Skip to main content

The Economic Impact of Wellness

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Value of Wellness in the Workplace

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Economics ((BRIEFSECONOMICS))

Abstract

Work wellness can be differentiated between employee and relational wellness. The impact of psychological contract breach with work wellness was explored in this chapter, as well as the link between industrial action and work wellness. Labour relations management deals with decision-making and behaviour regarding aspects such as trade unions and other forms of worker representation and participation, the rights and duties of the employer and employees and their representatives, how to deal with matters concerning conflicts and disputes, and also co-operation with unions, as well as how the organisation will relate to other organisations, such as employer organisations or associations. The focus of labour relations management was primarily on the collective, conflicting and formal dimensions of employment relations. The individual dimension is also covered in aspects such as the rights of the employee regarding fair treatment, accommodation , annual leave , certificate of service , family responsibility leave , freedom of association , maternity leave , notice of termination of employment, payment on termination of employment, prescribed days off, remuneration due, safe working conditions, sick leave and the right to strike . As in most industrialised countries, South African trade unions are facing a decline in their political and industrial influence in general (Fairbrother and Yates 2003). This does not, as such, influence the levels of industrial actions, but even seems to increase it. In South Africa, some burning issues associated with industrial actions exist, which were analysed in this chapter.

Chapter Aim

The aim of this chapter was to identify the forms of wellness, associated with the workplace, and to establish the cost thereof.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Africa Leader (2014). Platinum mine workers in South Africa return to work, 25 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014 from http://www.africaleader.com/index.php/sid/223255797/

  • Albrecht SL (ed) (2010) Handbook of employee engagement: perspectives, issues, research and practice. Edward Elgar Publishing, Northampton

    Google Scholar 

  • Bendix S (2010) Industrial relations in South Africa, 5th edn. Juta, Lansdowne

    Google Scholar 

  • Buessing A (1999) Can control at work and social support moderate psychological consequences of job insecurity? Results from a quasi-experimental study in the steel industry. J Work Organ Psychol 8(2):219–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dallender J, Nolan P (2002) Mental health work observed: a comparison of the perceptions psychiatrists and mental health nurses. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 9(1):131–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis R (2013) Western Cape farm strikes: one year on, still a political football, 28 Oct 2013. In: The daily Maverick. Retrieved 17 Sept 2014 from http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-10-28-western-cape-farm-strikes-one-year-on-still-a-political-football/#.VDPYHPmSxqU

  • Davy JA, Kinicky AJ, Sheck CL (1997) A test of job security’s direct and mediated effects of survivor responses to layoffs. J Organ Behav 18:323–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Witte H (1999) Job insecurity and psychological well-being: review of the literature and exploration of some unresolved issues. Eur J Work Organ Psychol 8(2):155–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairbrother P, Yates C (eds) (2003) Trade Unions in renewal: a comparative study. Continuum, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrie JE (2001) Is job insecurity harmful to health? J R Soc Med 94(22):71–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrie JE, Shipley M, Marmot MG, Stansfield S, Davey-Smith G (1995) Health effects of anticipation of change and non-employment longitudinal data from the Whitehall II study. Br Med J 311:1264–1269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freese C, Schalk R (1996) Implications of psychological contracts for human resource management. Eur J Work Organ Psychol 5:501–509

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenhalgh L, Rosenblatt Z (1984) Job insecurity: toward conceptual clarity. Acad Manage Rev 3:438–448

    Google Scholar 

  • Grogan J (2009) Workplace law, 10th edn. Juta, Kenwyn

    Google Scholar 

  • Healy C, McKay M (1999) Identifying sources of stress and job satisfaction in the nursing environment. Aust J Adv Nurs 17(3):30–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Heany CA, Isreal BA, House JS (1994) Chronic job insecurity among automobile workers: effects on job satisfaction and health. Soc Sci Med 38:1431–1437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heaney CA, Israel BA, Schurman SJ, Baker EA, House JS, Hugentobler M (2006) Industrial relations, worksite stress reduction, and employee well-being: a participatory action research investigation. J Organ Behav 14(5):495–510

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hellgren J (2003) The times they are a-changin’: job uncertainty and the flexible labor market. Akademitryck, Edsbruk

    Google Scholar 

  • Kochan TA (1980) Collective bargaining and industrial relations: from theory to policy and practice. Irwin, Homewood

    Google Scholar 

  • Levinson H, Price CR, Munden KJ, Mandl HJ, Solley CM (1962) Men, management and mental health. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Linde B, Schalk R (2008) The influence of pre-merger employment relations and individual characteristics on the psychological contract: a South African case study. S Afr J Psychol 38(2):305–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Locke E (1976) The nature and consequences of job satisfaction. In: Dunnette MD (ed) Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. Rand McNally College Publishing Co, Chicago, pp 297–349

    Google Scholar 

  • McKnight DH, Cummings LL, Chervany NL (1998) Initial trust formation in new organizational relationships. Acad Manag Rev 23:473–491

    Google Scholar 

  • McLean Parks J, Kidder DL, Gallagher DG (1998) Fitting square pegs into round holes: mapping the domain of contingent work arrangements onto the psychological contract. J Organ Behav 19:697–730

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod T (1997) Workstress among community psychiatric nurses. Br J Nurs 6:569–574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison EW, Robinson SL (1997) When employees feel betrayed: a model of how psychological contract violation develops. Acad Manag Rev 22:226–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Nel PS (2012) South African employment relations: theory and practice, 7th edn. Van Schaik Publishers, Pretoria

    Google Scholar 

  • Pugh SD, Scarlicki DP, Passell BS (2003) After the fall: layoff victims’ trust and cynicism in re-employment. J Occup Organ Psychol 76:201–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson SL, Morrison EW (2002) The development of psychological breach and violation: a longitudinal study. J Organ Behav 21:525–546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothmann S, Steyn LJ, Mostert K (2005) Job stress, sense of coherence and work wellness in an electricity supply organisation. SA J Bus Manag 36(1):55–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenblatt Z, Ruvio A (1996) A test of a multidimensional model of job insecurity: the case of Israeli teachers. J Organ Behav 17:587–605

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roskies E, Lewis-Guerin C, Fournier C (1993) Coping with job insecurity: how does personality make a difference? J Organ Behav 14:617–630

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau DM (1995) Psychological contracts in organizations: understanding written and unwritten agreements. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau DM (2001) Schema, promise and mutuality: the building blocks of the psychological contract. J Occup Organ Psychol 74:511–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SABC News (2014) Platinum strike still affecting economy, 9 Sept 2014. Retrieved 9 Sept 2014 from http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/798e5400456906ab8741a7c7c599c9eb/Platinum-strike-still-affecting-economy

  • Schalk R, Campbell JW, Freese C (1998) Change and employee behaviour. Leadersh Organ Dev J 19:157–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schalk R, Freese C (2000) The impact of organizational changes on the psychological contract and attitudes towards work in four health care organizations. In: Isaksson K, Hogstedt C, Eriksson C, Theorell T (eds) Health effects of the new labour market. Kluwer, New York, pp 129–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Schalk R, Heinen J, Freese C (2001) Do organizational changes impact the psychological contract and workplace attitudes? A study of a merger of two home care organizations in the Netherlands. In: De Jonge J, Vlerick P, Büssing A, Schaufeli WB (eds) Organizational psychology and health care at the start of a new millennium. Rainer Hampp Verlag, Munich, Germany

    Google Scholar 

  • Schüssler M (2014) Strikes are also about inequality and reputation, 9 July 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014 from http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-soapbox/strikes-are-also-about-inequality-and-reputation

  • Shore LM, Tetrick LE, Taylor S, Shapiro JA-MC, Liden R, Parks JM, Morrison EW, Porter LW, Robinson S, Roehling MV, Rousseau DM, Schalk R, Tsui A, Van Dyne L (2004) The employee-organization relationship: a timely concept in a period of transition. In: Martocchio JJ (ed) Research in personnel and human resources management, vol 23. Elsevier, Oxford, pp 291–370

    Google Scholar 

  • Slabbert JA, Swanepoel BJ (2001) Introduction to employment relations management. Butterworths, Durban

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith PC (1992) In pursuit of happiness, why study general job satisfaction. In: Cranny CJ, Smith PC, Stone EF (eds) Job satisfaction: how people feel about their jobs and how it affects their performance. Lexington Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • South African History Online (2014) Marikana Massacre, 16 Aug 2012. Retrieved 11 Aug 2014 from http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/marikana-massacre-16-August-2012

  • Spector PE (1997) Job satisfaction: application, assessment, causes, and consequences. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sverke M, Hellgren J (2002) The nature of job insecurity: understanding employment uncertainty on the brink of a new millennium. Appl Psychol: Int Rev 51(1):23–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sverke M, Hellgren J, Näswall K, Chirumbolo A, De Witte H, Goslinga S (eds) (2004) Job insecurity and union membership. Series: Travail & Société/Work & Society, vol 42. European Unions in the Wake of Flexible Production

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson V, Power K (2001) Employees’ perceptions of organizational restructuring: the role of social support. Work Stress 15:161–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tustin C, Geldenhuys D (2000) Labour relations: the psychology of conflict and negotiation. Oxford University Press, Cape Town

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Vaart L, Linde B, Krugell M (2013) The state of the psychological contract and the intention to leave: the mediating role of the employee well-being. S Afr J Psychol 43(3):356–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Venter R, Levy A (eds) (2011) Labour relations in South Africa, 3rd edn. Oxford University Press, Cape Town

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bennie Linde .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Linde, B. (2015). The Economic Impact of Wellness. In: The Value of Wellness in the Workplace. SpringerBriefs in Economics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-402-3_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics