The journalist mojo : job demands, grit, resilience and individual work performance of journalists within South Africa

Abstract

Numerous studies have found that certain job demands - the most prevalent type being the demands relating to employees’ roles - can have an intense influence on their well-being as well as their work-related outcomes. Researchers have empirically reasoned that the relationship between high job demands and job strain may be moderated by certain job resources. A random sample of journalists working in South Africa was drawn, making use of online mediums. Questionnaires were voluntary and participants were asked to distribute the survey. A measuring battery was employed to measure job demands, grit, resilience, and individual work performance. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, Spearman Rho coefficients, moderation and regression analysis were utilised to analyse the data. The results indicated that some subscales of individual work performance had a negative correlation with individual work performance. Job demands did not significantly predict individual work performance. Grit and resilience had significant relationships with job demands. Grit did not moderate the relationship between job demands and individual work performance. Resilience did not moderate the relationship between job demands and individual performance. Various recommendations were made for organisations as well as future research. Companies can attempt to understand the daily pressures on journalists and what measures can be put into place to lessen the effects of these pressures. Additionally, companies can attempt to understand what factors exist within an individual’s personality/character traits that allow him or her to continue working as a journalist, onslaught after onslaught, and what factors inhibit a journalist from doing so. Recommendations for future research include increasing the sample size, revising the measuring battery, and including a more heterogeneous sample.