The effects of work resources and career adaptability on employee health: A case of sample of teachers in South Africa

Abstract

Orientation: There is a rise in health-related challenges within the confines of the organisation. Strategies are needed not just from a human resources practitioner but also a theoretical basis in finding solutions to such challenges.Research purpose: Firstly, to determine the effects that work resources have on employee health and its two facets of physical and mental health. Secondly, to determine if career adaptability moderates the relationship between work resources and employee health.Motivation for the study: Studies exist in the literature that focus on the intersection of individual and organisational factors on health constructs such as mental health. Further, such studies continue to be an issue of inquiry especially within the public service professions such as teaching.Research approach/design and method: A quantitative research approach utilising a survey data collection technique was utilised. Simple linear regression and a hierarchical regression were performed to analyse the data.Main findings: Work resources do predict employee mental and physical health. Further, career adaptability does not moderate the relationship between work resources and employee health among teachers.Practical/managerial implications: Based on the findings, recommendations are made that assist not just teachers but also those engaged in creating a context in which teachers can thrive from a management perspective.Contribution/value-add: The findings help us focus on the notion that in rural high schools of South Africa, a supportive work environment for assisting teachers to utilise work resources for organisational functioning, in a manner that is friendly to their mental and physical health is needed.

Determinants of employee mental health in the South African public service: the role of organizational citizenship behaviours and workplace social support

“…Coupled with a downturn in the economy, employees also deal with stress and burnout within the public service (Brunetto & Beattie 2020;Perko et al, 2016). All these potentially become stressors (Okeke & Dlamini, 2013) but also result in mental health challenges (Payne et al, 2020;Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2021) and a source of poor work outcomes (Khamisa et al, 2017). D e s p i t e a l l t h e s e n o t e d c h a l l e n g e s , t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f p u b l i c s e r v i c e e m p l o y e e s , especially for nation-building (Kheswa, 2019), is acknowledged, as is the need to address the scourge of mental health challenges they face (Chinyamurindi, 2019;Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2021).…”

“…All these potentially become stressors (Okeke & Dlamini, 2013) but also result in mental health challenges (Payne et al, 2020;Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2021) and a source of poor work outcomes (Khamisa et al, 2017). D e s p i t e a l l t h e s e n o t e d c h a l l e n g e s , t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f p u b l i c s e r v i c e e m p l o y e e s , especially for nation-building (Kheswa, 2019), is acknowledged, as is the need to address the scourge of mental health challenges they face (Chinyamurindi, 2019;Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2021). For this study, mental health issues consisted of the framing by Furukawa, Kessler, Slade and Andrews (2003) to include aspects related to conditions of a) nervousness; b) hopelessness; c) restlessness or being fidgety; d) depression; e) constantly feeling everything in life is an effort and finally, f) worthlessness.…”

“…These mental health issues within organizations can serve as stressors (Montani & Dagenais-Desmarais, 2018). A starting point could be to monitor these conditions within the public service and how they influence how employees not only function but also flourish within the confines of the workplaces (Redelinghuys & Rothmann, 2020) and how this affects aspects related to employee mental health (Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2021).…”

“…Others add the need to pay attention to prosocial behaviors, defined as organizational citizenship behaviors, to solve challenges stemming from the work environment (Alessandri, Filosa, Eisenberg & Caprara, 2021). The focus appears to be centered on paying attention to the individual and organizational factors and how they help employees experience better health (Chinyamurindi, 2019;Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2021). In essence, at the core, there is a need to address contingencies that affect work and health outcomes (Joubert & Hay, 2019) as stressors and threats to employee productivity and performance (Montani & Dagenais-Desmaraias, 2018).…”

“…In essence, at the core, there is a need to address contingencies that affect work and health outcomes (Joubert & Hay, 2019) as stressors and threats to employee productivity and performance (Montani & Dagenais-Desmaraias, 2018). In turn, this can potentially affect how public service employees provide a critical service to the public (Kanyane, 2019;Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2021).…”