UNRAVELING CAREER DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICAN LOGISTICS COMPANIES

Nkosinathi Emanuel Mdletshe

Abstract


This study delves into the dynamics of career development practices and employee engagement within logistics companies in Durban City, South Africa. Employing a descriptive-correlational research design, the investigation sought answers to key questions regarding the extent of career development practices, the levels of employee engagement, and the relationship between these two critical aspects. The study focused on a sample of 215 employees from five logistics companies in Durban City, South Africa, employing a stratified random sampling approach tailored to the unique characteristics of each company. Primary data collection was conducted through a structured questionnaire, validated for content relevance and reliability, ensuring the instrument's consistency. Ethical principles, including informed consent, anonymity, voluntarism, and confidentiality, were rigorously upheld throughout the study. Data analysis utilized weighted mean and Pearson correlation as statistical tools. The main findings reveal a significant gap in the implementation of career development practices, particularly in essential areas such as career planning, succession planning, and career training. These deficiencies, reflected in low average weighted means, call for strategic interventions to address critical aspects of employee growth and development. Additionally, the study identifies suboptimal levels of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional engagement among employees in logistics companies, emphasizing the need for comprehensive enhancement. A noteworthy discovery is the strong positive correlation between career development practices and employee engagement, highlighted by a robust Pearson Correlation of .887. This statistically significant relationship underscores the interconnectedness of these factors, suggesting that addressing identified gaps in career development practices could catalyze improvements in overall employee engagement within logistics companies. In conclusion, these findings collectively advocate for the enhancement of career development practices as a catalyst for improving employee engagement, fostering a more dynamic and productive workforce. The study's recommendations include the implementation of comprehensive career development programs, prioritization of engagement initiatives, and the integration of technological solutions for career training. These strategies, tailored to the evolving business landscape, hold the potential to contribute to the overall success and sustainability of logistics companies in South Africa.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


career planning, career counseling, career training, succession planning, cognitive engagement, behavioral engagement, emotional engagement

Full Text:

PDF

References


Aboramadan, M., Albashiti, B., Alharazin, H., & Dahleez, K. A. (2020). Human resources management practices and organizational commitment in higher education: The mediating role of work engagement. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(1), 154-174.

Aburumman, O., Salleh, A., Omar, K., & Abadi, M. (2020). The impact of human resource management practices and career satisfaction on employee’s turnover intention. Management Science Letters, 10(3), 641-652.

Adnan, B. K. (2019). Impact of work-life balance, happiness at work, on employee performance. International Business Research, 12(2), 99-112.

Ahmed, T., Khan, M. S., Thitivesa, D., Siraphatthada, Y., & Phumdara, T. (2020). Impact of employees’ engagement and knowledge sharing on organizational performance: Study of HR challenges in COVID-19 pandemic. Human Systems Management, 39(4), 589-601.

Akdere, M., & Egan, T. (2020). Transformational leadership and human resource development: Linking employee learning, job satisfaction, and organizational performance. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 31(4), 393-421.

Akinyi, O. J. (2022). Influence of Employee Engagement on Performance of Private Secondary Schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Unpublished Thesis, University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Albrecht, S. L., & Marty, A. (2020). Personality, self-efficacy and job resources and their associations with employee engagement, affective commitment and turnover intentions. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(5), 657-681.

Ali, Z., & Mehreen, A. (2020). An empirical investigation of predicting employee performance through succession planning: The job demands and resources perspective. In Evidence-Based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 8(1), 79-91.

Ali, Z., Bashir, M., & Mehreen, A. (2019). Managing organizational effectiveness through talent management and career development: The mediating role of employee engagement. Journal of Management Sciences, 6(1), 62-78.

Alshaabani, A., Naz, F., Magda, R., & Rudnák, I. (2021). Impact of perceived organizational support on OCB in the time of COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary: employee engagement and affective commitment as mediators. Sustainability, 13(14), 7800.

Arasanmi, C. N., & Krishna, A. (2019). Employer branding: perceived organisational support and employee retention–the mediating role of organizational commitment. Industrial and Commercial Training, 51(3), 174-183.

Arslan, M., & Roudaki, J. (2019). Examining the role of employee engagement in the relationship between organisational cynicism and employee performance. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 39(1/2), 118-137.

Azmy, A. (2019). Employee engagement factors in a higher education institution. Binus Business Review, 10(3), 187-200.

Babbie, E. R. (2016). The basics of social research. Cengage Learning.

Bagdadli, S., & Gianecchini, M. (2019). Organizational career management practices and objective career success: A systematic review and framework. Human Resource Management Review, 29(3), 353-370.

Barhate, B., & Dirani, K. M. (2022). Career aspirations of generation Z: a systematic literature review. European Journal of Training and Development, 46(1/2), 139-157.

Basit, A. A. (2019). Examining how respectful engagement affects task performance and affective organizational commitment: The role of job engagement. Personnel Review, 48(3), 644-658.

Borst, R. T., Kruyen, P. M., Lako, C. J., & De Vries, M. S. (2020). The attitudinal, behavioral, and performance outcomes of work engagement: A comparative meta-analysis across the public, semipublic, and private sector. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 40(4), 613-640.

Bosch-Sijtsema, P. M., Gluch, P., & Sezer, A. A. (2019). Professional development of the BIM actor role. Automation in construction, 97, 44-51.

Braganza, A., Chen, W., Canhoto, A., & Sap, S. (2021). Productive employment and decent work: The impact of AI adoption on psychological contracts, job engagement and employee trust. Journal of Business Research, 131, 485-494.

Budrienė, D., & Diskienė, D. (2020). Employee engagement: Types, levels and relationship with practice of HRM. Malaysian E-Commerce Journal, 4(2), 42-47.

Burnett, J. R., & Lisk, T. C. (2021). The future of employee engagement: Real-time monitoring and digital tools for engaging a workforce. In International Perspectives on Employee Engagement, 117-128.

Chanana, N., & Sangeeta. (2021). Employee engagement practices during COVID‐19 lockdown. Journal of public affairs, 21(4), e2508.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.

Darmawan, D., Mardikaningsih, R., Sinambela, E. A., Arifin, S., Putra, A. R., Hariani, M., & Issalillah, F. (2020). The quality of human resources, job performance, and employee loyalty. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(3), 2580-2592.

Davidescu, A. A., Apostu, S. A., Paul, A., & Casuneanu, I. (2020). Work flexibility, job satisfaction, and job performance among Romanian employees—Implications for sustainable human resource management. Sustainability, 12(15), 6086.

Desarno, J., Perez, M., Rivas, R., Sandate, I., Reed, C., & Fonseca, I. (2021). Succession planning within the health care organization: Human resources management and human capital management considerations. Nurse leader, 19(4), 411-415.

Do, T. Y. N. (2019). Logistics service management in Vietnamese enterprises and foreign corporations’, International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 6(10), 16–21.

Eka, F., & Anik, H. (2020). The effect of organizational communication and job satisfaction on employee engagement and employee performance at PT. Abyor International. Dinasti International Journal of Education Management and Social Science, 1(4), 479-489.

Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2019). How to design and evaluate research in education. McGraw-Hill Education.

Garg, R., Kiwelekar, A.W., Netak, L.D., & Ghodake, A. (2021). i-Pulse: A NLP based novel approach for employee engagement in logistics organization. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 1(1), 100011.

Ghosh, R., Shuck, B., Cumberland, D., & D'Mello, J. (2019). Building psychological capital and employee engagement: Is formal mentoring a useful strategic human resource development intervention? Performance Improvement Quarterly, 32(1), 37-54.

Githu, R. M. (2017). Influence of Career Development on Employees’ Commitment in Public Universities in Kenya. Unpublished Dissertation, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya.

Goestjahjanti, S.F., Novitasari, D., Hutagalung, D., Asbari, M., & Supono, J. (2020). Impact of talent management, authentic leadership, and employee engagement on job satisfaction: Evidence from south East Asian industries. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(19), 67-88.

Govender, M., & Bussin, M. H. (2020). Performance management and employee engagement: A South African perspective. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1), 1-19.

Graen, G., & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219–247.

Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279.

Hajiali, I., Kessi, A. M. F., Budiandriani, B., Prihatin, E., & Sufri, M.M. (2022). Determination of work motivation, leadership style, employee competence on job satisfaction and employee performance. Golden Ratio of Human Resource Management, 2(1), 57-69.

Hendri, M. I. (2019). The mediation effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment on the organizational learning effect of the employee performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 68(7), 1208-1234.

Herzberg, F. (1959). The motivation-hygiene concept and problems of manpower. Personnel Administration, 22(3), 1–16.

Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. B. (1959). The motivation to work. Wiley.

Hulshof, I. L., Demerouti, E., & Le Blanc, P.M. (2020). Day-level job crafting and service-oriented task performance: The mediating role of meaningful work and work engagement. Career Development International, 25(4), 355-371.

Hunter‐Johnson, Y., Niu, Y., Smith, S., Whitaker, B., Wells, R., & Charkasova, A. (2020). The veteran employees: Recruitment, career development, engagement, and job satisfaction of veterans transitioning to the civilian workforce. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2020(166), 139-150.

Iis, E. Y., Wahyuddin, W., Thoyib, A., Ilham, R. N., & Sinta, I. (2022). The Effect of Career Development and Work Environment On Employee Performance With Work Motivation As Intervening Variable At The Office Of Agriculture And Livestock In Aceh. International Journal of Economic, Business, Accounting, Agriculture Management and Sharia Administration 2(2), 227-236.

Ismail, H. N., Iqbal, A., & Nasr, L. (2019). Employee engagement and job performance in Lebanon: the mediating role of creativity. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 68(3), 506-523.

Kamau, S., Koskenranta, M., Kuivila, H., Oikarainen, A., Tomietto, M., Juntunen, J., & Mikkonen, K. (2022). Integration strategies and models to support transition and adaptation of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing staff into healthcare environments: An umbrella review. International journal of nursing studies, 136, 104377.

Kurdi, B., & Alshurideh, M. (2020). Employee retention and organizational performance: Evidence from banking industry. Management Science Letters, 10(16), 3981-3990.

Kwon, K., & Kim, T. (2020). An integrative literature review of employee engagement and innovative behavior: Revisiting the JD-R model. Human Resource Management Review, 30(2), 100704.

Lartey, F. M. (2021). Impact of career Planning, employee autonomy, and manager recognition on employee engagement. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, 9(02), 135.

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122.

Lévesque, M., & Subramanian, A. M. (2022). Family firm succession through the lens of technology intelligence. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 13(2), 100485.

Mahmood, A. H., Jabbar, O. B., Gardi, B., Ali, A. S., Sabir, B. Y., Burhan, I. N. & Anwar, G. (2021). Employee commitment: The relationship between employee commitment and job satisfaction. Aziz, H. M., Othman, B. J., Gardi, B., Ahmed, S. A., Sabir, B. Y., Ismael, N. B., Hamza, P. A., Sorguli, S., Ali, BJ, Anwar, G. (2021). Employee Commitment: The Relationship between Employee Commitment and Job Satisfaction. Journal of Humanities and Education Development, 3(3), 54-66.

Mappamiring, M., & Putra, A. H. P. K. (2021). Understanding Career Optimism on Employee Engagement: Broaden-Built and Organizational Theory Perspective. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(2), 605-616.

Marinakou, E., & Giousmpasoglou, C. (2019). Talent management and retention strategies in luxury hotels: evidence from four countries. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(10), 3855-3878.

Moletsane, M., Tefera, O., & Migiro, S. (2019). The Relationship between Employee Engagement and Organizational Productivity of Sugar Industry in South Africa: The Employees' Perspective. African Journal of Business & Economic Research, 14(1).

Mullen, P. R., Chae, N., Backer, A., & Niles, J. (2021). School counselor burnout, job stress, and job satisfaction by student caseload. Nassp Bulletin, 105(1), 25-42.

Ndiritu, R. W. (2022). Career Development and Employee Retention in Insurance Companies in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Unpublished Thesis, Kenyatta University, Kenya.

Niati, D. R., Siregar, Z. M. E., & Prayoga, Y. (2021). The effect of training on work performance and career development: the role of motivation as intervening variable. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute: Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(2), 2385-2393.

O’Connor, E. P., & Crowley-Henry, M. (2019). Exploring the relationship between exclusive talent management, perceived organizational justice and employee engagement: Bridging the literature. Journal of Business Ethics, 156, 903-917.

Okwakpam, J. A. (2019). Effective succession planning: A roadmap to employee retention. Kuwait Chapter of the Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 8(2), 1-10.

Othman, S., & Mahmood, N. (2019). Linking employee engagement towards individual work performance through human resource management practice: From high potential employee’s perspectives. Management Science Letters, 9(7), 1083-1092.

Park, K. A., & Johnson, K. R. (2019). Job Satisfaction, Work Engagement, and Turnover Intention of CTE Health Science Teachers. International journal for research in vocational education and training, 6(3), 224-242.

Rahayu, M., Rasid, F., & Tannady, H. (2019). The effect of career training and development on job satisfaction and its implications for the organizational commitment of regional secretariat (SETDA) employees of Jambi provincial government. International Review of Management and Marketing, 9(1), 79.

Rameshkumar, M. (2020). Employee engagement as an antecedent of organizational commitment–A study on Indian seafaring officers. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 36(3), 105-112.

Raosoft. (2004). Sample Size Calculator. Retrieved from: http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html

Rasool, S. F., Wang, M., Tang, M., Saeed, A., & Iqbal, J. (2021). How toxic workplace environment effects the employee engagement: The mediating role of organizational support and employee wellbeing. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(5), 2294.

Riaz, H., Ahmed, H., and Ali, S. B. (2021). Mapping the Impact of Employee Engagement on Job Performance with Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance: An Investigation of Private Sector Organizations in Pakistan. Market Forces, 16(2), 43-62.

Riyanto, S., Endri, E., & Herlisha, N. (2021). Effect of work motivation and job satisfaction on employee performance: Mediating role of employee engagement. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 19(3), 162.

Rodríguez-Sánchez, J. L., González-Torres, T., Montero-Navarro, A., & Gallego-Losada, R. (2020). Investing time and resources for work–life balance: The effect on talent retention. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(6), 1920.

Rumman, A. A., Al-Abbadi, L., & Alshawabkeh, R. (2020). The impact of human resource development practices on employee engagement and performance in Jordanian family restaurants. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 18(1), 130.

Saffar, N. A. G. A., & Obeidat, A. (2020). The effect of total quality management practices on employee performance: The moderating role of knowledge sharing. Management Science Letters, 10(1), 77-90.

Saks, A. M. (2019). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement revisited. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 6(1), 19-38.

Silitonga, K. A. A., Ahmad, F., Simanjuntak, C. W., & Atrizka, D. (2020). Exploring the nexus between the HR practices and work engagement: The mediating role of Job Demand. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy, 11(7).

Singh, D. (2019). A literature review on employee retention with focus on recent trends. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 6(1), 425-431.

Soares, M. E., & Mosquera, P. (2019). Fostering work engagement: The role of the psychological contract. Journal of Business Research, 101, 469-476.

Statista Research Department. (2023). Value added to gross domestic product (GDP) by the transport industry in South Africa from 2015 to 2021 in million South African rand. Retrieved from: file:///C:/Users/FUJITSU/Downloads/NATH%20CHINA/PDF%20FOR%20SA%20JOURNAL%20GUIDES/document%20(1).pdf

Sugiarti, E., Finatariani, E., & Rahman, Y.T. (2021). Earning Cultural Values as A Strategic Step to Improve Employee Performance. Scientific Journal of Reflection: Economic, Accounting, Management and Business, 4(1), 221-230.

Sun, L., & Bunchapattanasakda, C. (2019). Employee engagement: A literature review. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 9(1), 63-80.

Tang, M., Montgomery, M.L., Collins, B., & Jenkins, K. (2021). Integrating career and mental health counseling: Necessity and strategies. Journal of Employment Counseling, 58(1), 23-35.

Teo, S. T., Bentley, T., & Nguyen, D. (2020). Psychosocial work environment, work engagement, and employee commitment: A moderated, mediation model. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 88, 102415.

Tiwari, B., & Lenka, U. (2020). Employee engagement: A study of survivors in Indian IT/ITES sector. IIMB Management Review, 32(3), 249-266.

Toan, T. T. (2023). Opportunities and challenges for quality of human resource in public sector of Vietnam’s logistics industry. International journal of public sector performance management, X(Y), 1-14.

Turner, P. (2019). Employee engagement in contemporary organizations: Maintaining high productivity and sustained competitiveness. Springer Nature.

Uddin, M. A., Mahmood, M., & Fan, L. (2019). Why individual employee engagement matters for team performance? Mediating effects of employee commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 25(1/2), 47-68.

Ul-Hameed, W., Shabbir, M., Imran, M., Raza, A., & Salman, R. (2019). Remedies of low performance among Pakistani e-logistic companies: The role of firm’s IT capability and information communication technology (ICT). Uncertain Supply Chain Management, 7(2), 369-380.

Van-Zyl, L. E., Van Oort, A., Rispens, S., & Olckers, C. (2021). Work engagement and task performance within a global Dutch ICT-consulting firm: The mediating role of innovative work behaviors. Current Psychology, 40, 4012-4023.

Weer, C. H., & Greenhaus, J. H. (2020). Managers’ assessments of employees’ organizational career growth opportunities: The role of extra-role performance, work engagement, and perceived organizational commitment. Journal of Career Development, 47(3), 280-295.

Wiradendi, W. C., Solikhah, S., Fidhyallah, N. F., & Lestari, D. P. (2020). Effectiveness of e-training, e-leadership, and work life balance on employee performance during COVID-19. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 7(10).

Yoon, H. J., Chang, Y. L., Sadique, F., & Al Balushi, I. (2021). Mechanisms for hopeful employee career development in COVID-19: A hope-action theory perspective. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 23(3), 203-221.

Zürcher, A., Galliker, S., Jacobshagen, N., Lüscher Mathieu, P., Eller, A., & Elfering, A. (2021). Increased working from home in vocational counseling psychologists during COVID-19: associated change in productivity and job satisfaction. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 750127.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejhrms.v7i1.1606

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 European Journal of Human Resource Management Studies

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The research works published in this journal are free to be accessed. They can be shared (copied and redistributed in any medium or format) and\or adapted (remixed, transformed, and built upon the material for any purpose, commercially and\or not commercially) under the following terms: attribution (appropriate credit must be given indicating original authors, research work name and publication name mentioning if changes were made) and without adding additional restrictions (without restricting others from doing anything the actual license permits). Authors retain the full copyright of their published research works and cannot revoke these freedoms as long as the license terms are followed.

Copyright © 2017-2023. European Journal Of Human Resource Management Studies (ISSN 2601-1972) is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library. All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and standards formulated by Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002), the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (2003) and  Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003) and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyrights of the published research works are retained by authors.


 

Hit counter