Abstract
Orientation: The employer–employee relationship is becoming increasingly strained, evidenced by the increase in cases referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. These disputes are presumed to be a consequence of breach of the psychological contract of undelivered expectations or obligations. There seems to be a need to improve the management of employer–employee relationships.Research purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to identify inducements and obligations made known by organisations on their websites.Motivation for the study: Clarity of inducements and expectations may provide a foundation to proactively improve the employer–employee relationship.Research approach/design and method: A quantitative content analysis was identified inducements and expectations on the websites of the 2015 Business Times Top 100 organisations. As two of the companies had merged with existing companies, a total of 98 companies were analysed. A codebook on content associated with the psychological contract generated quantitative data from a qualitative analysis.Main findings: Comparisons between different industries (manufacturing, wholesale and financial services) yielded significant differences between organisational policies and career development inducements. Comparisons revealed that organisations with a career section convey more inducements and expectations than organisations without a career section.Practical/managerial implications: Organisations are offered a means to identify inducements and expectations that are publicly conveyed through their websites and inform the psychological contract.Contribution/value-add: The findings contribute to existing theory of the psychological contract. More insight is gained into the expression of inducements and expectations and the potential association with employees’ psychological contract.
Highlights
Employer–employee relations in South Africa are becoming increasingly strained as evidenced by the increasing average number of cases referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA, 2015, 2016)
The study’s first objective sought to explore the inducements and expectations that employers convey to potential employees through their websites
A possible explanation is that organisations may consider publishing expectations as a deterrent to job seekers
Summary
Employer–employee relations in South Africa are becoming increasingly strained as evidenced by the increasing average number of cases referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA, 2015, 2016). When conciliation and mediation fail, a dispute can occur which may be damaging or terminate the employer–employee relationship (Bendix, 2001). Such a situation implies a breach of the psychological contract between employer and employee. From a job seeker’s perspective, this information may already form part of the basis upon which the future psychological contract may be built (Guest, 2004).
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