South African Workplace Research Articles

Investigating the Experiences of Cultural Code-Switching Among Black Middle-Class Professionals in South Africa

This research investigates the experiences of cultural code-switching among Black middle-class professionals in post-apartheid South Africa. By virtue of the unjust and inhumane laws imposed during South Africa’s discriminatory apartheid regime, salient dominant and minority cultures have prevailed in the post-apartheid era. The discrimination against and hegemony over previously oppressed cultures have engendered layers of trauma and unhealed scars in contemporary South African society. Using in-depth interviews with a sample of professionals, the research shows how the dominant Western culture has shaped the perceived hierarchy of professionalism in the South African workplace and an unconscious demand has been placed on Black individuals to adapt their cultural beliefs, values, and norms. This study is the first to clearly identify a taxonomy of specific codes like lifestyle and appearance, and critically examine the psychological states and experienced emotions that influence code-switching among Black middle-class professionals. The qualitative findings were used to create a framework that includes the relationship between formative influences, internal and external pressures, and coping strategies. The study supports a core argument that South African Black middle-class professionals have presented as a quintessential example demonstrating the concept of cultural code-switching, although there was also strong evidence of change as the country has evolved, which has allowed for greater cultural authenticity.

Critical measures for the prevention and control of respiratory infectious diseases in the workplace: a South African facilities management perspective

PurposeThis study aims to comprehensively examine the respiratory infection prevention and control measures used in South African workplaces, particularly in the context of facilities management (FM), during the 2020–2022 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe present research involved pre-crafted semi-structured interviews conducted by University of the Witwatersrand students with FM heads in Johannesburg, South Africa. Recurrent themes were generated using NVIVO software and analysed using frequencies, word counts and word clouds.FindingsThis study identified 119 measures and placed these into two broad categories. Twelve critical measures were found. These measures were further validated by five FM experts, separate from FM heads, who cross-referenced them with WHO guidelines, enhancing the credibility of the findings. Subsequently, challenges with implementing these measures were explored.Practical implicationsThe findings have direct relevance to the work of FM professionals, as they suggest that applying timely and comprehensive infection prevention and control measures can help employees to safely continue to work or return to the workplace during any future epidemic outbreaks.Originality/valueThus far, limited studies have explored critical measures used to prevent and control COVID-19 in the workplaces of developing countries during the 2020–2022 pandemic.

Intent vs Reality: Dehumanization in the South African Corporate Landscape

Thirty years after apartheid’s abolition and the ascension of a new democratic leadership, South Africa continues to grapple with the discriminatory legacy of apartheid. Measures introduced by the post-apartheid government to combat historical marginalization, including legislative initiatives like affirmative action laws and diversity management policies, encounter inherent structural barriers within South African organizations shaped by prevailing cultural norms. Despite the legal framework in place, black employees often endure dehumanizing treatment, finding themselves sidelined from decision-making channels and lacking access to avenues for career advancement and professional development. This essay aims to better understand the lived experiences of South African workplace employees through the lens of organizational dehumanization. This work underscores the urgent need to reimagine transformation efforts in South Africa, moving beyond numerical representation toward a more inclusive work environment that promotes genuine empowerment. It emphasizes the importance of developing holistic diversity management strategies, implementing effective mentorship and sponsorship programs, and providing opportunities for meaningful participation and decision-making by black employees. Such an approach will ensure that legislative intentions are translated into practical workplace realities, ultimately fostering true equality and empowerment.

Introduction

It is my pleasure to introduce Volume 25, No. 2 of Enterprise and Society. In this issue, we are pleased to present a special section on “Corporate Responses to Racial Unrest,” guest-edited by Michael Thate and Tyesha Maddox. The section commences with a scene-setting introduction from the guest editors, followed by three papers. The first is from Keith Hollingsworth on the aftermath of the Atlanta race riot of 1906, followed by Mattie Webb on an exercise in the art of the possible, waging the battle against Apartheid in South African workplaces. This section is rounded off by Sethulego Matebesi’s exploration of responses to civil society mobilization among South African mining companies. Taken together, these four essays break important new ground and indicate promising lines of future research.

Ubuntu leadership as a predictor of employee engagement: A South African study

Orientation: Ubuntu leadership is increasingly being promoted as a suitable leadership philosophy for South African workplaces, necessitating further exploration of its application and outcomes.Research purpose: This study thus investigates Ubuntu leadership as a predictor of employee engagement (EE) in the South African context, considering ethnicity, age and tenure as moderating variables.Motivation for the study: The necessity to study perceptions of Ubuntu leadership and its influence of EE lies in the need to understand how this culturally rooted leadership style can enhance organisational performance, employee well-being and inclusivity in diverse workplaces.Research approach/design and method: The study adhered to a positivist philosophical perspective, employing a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach. Data were collected from 193 South African participants through a self-administered online questionnaire.Main findings: The study findings indicated that the practice of Ubuntu leadership, as perceived by employees, significantly predicted EE.Practical/managerial implications: Organisational leaders and managers hold a crucial role in shaping the workplace environment, and their acknowledgment of Ubuntu leadership’s fundamental principles, such as fostering authentic relationships, empathy, collaboration and respect, has the potential to boost EE.Contribution/value-add: The research outcomes offer valuable insights into how Ubuntu leadership can enhance EE and provide proactive measures for its implementation

Employee productivity spillovers generated by incentive schemes

Orientation: The introduction of various incentive schemes in the South African workplace creates incentive-induced employee productivity spillovers but could differ between industries and geographic areas.Research purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the industry and geographic nature of incentive-induced employee productivity spillovers to inform managerial decision-making on intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.Motivation for the study: The introduction of incentive schemes is an important motivator of employee productivity in the workplace. For this study, it was deemed important to indicate whether incentive-induced employee productivity spillovers differ between industries and geographic areas by taking into consideration firm-size, firm-profitability, different incentive schemes, trade union presence, employee age and skill levels.Research approach/design and method: Fixed-effect panel data estimations were computed to predict incentive-induced employee productivity spillover effects based on secondary firm-based data sets.Main findings: Incentive scheme-induced employee productivity spillover effects were generally similar for all the different industry and geographic areas. The spillovers increased with greater firm-sizes, higher profitability levels, introduction of greater levels of monetary-based incentive schemes (especially for unionised employee segments), and allocation of incentive schemes to the middle- age employee grouping (35 years–55 years) as well as higher skilled employees.Practical/managerial implications: The effective introduction of incentive schemes in the workplace is an important mechanism for creating positive employee productivity spillover effects and it is generally common for all firms irrespective of the industry or geographic area.Contribution/value-add: Improved understanding of incentive-induced employee productivity spillovers in the South African workplace will enable the effective alignment of incentive schemes with firm profitability.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment test: Psychometric analysis of a South African workplace sample

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test is a widely used tool to screen for mild neurocognitive impairment. However, its structural validity has not been fully described in South Africa. The study aimed to replicate and extend earlier work with South African samples, to provide an expanded description of the psychometric properties of the MoCA. The study examined the MoCA in a sample of neurocognitively healthy working adults (N = 402) and individuals diagnosed with mild neurocognitive disorders (N = 42); both groups reported good English proficiency. Analysis included general scale descriptions, and structural and discriminant validity. Age and language, but not gender, influenced MoCA scores, with mean total scores of healthy individuals falling below the universal cut-off. Structural analysis showed that a multidimensional model with a higher-order general factor fit the data well, and measurement invariance for gender and language was confirmed. Discriminant validity was supported, and receiver operating characteristics curve analysis illustrated the potential for grey-zone lower and upper thresholds to identify risk.Contribution: This study replicated previous findings on the effects of age, language and gender, and challenged the universal application of ≤ 26 as cut-off for cognitive impairment indiscriminately across groups or contexts. It emphasised the need for context-specific adaptation in cognitive assessments, especially for non-English first language speakers, to enhance practical utility. Novel to this study, it extended knowledge on the structural validity of the test and introduced grey-zone scores as a potential guide to the identification of risk in resource-restricted settings.

Gender diversity and sexual orientation in the South African workplace

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South African Industry and Geographic Dynamics Perspective on the Link Between Employee Diversity Attributes and Employee Productivity

This study is part of an ongoing research project on various aspects of employee productivity in the South African workplace. The aim of the article is to measure the industry and geographic dynamics of the impact of different employee diversity attributes on productivity as no South African econometrically focused publications on this particular topic exist. I deemed it important to close this gap in the employee productivity literature. I applied an employee real remuneration model with a dissimilarity index vector and an industry dynamics vector to estimate the spillover effects of employee productivity for different employee diversity attributes. To validate the robustness of the estimates of the employee real remuneration model, estimations of the fixed-effect panel data were done for the full firm-based data sets. The estimation results indicated the same productivity pattern for the two industries in the three geographic areas. The productivity estimates suggest that the impacts of higher employee productivity spillovers (for all diversity subcategories) were more prominent for the area of the stronger gross geographic product. Limitations of this study that should be addressed are studies focused on the individual employee level and the productivity impact of the different levels of female remuneration gaps in the workplace. The estimation methodology applied in this study and the results thereof are intended to contribute to human resource policy debates on the impact of employee diversity attributes on employee productivity across industries and geographic areas in a diverse workplace.

Value Derived from Digitalised Human Resource Management: Perspectives from South Africa

A lack of empirical research on the value derived from digitalised human resource management contributes to the sluggish adoption of its technology in organisations, also in South African workplaces. In this article, we present empirical findings of the value derived from digitalised human resource management. These findings are based on the observations of 312 human resource management professionals and line managers in the automotive industry in South Africa. The data were collected by means of a cross-sectional quantitative survey design using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The findings of this study provide evidence of perceived value and impact value derived from digitalised human resource management. The perceived value of digitalised human resource management was evident for (1) performance, (2) stakeholders, (3) employees, and (4) talent creation, whereas the impact value was observed for (5) employment relations, (6) time and cost savings, and (7) human resource administration and control. These seven value factors were categorised as operational, relational or transformational, indicating the level at which the value of digitalised human resource management was realised. In the study, we provide a strong case for investing in the technology of digitalised human resource management to optimise strategic human resource management and maximise digitalised value in organisations. We caution human resource management practitioners that digitalisation is not an end goal, but a means to greater organisational effectiveness and stakeholder satisfaction.

“An Exercise in the Art of the Possible”: Waging a Battle Against Apartheid in the South African Workplace

The Wiehahn Commission, a government body that proposed a multipronged 1979 South African labor reform, accelerated the corporate recognition of Black trade unions in apartheid era South Africa. Gradually implemented over the course of two years, the reforms complemented international workplace codes and the burgeoning reformist push for ethically sound business practices in the workplace. Although U.S. multinational firms in South Africa did not initially voice support for Black trade unions, in the aftermath of Soweto, many were faced with cascading internal and external pressures to negotiate with these emerging unions. By incorporating the Sullivan Principles, a U.S. code for ethical business conduct, into the broader scholarship on the South African trade union movement and the late apartheid era Wiehahn Commission reforms, this article examines how corporate reforms landed in South Africa, probing the business response to worker demands. South African workers were not merely passive recipients of workplace reform, but rather active participants, shaping the form and direction of U.S. and South African policy.

Employee Perceptions of an Established Health and Wellness Coaching Program to Improve Behavior.

There is limited evidence, particularly qualitative analysis, of health and wellness interventions within the South African workplace. The purpose of this study is to explore whether health and wellness coaching when offered as part of an employee wellness program has potential for developing lifestyle change in a South African workplace. There were four, 45-minute focus group discussions, where employees discussed their experiences of the workplace health and wellness intervention program. Main categories identified from the coding of the transcripts were purpose of the health and wellness coaching program, as well as employees' program experience and improvement to the program. Common barriers to engagement, positive and negative experiences, and suggested improvements were defined by the employees. The study highlighted the need of understanding employee perceptions in the development and implementation of a workplace health and wellness program.

Strengthening Social Compact and Innovative Health Sector Collaborations in Addressing COVID-19 in South African Workplaces

Workplaces are nodes for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 transmission and require strategies to protect workers' health. This article reports on the South African national coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) strategy that sought to ensure workers' health, protect the economic activity, safeguard livelihoods and support health services. Data from the Occupational Health Surveillance System, Surveillance System of Sentinel Hospital Sites, and government databases (public sector health worker and Compensation Fund data) was supplemented by peer-reviewed articles and grey literature. A multipronged, multi-stakeholder response to occupational health and safety (OHS) policy development, risk management, health surveillance, information, and training was adopted, underpinned by scientific input, through collaboration between government, organized labour, employer bodies, academia, and community partners. This resulted in government-promulgated legislation addressing OHS, sectoral guidelines, and work-related COVID-19 worker's compensation. The OHS Workstream of the National Department of Health provided leadership and technical support for COVID-specific workplace guidelines and practices, surveillance, information, and training, as well as a workplace-based vaccination strategy.

Perceived challenges: Unfounded reasons for not forging ahead with digital human resource management practices

Orientation: Understanding the challenges that influence the adoption of digital human resource management (HRM) practices across the human resource (HR) value chain enables HRM departments and organisations to optimise HRM digitalisation. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify challenges that influence the adoption of digital HRM practices across the HR value chain in the South African workplace. Motivation for the study: Challenges hindering the adoption of digital HRM practices needed to be identified and proactively addressed to accelerate the process of HRM digitalisation. Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional quantitative research design was adopted, with an on-line questionnaire as data collection tool. A purposive and snowball sampling method was used. Data were collected from 312 HRM professionals and line managers in the automotive industry in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The data were processed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 27, and analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), descriptive analysis, Pearson Product Moment correlations and regression analysis. Main findings: The study revealed people, organisational, technological and environmental aspects that posed challenges to the adoption of digital HRM practices. However, these challenges did not become deterrents in the adoption of digital HRM practices in the automotive manufacturing organisations surveyed. Practical/managerial implications: Organisations need to forge ahead with the digitalisation of HRM practices. The challenges experienced in the process should be addressed proactively. Contribution/value-add: This study emphasises the challenges that should be monitored and addressed throughout the implementation of digital HRM practices in South Africa.

Dismissals for Social Media Hate Speech in South Africa: Animalistic Dehumanisation and the Circulation of Racist Words and Images

Social media is changing the way humans create and exchange information. Not all social media communications are, however, civil: the ‘dark side’ of social media cultivates various ‘anti-social’ exchanges including hate speech. Parallel accelerating social media use has been an increase in decision-makers having to consider the legalities of dismissing employees for social media misconduct. This paper through an analysis of first instance South African employee dismissal decisions, identifies an economy of hate within South African workplaces. In 30% of social media misconduct decisions (120/400), employees were dismissed for circulating racialised hate speech. This hate speech took three forms. First was the use of animality discourse and animal metaphors to dehumanise colleagues and employers. Second, employees used words that had specific racist connotations within South Africa. Third, there was the direct deployment of signs or symbols connected with South Africa’s racialised past.

Bullying in the Workplace: The Plight of South African Employees

This article discusses the prevalence of bullying in South African workplaces as well as the causes and symptoms thereof and the shortcomings in the current protection available to victims. Jurisprudence indicates that in the past victims typically had to rely on the prohibition against harassment in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (EEA). However, they were often unsuccessful as they could not prove that the bullying took place on a prohibited ground. An analysis of the common law and various other statutes confirms that South African law provides inadequate protection to victims of bullying. A brief overview of measures against bullying in some foreign jurisdictions indicates that bullying is mostly seen as a health and safety concern and that victims do not have to prove that bullying took place on a prohibited ground. This article also discusses the newly adopted Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace (2022 Code) which endeavours to give effect to the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Violence and Harassment Convention No 190. The discussion aims to establish whether the 2022 Code will resolve the lacuna in the protection against workplace bullying. The article concludes that this is not the case and recommends that the EEA be amended to define harassment sufficiently wide to include bullying; that the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 be amended to provide that an omission by an employer to address harassment (including bullying) could constitute an unfair labour practice; that a national code issued in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 be adopted to address bullying; and that health and safety legislation be amended to explicitly address bullying in the workplace and provide remedies to victims.

A Concise Occupational Mental Health Screening Tool for South African Workplaces.

Mental health in the workplace is becoming of ever greater importance. General occupational health surveillance programmes are already in widespread use, with established referral systems for treatment and rehabilitation, and the same mechanisms could be expanded to include mental health screening and intervention. This study aimed to develop a concise composite mental health screening tool, based on analysis of existing data, for application in routine occupational health surveillance in South Africa. Data from workplace occupational health surveillance programs from 2,303 participants were analysed. Participants completed a number of questions/scaled items collated into a survey format, and partook in an interview with a psychologist. The data was analysed using frequency of positive self-reports, Chi square to calculate associations with outcomes, Receiver Operator Characteristic curve analysis to explore predictive ability, and binomial logistic regression to calculate the relative contribution of markers to outcomes. An exploratory factor analysis was further conducted on identified items. A general workplace model with 14 markers (and a maritime workplace model with 17 markers) were identified. The factor analysis suggested their organisation into five domains (similar for both models), namely neurocognitive health, common mental disorders, history of adaptation in occupational specific contexts, family-work interface, and stress overload. The study’s data-driven approach proposed a concise composite screener with less than 50 items, comprising five domains. This tool appears useful in identifying employees at risk for workplace injuries or poor mental health outcomes, and could be applied to related workplace settings in South Africa.

Industry and geographic dynamics of employee productivity levels for different major job code and age categories in the South African workplace

Orientation: This study was part of an ongoing research project on various aspects of employee productivity in the South African workplace.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of industry and geographic dynamics on the employee productivity levels of different major job code and age categories.Motivation for the study: None of the South African publications in this particular field exist, and it was deemed to be important to close this gap in the employee productivity literature.Research approach/design and method: This study adopted a marginal productivity model to estimate marginal employee productivity levels, employee remuneration cost levels and net marginal productivity levels for different major job code and age categories within different industries and geographical areas.Main findings: The age categories 30–45 and 45–55 years presented, in general, higher net marginal productivity levels in relation to the other age groups. Marginal employee productivity levels per major job code differ between different geographical areas and industries.Practical/managerial implications: The estimations indicated the importance of focusing on the diffusion of new technologies and innovations at important major job code and age categories to maximise net employee productivity levels within firms and industries.Contribution/value-added: The study contributed to policy debates on the attainment of higher levels of employee productivity when industry and geographic dynamics on the net productivity levels of different major job code and age categories are considered.

Psychometric description of the Life Orientation Test-Revised in a South African sample: A pilot study

The relevance of dispositional optimism – as measured by the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) – in health psychology has been convincingly demonstrated in numerous cross-national studies; however, empirical evidence of its psychometric quality and normative parameters in the South African context are lacking. Firstly, this pilot study aimed to replicate previous international psychometric and normative data analyses, and secondly, to extend the investigation into associations with clinical measures of mental health and associated measures of general psychological well-being and resilience in a South African sample. A sample of 755 adults from South African workplaces (42% women, aged 19–62 years) completed the LOT-R and a selection of self-rated measures of clinical mental health and general psychological well-being and resilience. Life Orientation Test-Revised total mean scores were comparable with international samples, with normative reference data supplied to interpret individual scores. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a bi-dimensional model as best fit, and two independent factors were identified, namely, optimism and pessimism. Significant correlations with measures of psychological health and well-being were observed. Mental health constructs were better characterised by the presence of pessimism than the absence of optimism. No significant age or gender effects were observed but the role of language requires further clarification. This study provided a psychometric description of the LOT-R in a South African sample, including support for both the bi-dimensionality of the LOT-R in this context and its construct validity. The study further provided preliminary normative data for a local sample against which individual scores can be interpreted.

Language in the context of South African workplace discrimination law

This contribution considers the role of language as a prohibited ground of unfair discrimination in the workplace in South Africa, an area of law that has been somewhat neglected in the literature to date. It starts by setting out the constitutional and legislative framework for the protection of language rights and the prohibition of unfair discrimination based on language as a listed ground. It then, with brief comparative reference to other prominent jurisdictions, explains the potential ways in which an employer may unfairly discriminate against employees based on language, following which it considers the potential grounds for justification of language-based discrimination in the workplace. After consideration of the sparse case law on the topic in South Africa, it highlights a few specific issues regarding language and workplace discrimination, before concluding with some thoughts on potential future developments.