Investigating the relationship between employees’ perceptions of human resource management practices and work attitudes in a selected local government municipality in South Africa

Abstract

Problem: Employees are increasingly recognised as valuable assets, especially in the public sector. However, public sector organisations suffer financial losses related to re-hiring and training new staff, poor service delivery, ineffective human resource management (HRM) practices, employee dissatisfaction, and a high employee turnover rate. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between employees’ perceptions of HRM practices (training and development, compensation, and performance appraisal) and employees' work attitudes (job satisfaction and turnover intention) in a selected local government municipality in South Africa. Research methods: This cross-sectional study involved 134 employees from a selected local government municipality in South Africa. A questionnaire was distributed to collect data, which was later analysed with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0. Results: All three dimensions of HRM practices (training and development, compensation, and performance appraisal) were found to have a significant correlation with job satisfaction and turnover intention. The result also reveals strong positive correlations between training and development, compensation, performance evaluation, and promotional opportunities with a positive work attitude. Negative correlations were found between turnover intention, training and development, compensation, performance evaluation, positive work attitude, and promotional opportunities. The results further indicate that female employees have positive perceptions regarding the HRM practice in terms of performance evaluation compared to their male counterparts. Implications: The results of this study provide policy implications for the public sector on which HRM practices should be considered to improve employees’ work attitudes and job satisfaction as well as reduce turnover intentions. The findings of this study can offer insights for HRM practitioners in the public sector on how to develop a working environment where employees learn and are satisfied with their jobs and careers, thus wishing to remain in the organisation. Contribution/Originality: This study informs the HRM literature concerning HRM practices (training and development, compensation, and performance appraisal), employees' work attitudes, job satisfaction, and turnover intention.