African Journal of Employee Relations (formerly South African Journal of Labour Relations)

Publisher:
Sabinet African Journals
Publication date:
2021-07-20
ISBN:
0379-8410

Description:

Apart from articles of an academic nature which are research based, the journal will publish commentaries, analyses, overviews, case studies, survey results and reports on aspects related to employment relations (in the broadest sense) in South and southern Africa in particular — as well as any relevant international issues in terms of current ideas, theory-building and developments in practice. While interested authors from any country are invited to submit their work for possible publication, Africa-related themes are especially encouraged in the context of the dire need to develop indigenous theory and understanding of people management in the African context. This journal is continued by African Journal of Employee Relations.

Issue Number

Latest documents

  • Employee Perspectives on Inclusivity in Ethiopian Workplaces: Linking Perception to Performance

    Promoting inclusion in the workplace is an important policy component for developing the national labour force and market. However, this crucial issue has received insufficient attention in Ethiopia. This study aims to initiate the assessment of inclusivity in Ethiopia by analysing workplace performances regarding inclusiveness and its link to major inclusion criteria. This study data came from a national survey on the labour market and inclusiveness, which were then analysed using the partial least square structural equation model. The study results shed light on the positive impact of important inclusion elements such as diversity climate, fairness, maintaining employee uniqueness, establishing an enabling environment, and enhancing organisational strategies and policies consistent with inclusive principles. However, factors such as belongingness, avoidance of discrimination, and training and skills development were perceived as having an adverse impact on workplace inclusivity. This study addresses an important but understudied topic: the effects of inclusion instruments on the perceptions of employees in one of the least developing countries. The results regarding the key inclusion instruments such as diversity, fairness and support for employee uniqueness, combined with a nuanced examination of the potential drawbacks of belongingness, anti-discrimination efforts and training, are new to Ethiopian literature. These results provide valuable insights for academics and labour market practitioners working to improve employee inclusivity. The study suggests that policymakers in the Ethiopian labour market sector consider the revision of inclusion instruments that focus on belongingness, anti-discrimination efforts and training.

  • Future Managerial Competencies Required for the Manufacturing Sector in South Africa

    The impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and resulting technological advancements on the manufacturing environment requires new competencies from managers. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of managers concerning essential managerial competencies for future success in the manufacturing sector in South Africa. Studies on future managerial competencies are currently under-represented and served as motivation for this study. An exploratory qualitative research approach was followed and an interpretivist paradigm was employed. A qualitative descriptive empirical research design was used. The research sample comprised 20 managers from a variety of manufacturing organisations. Purposive sampling was used, and online semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. Conventional qualitative content analysis was employed to analyse the data. The participants indicated that cognitive, general managerial, intrapersonal, macroeconomic, mesi-economic, organisational-focused and social skills will be critical managerial competencies for future success in the manufacturing sector. Limitations of the current study were reported and recommendations for future research were made. The findings of this study can inform talent acquisition, development and retention in the manufacturing sector of South Africa. In this study, we highlight the importance of social skills for managers such as people management, employee empowerment and interpersonal skills. Our study adds to the body of literature by highlighting the essential managerial competency of adaptability in the manufacturing sector. Managers should have the ability to adapt to change if they wish to be successful in the South African manufacturing sector. Another significant contribution was to qualitatively explore critical managerial competencies for the 4IR in this sector, from the perspective of those managers who already function in these roles.

  • “Taking the Road Less Travelled”: Exploring the Work and Family Demands of Women in the Trucking Industry

    Employee well-being has become a primary concern for organisations, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. This period sparked considerable research interest among organisational scholars regarding its impact on employee well-being and work experiences. In this study, we explore how work and family demands affected the well-being of women in the South African transport and logistics industry during the later stages of the pandemic. There is a need to understand the work and family demands that displace women in the trucking industry, more so to understand such practices towards the return to work and normality after the pandemic. Work and family demands are at the centre of employees’ lives, and women are faced with a dual role when compared to their male counterparts. We followed a qualitative research approach and sampled 12 women from a large transport and logistics organisation in South Africa using non-probability purposive sampling. The selected sample included participants from various job categories, at job levels ranging from unskilled workers to senior-management level. We employed thematic analysis to analyse the data. The research results indicate that work and family demands affect the physical and psychological well-being of women employees. The well-being of employees forms an integral part of organisations. The employment relations and human resources departments should therefore adopt a strategic approach to ensuring employees’ well-being is positioned at the top of their departmental list as a focus point of activities.

  • Will Employees and Technology Continue to Coexist Despite Historic Tensions?

    In developed economies, the integration of technology into the labour force has largely led to massive job losses, and workers have met this with stiff resistance. This has changed the dynamics of industrial relations in this era of digital age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which digitalisation has been affecting human labour in workplaces in South Africa and what can be done to enable employees–technology coexistence. In the study, I used qualitative data-collection methods—interviews, observation and document collection. I used purposive and convenience sampling to select the participants. Analysis of the collected data yielded six major findings. The major tenets of these findings were that digitalisation leads to job losses in South Africa and that the country was not sufficiently preparing students and workers for human– machine collaboration. Although the study was intended to focus on various sectors of the South African economy, I was more biased towards the local banking sector. This could be viewed as a limitation of this study. The study made practical and methodological contributions. It also made an essential contribution to digital transformation theory and employee relations body of knowledge. A major recommendation is that policymakers should mitigate against technology shocks and uneven geographical phenomenon by connecting major commercial hubs with major labour market hubs. Future studies should focus on the impact of technology on employees in each economic sector in South Africa.

  • Shop Steward–Management Relationships: A Predictor of Employee–Organisation Relationships

    In this South African study, I aimed to identify the respective influence of human resources practices, procedural fairness, the shop steward–management relationship, and the employee–supervisor relationship on the state of the employee’s relationship with the organisation. The method was quantitative and cross-sectional. A total of 660 production employees from 14 organisations in the value chain of the automotive industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay area of South Africa supplied responses. The relationships between variables were determined through structural equation modelling. Although the study was a cross-sectional study, the use of structural equation modelling points to cause and effect relationships. The best-fit model revealed that the dominant predictor of the employees’ perception of their relationship with the organisation was their perception of the quality of the relationship between shop stewards and management. Trade unions as trusted leaders may fulfil a very important role in mediating workplace relationships, especially in highly unequal societies with deep social divisions. The pivotal importance of the employees’ perception of the shop steward–management relationship creates an onus on both management and trade unions to work to move this relationship from adversarial to constructive and effective. The results may be generalised to highlight the importance of employee representation, whether unionised or non-unionised, at the workplace level. As leaders in the workplace, employee representatives provide the mechanism to mediate relationships, build trust and create strong employee–supervisor and employee–organisation bonds which may have a positive impact on individual and organisational performance.

  • The Transaction Costs of the South African Levy–Grant System for Skills Development

    In this article, I seek to explore the ratio between the administrative transaction costs faced by organisations in South Africa for claiming skills development grants and the grants that they achieve. This simple trade-off of costs versus gains is a key factor in whether firms choose to participate in the training-related activities targeted by this system. Anecdotal sources have claimed that excessive administrative costs have led firms to under-claim grants available to them. However, no prior empirical research exists on such costs, presenting a gap in the literature. Accordingly, in this article, I explore the proportion of administrative transaction costs to direct gains in 14 case studies of South African organisations regarding their 2016 activities and expenditures. The results found half of the firms studied to have costs in excess of direct gains from grants. The remaining firms exhibited extreme variability in the cost–gain ratio from very low to near parity. Some evidence suggests that larger firms may enjoy a slight cost–benefit advantage. This research provides some support for the claim that the levy–grant system for skills development may present many organisations with excessive costs compared to gains. The high levels of variability suggest that policymakers should consider cost structures carefully and mitigate policy instruments.

  • Investigating the Prevalence of Gender Stereotypes in a South African Mine

    The existence of gender stereotypes is a common phenomenon. Pressure on organisations to establish workforce diversity evolves constantly. However, diversity encourages stereotyping. Once organisations know the stereotypes, they will be able to manage these more effectively. The main aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of gender stereotypes in a mine in South Africa. Limited research has been undertaken to date on the existence of gender stereotypes in the South African mining industry. A sample of 39 employees from a South African mine was selected and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analysed by means of content analysis. Most of the employees who were interviewed understood the concept of gender stereotypes. The most prevalent stereotypes that were found were in-group stereotypes, out-group stereotypes and perceived in- and out-group stereotypes (meta stereotypes). The existence of gender stereotypes in a mine can be managed through establishing various interventions to assist employees to confront their own stereotypes and valuing employees for their contribution and not according to the gender group they belong to. This study adds to the literature and knowledge of gender stereotypes. Limited studies have been conducted on gender stereotypes in South African mines. The information obtained in this study provides insight into the stereotypes that should be managed in the South African mining industry.

  • Psychological Contracts and Employee Voice: Does Breach Matter?

    Empirical evidence shows that the type of psychological contract and psychological contract breach affect employees’ work behaviours. One of these behaviours is employee voice, which is a key to organisational dynamics. This research aims to determine empirically the ways in which different types of psychological contract are linked to different types of employee voice, and the ways in which psychological contract breaches affect these relationships. The paucity of literature on the relationship between all three variables necessitated this research. The research targeted South African employees working in medium to large organisations with a staff component larger than 60. In a cross-sectional survey, the respondents were asked to answer a questionnaire on psychological contracts, psychological contract breach and employee voice. Correlation and regression analyses were used to test the relationships and the moderation effect of psychological contract breach on the psychological contract–employee voice links. A total of 620 respondents returned completed questionnaires, which showed acceptable psychometric properties. Relational psychological contracts correlated with promotive dimensions of employee voice, while transactional psychological contracts and psychological contract breach correlated with prohibitive dimensions of employee voice. The psychological contract–employee voice relationship was moderated by psychological contract breach only in a transactional psychological contract environment, and only for the prohibitive employee voice dimension. Psychological contracts and psychological contract breach, as well as the interaction between them, influence employee voice; with hindsight, this occurs in explainable ways. The results contribute to the understanding of the complex relationship between these variables and provide fertile ground for the formulation of targeted hypotheses. Practical recommendations are included.

  • The Effect of Leader–Follower Interpersonal Relations on Employees’ Attitude during Change Implementation

    There are numerous guides on the “how” of strategy development, but an insignificant number of resources on the associated implementation that results in leaders assuming employees know what to do at the execution stage. In contrast, employees require positive interpersonal relations with leaders to influence positive attitudinal responses. Leaders in organisations play a pivotal role in the change process as change agents who must be well versed with what exactly is required and how it will be achieved for the benefit of the organisation, employees and other stakeholders. In this study, we explore and illuminate the effect of leader–follower interpersonal relations on employees’ attitude during change implementation. In the study, we used a qualitative phenomenological design whereby the data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 17 participants. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to identify the participants. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The main findings indicated a shift in employees’ attitudes from positive to negative owing to poor interpersonal relations, lack of trust and voiceless leadership during the implementation process. This article enriches the change implementation process by providing insights into the importance of positive work relationships in influencing employee attitudinal support for change. The study indicated that change implementation necessitates the leader’s enthusiasm, skill, knowledge and a collaborative mindset to harness the employees’ positive attitudes. The success of change implementation is premised on the leader’s mastery of the art of change at a personal and organisational level.

  • Modelling the Anticipatory Psychological Contract: An SEM Approach

    It is suggested that the “schema theory” approach might promote scholars’ understanding of the psychological contract development process. This approach views occupational newcomers’ anticipatory psychological contract in the pre-socialisation phase of employment. This knowledge could empower employers in general to effectively manage these employees. However, research regarding the anticipatory psychological contract is quite rare with no existing theoretical model to understand first-time employees’ anticipatory expectations and obligations. The focus was therefore to develop and assess the theoretical model of the mental schema of prospective employees through a structural equation model (SEM). A questionnaire was used to gather data from 316 final-year management sciences students. The results supported an excellent fit in the proposed model of the anticipatory psychological contract. This model indicated that entitlement is central to the anticipatory psychological contract, and that the norm of reciprocity was already present in the anticipatory psychological contract.

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