
Date
2017
Authors
Segal, Shana
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Abstract
The high levels of job dissatisfaction amongst cleaners in the contract-cleaning sector have led many employees to strike and demonstrate against their working conditions. Low pay, long hours and disrespecting behaviour are some of the many challenges that employees in the cleaning sector encounter in the workplace leading to job dissatisfaction. It was important to understand the exact elements of job satisfaction associated to the cleaning sector, in order for social workers to design appropriate employee wellbeing interventions responding to employees’ needs for job satisfaction. This conducted study aimed at exploring cleaning employee’s perceptions on the elements of job satisfaction in the private cleaning sector. The research study was carried out using qualitative research approach, using a case-study design. A non-probability purposive sampling procedure was used in recruiting and building a sample for the study. The sample consisted of 10 women and men participants working as contract cleaners in the private cleaning sector. Semi-structured interviews schedules were used during the data collection, using an audio-tape recorder to record the data. A thematic content analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The study envisaged identifying the elements of job satisfaction associated to the private cleaning sector that contributed significantly to the knowledge around job satisfaction. The participants of the study indicated that they are faced with a number of factors that contribute to their job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. These included: income wages, health and safety, customer relationships and working hours. It was later found that the factors had an impact on the participants financial, emotional and physical wellbeing. Moreover, participants indicated that support from management within the cleaning sector and their relationships with colleagues contributed to their job satisfaction. The researcher recommended the following: the need of social workers in the cleaning sector to design appropriate interventions responding to employees’ needs for job satisfaction and wellbeing; the introduction of awareness campaigns by cleaning companies to educate society about the cleaning sector and the effort of the cleaning job and lastly; that more research should be conducted on the cleaning sector in the South-African context as much of the literature focuses on Western and European countries. Moreover, it was anticipated that the findings of this study contributed to the understanding of the contract-cleaning sector.
Keywords: cleaners; private cleaning sector; job satisfaction
Description
A dissertation submitted to the school of Humans and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of Arts in Social Work at the Department of Social Work