ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

Employee engagement has become an area of interest among scholars and corporates alike. Employees who are not engaged do not perform at their maximum and this effect productivity. Hence, it is important for organisations to establish factors influencing levels of engagement. This study assesses the impact of selected HRM practices in the Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department. This study employed the quantitative approach using a survey in the form of a questionnaire. A systematic sampling method was used, from the population (N=376). The questionnaire was distributed to a sample of (n=188) respondents and 157 questionnaires were valid. The results indicated a weak positive correlation between (HRM practices) recruitment, appointment and selection; compensation, rewards and benefits, performance appraisal; and employee engagement with p-values of (r=.07, n=157, p=.38); (r=.23, n=157, p=.00); and (r=.20, n=157, p=.01) respectively. The former was not statistically significant, while the latter two were statistically significant. Collinearity between variables was found to be (β=.07, t (.87) =.38, p0.05); and (B=.18, t (2.58) = 0.11, p>0.05). Recruitment, selection and appointment practices did not predict employee engagement whereas compensation, rewards and benefits practices, and performance appraisal practices predicted employee engagement. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was statistically significant (F (3.154) = 4.183, p=.01). The R-Squared (R2) was 8% and the Durbin-Watson statistic 1.93. The results contributed to the available literature on employee engagement.