Job satisfaction and organisational commitment in the Departement of Correctional Services, North West Province

Abstract

Organisational commitment is a measure of employees' intentions to remain within the employment of one organisation, or to find alternative employment in a different organisation. It is important for organisations to understand the commitment of their employees as this has implications for their ability to retain staff and achieve organisational goals. Studies have indicated that committed employees identify with the organisation 's goals and they make effort to achieve these goals. Failure to retain employees also has financial implications for the organisation in the sense that it incurs expenditure in the rehiring and training of employees. The organisation also loses the experience and institutional knowledge of employees who leave the organisation, thereby reducing performance capacity. The purpose of the study was to establish the levels of job satisfaction and organisational commitment within the Department of Correctional Services. Job satisfaction refers to the level of personal fulfilment in relation to one's job. There are several determinants of job satisfaction, conditions which impact positively on employees' fulfilment in the workplace. The study comprised a literature review as well as an empirical study that was conducted at the Department of Correctional Services. The research made findings on the levels of job satisfaction and employee's intentions to leave the organisation. It also sheds light on the specific aspects that have an impact on job satisfaction and organisational commitment in this organisation. Recommendations for future study and for management are also provided at the end of the study.