Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6, 6866-6880 2024 Publisher: Learning Gate DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate * Correspondence: otomololu@yahoo.com Job satisfaction and organisational commitment amongst employees in the south African department of education: Issues and challenges Lindiwe-Memory Ndaleni/Sibiya1, Omololu Fagbadebo2*, Zamokuhle Mbandlwa3 1,3Department of Human Resource management Durban University of Technology ML Sultan Campus, Durban; indiwesibiya72@gmail.com (L.M.N.S.) zamokuhlem@dut.ac.za (Z.M.) 2Department of Public Management, Law and Economics Durban University of Technology, Riverside Campus, Pietermaritzburg; otomololu@yahoo.com (O.F.) Abstract: It is common in the Umlazi and Pinetown districts of the Department of Education (DoE) that employees resign before their retirement age. Available data showed that 1,310 employees of the DoE in the two districts have resigned in the past five years. This is an indication of a sharp rise in staff turnover, with its impacts on the quality of education and service delivery. This study examined how the working environment of the districts influences job satisfaction. With 249 participants, using a mixed method, the study further examined the correlation between job satisfaction and employee turnover and how intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors influence job satisfaction at the districts. examines how the working environment of the Department’s districts influences job satisfaction. The study further examines the correlation between job satisfaction and employee turnover at the Department of Education, as well as how intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors influence job satisfaction. The findings of the study indicate that there is a correlation between job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The findings further indicate that due to lack of job satisfaction, employees are less committed and loyal to their organisation. The study further suggests further research on strategies that can be implemented to improve employee job satisfaction and employee commitment for the benefit of the organisations. Keywords: Employee job satisfaction, Employee loyalty, Orgaanisational performance, Organisational commitment, Out-of- service employees, Professional growth. 1. Introduction Government organisations experience numerous challenges regarding employee commitment [1] Halimsetiono [2] supports, as a result, it affects the service quality level and achievement of national interests, as well as an increased employee resignation ratio that creates a loss of trained and committed employees. Even though government employees are appreciative of complete job security, they are also not satisfied and feel disadvantaged [2]. Government employees with numerous years of service are considering leaving for better jobs and professional growth in multinational organisations [3]. Mabasa and Ngirande [4] found numerous employees with qualifications within the DOE consider leaving their organizations for the private sector, where they can experience career growth with better offers. These authors maintain employees compare and weigh their job offers in relation to their skills, qualifications, and experience [4]. Therefore, their job offers determine their satisfaction, as well as their experience with the organization. The overall objectives of the study are • To examine the correlation between job satisfaction and organisational commitment. • To offer recommendations to the management on how to improve job satisfaction, employee loyalty and employee commitment in the DoE, eThekwini region. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6054-3870 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0195-5189 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7528-3565 6867 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate 2. Literature Review Commitment has been used interchangeably with orgnaisational commitment (OC) [5]. Commitment, therefore, means employees do not only stay in the organization for a longer time but also give their best efforts and loyalty to the organization [6]. When employee motivation (compensation) is reflected in their response to the job and several aspects in their job, it may affect their satisfaction [5], redundancy and OC may then cover wider value, including the reflection of employees' affective responses to their organisation [7]. Employee performance is generally examined in terms of outputs [5]. JS and OC are important job-related attitudes and well researched in various work environments and from different perspectives [1]. According to Yamaguchi [8], commitment from employees is based on their willingness, trustworthiness, and intention to stay in the organisation to maintain the relationship with the employer. The dissatisfaction of employees creates a low level of commitment and a high level of turnover intention [2]. The OC concept comprises three main components: Affective Commitment-AC (the passionate supplement, with the company values, goals, mission and vision aligned to those of the employee); Continuance-CC (indicates employee affection, with the company grounded on the perception of cost and value), and Normative Commitment-NC (the logic of responsibility and accountability to endure service in the company) [9]. An affective commitment is focused on employee loyalty to their work, managers, or supervisors, as well as thinking and reacting positively towards their organization, regardless the situation [10]. The authors further state continuance commitment is when employees want to endure with their present organisation, because they might incur some legal costs in moving to another organisation or because of an employee not finding marginal opportunities. Jeruto [11] explains normative commitment denotes employee observations of the organization, their loyalties and commitment towards their job and the organisation. Employees with a high commitment to the organisation are willing to perform more in the organisation to reach their goals [12]. In addition, employees can develop a greater sense of moral obligation to continue contributing to the best of their abilities and have a high level of passive continuance and normative commitment [13]. 2.1. Organisational Commitment (OC) According to Halimsetiono [2], employees can perform efficiently and effectively through OC, as well as achieving the organisation’s goals. Buitendach and De Witte [9] maintain this is due to employees who feel connected to the organisation, as they become dedicated and productive in their work. The level of OC is strongly perceived as a predictor of employee satisfaction, engagement, performance, and distribution of leadership abilities [7]. When employees have a strong sense of commitment to the organisation (OC), they relate to the vision and goals of the organization and are willing to give their all to the organization [14]. This is since they feel respected and compensated enough for their effort. Jansen and Andersen [15] describe OC as a point of employees become attached to their organisation, with the intention to remain. Falkenburg and Schyns [7] maintain when employees are attached to their organization, they associate with its values and goals and are willing to put in extra effort on its behalf. Individuals consider the extent to which their own values and goals relate to that of the organisation as part of OC, hence, it is the connection between employees and their organization [14]. The importance of commitment arises from the fact that it plays a major role to organisations in relation to retaining more staff as well as increasing achievement, effective services, productivity, and effectiveness [16]. 2.2. Impact of Lack of Organisational Commitment (OC) Organisational employees are often viewed as the main factor differentiating successful and unsuccessful organisations and one strategy to exploit this, is to build employees’ OC [2]. Employees who are committed to the organisation “show positive behaviour, determination and are motivated” [3]. In most cases, less committed employees are mostly absent from work [14]. 6868 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Organisations experience major challenges in terms of their effectiveness, which ranges from retrenchment, restructuring or re-engineering, to a range of information and an increasing diversity with regard to employees [17]. One of the techniques managers in organisations can use to examine employee perceptions regarding the goals of the organization, their loyalty and linking them to their organisation, is through the OC [14]. A study by Wills [18] in America indicated government departments easily lose skilled, talented, and qualified employees. 2.2.1. Affective Commitment Affective commitment is defined as the core of OC, as it has significant impact for both practitioners and researchers [4]. Recent focus in numerous studies has been on engagement and commitment, specifically the aspect of emotional well-being when explaining EC to organizations [19]. Basically, regarded as the emotional connection between an employee and the organisation, Jansen and Andersen [15] support affective commitment is the extent to which an employee is psychologically attached to their organisation, by means of feelings such as affection, warmth, belongingness, and pleasure, as well as fondness. Employees with a high level of affective commitment enjoy their relationship with their organisations and have many opportunities of permanently staying until retirement when they go on pension [24]. A study by Jeruto [11] shows employees stay long in government departments, since they have invested too much of their time and effort on the organisation [29] and, therefore, deserve to be compensated sufficient pension for the length of service. However, securing employee affection and demonstrated commitment is a growing concern within organisational developments, as well as human resource development (HRD) and practices [19]. Several factors influence employees’ affective commitment, with [20], who discovered public servants within the DOE are affectively connected with the department, because they feel their jobs are secure. Furthermore, Wills [18] explains these DoE employees will have enough pension when they retire at age 60 years and are content with their benefits such as performance bonuses, housing allowances and medical aid. 2.2.2. Continuance Commitment When in a state of continuance commitment, employees weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of leaving the DOE as their employer [21]. In this state, they normally feel a need to stay within the organisation, because the cost of leaving is more than the benefit they might gain when employed in new positions [18]. The severity of the costs of leaving often increase when employees are aging and experienced [21]. Public servants mostly experience these as they are in a stable and established organization, with some employees having successful roles and others numerous promotions [18]. 2.3. Influence of Job Satisfaction on Employee Loyalty (EL). JS and EL indicate the primary challenges managers deal with daily when having to manage their employees [1]. Employees are significant resources and assets of organisations, particularly as they represent an investment made through placement, recruiting, training, and salaries, along with healthcare plans (medical aid) and compensation [2]. A definition of EL focuses on the psychological attachment, or OC, which develops due to increased JS [22]. The concept of JS develops out of a process of internal evaluation, whereby when employee expectation levels are met or exceeded, his or her satisfaction increases [1]. The loyalty of employees then emerges into a comprehensive emotional attitude towards their organisation [16]. Therefore, the more employees are satisfied with their working environment, the more likely it is they would develop an attitude of commitment towards their organisation [9]. 2.4. Employee Loyalty (EL) EL can be best described in terms of a process where certain attitudes give rise to certain behaviours (intended or actual) [21]. Loyalty seems a quality becoming increasingly harder to find, whether it is EL to a company or consumer loyalty to a product [20]. The sooner companies can face that they have 6869 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate to do more to earn EL, the better they will be at recruiting and retaining the best and the brightest [22]. Studies show that corporate and shareholder return on investment (ROI) is, moreover, directly related to employee retention rates [4]. Happy employees’ equal happy returns, with Shahid and Azhar [3] asserting most organizations strive to obtain high EL. Not only because of the morals of it, but also because high levels of EL have been proven in many studies to increase operational performance (Department of Public Service and Administration [24]. Furthermore, there seem to be some differences regarding EL between groups with different levels of working experience, which is why the current study recommends organisations be responsive to its employee needs and adapt their management to all employees [21]. It is not only essential to find the person with the right competence, but also to find someone who is loyal to the organisation, because should the employee not stay loyal to the organisation, it will create a need to repeat the hiring process again [25]. Furthermore, should an employee be disloyal towards the organisation, many other costs can come with it, such as the loss of revenue or legal costs, depending on the behaviour of that employee [26]. For the organisations to limit the possibility of disloyal employees, the first step is to understand EL, and the impact employee loyalty levels have [4]. As Stats SA [25] highlighted, there has been a 7.4 percent decline of public servants within various departments since 2012, where most are from the DoE. For employers, this sharp decline in EL represents a significant cost in resources as replacements are hired and trained [21]. In combination with the impact high turnover has on employee morale and overall productivity, these costs are undoubtedly a major reason why more than 66 percent of departments report retention is a major concern [25]. Various explanations are offered to explain the decline in EL [20], where some decline is likely due to employees quitting for higher pay after years of slow wage growth, while further decline may be explained by a fundamental shift in the relationship between employers and employees. However, the impact results in an extra workload for the remaining staff members, whose impacted performance affects organizational effectiveness [21]. 2.5. Implications of Disloyalty It is of prime importance that employees are loyal to the organisation and do not actively search for other, alternative opportunities [20]. Loyalty, as a general term, can be defined as a person's devotion or sentiment of attachment to a particular object, which may be another person or a group of persons, an ideal, a duty, or a cause. Loyalty as “a social psychological phenomenon, deeply embedded in human and organizational behaviour is tentatively understood as faithfulness or devotion to an individual, a team, or an organisation in the case of individual incentives to defect or to desert” [4]. Loyalty or disloyalty is of relevance and often debated, for instance, regarding sports teams, military services, political parties, and faculties, or employers at large [22]. For a number of reasons, loyalty is also of interest to management practitioners and scholars. On the one hand, EL is expected by supervisors and organisations in return for inducements delivered [24]. Considering its importance for leaders and organisations, the concept of EL has been addressed in various conceptualisations by many researchers from different disciplines, including management [4]. Employee loyalty to the organisation, the emotional investment and continuous commitment to the organization, are the primary factors that determine the duration of stay and employee performance in organisations [12]. In addition, when the employee does not stay loyal to the organisation, it will create a need to repeat the hiring process [21]. Furthermore, should an employee be disloyal to the organisation, many other associated costs could be incurred, contingent on the behaviour of that employee, such as revenue loss or legal costs [27]. 3. Research Methodology 3.1. Research Design The study used mixed methods approach for data collection and analysis, with data collection comprising of questionnaires and interview surveys. A sample of 300, (5) out-of-service employees, in- 6870 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate service managers (10), and (285) office-based employees were drawn from a population of 6000 employees in the DoE office, in the eThekwini region. Purposive sampling was used to select participants for an interview, while random sampling was used to select participants for the administration of questionnaires. Quantitative data generated were analysed through SPSS 28.0 software, and content approach for qualitative data analysis. 3.2. Target Population The population is defined by Wilson [28] as a group of research subjects being sampled. Among the population in a demarcated rea, there is a target population in this study [29]. The target population for this study comprised 6000 office-based personnel in the DoE in Umlazi and Pinetown districts, in the KZN eThekwini region. The offices within the district have been divided according to the DBE [30] into: Finance, Human Resources (HR), Registry, and School Safety as well as Teacher Education Support Services, Library and Supply Chain, Transport and Examination office. The (6000) employees within the district are office-based employees between level 3 to 11. 3.3. Sampling Technique and Size Probability sampling remains the main method applicable for selecting a large and representable sample in social research [31] and was used to randomly select participants in this paper. Random sampling provides every potential participant with fair and equal chance of being selected for the study from the target population [32]. 3.4. Data Collection and Measuring Instruments Data can be obtained or collected through observation, interviews, or questionnaire [33]. An interview demands the presence of the researcher, whereas questionnaires are self-administered [28]. For this paper a closed-ended and structured questionnaire was designed for the collection of information from respondents, as it is less challenging to analyse [34]. The questionnaire was designed in a way that is subject-sensitive and well-structured [35]. Maree et al. [34] further state that it is imperative the meaning of words utilised on the questionnaire are the same for all people responding and must be confirmed through a pilot study. Different kinds of measuring scales are used in the process of result collection and recording, “with this type of data gathered determining the type of scale to use for statistical measurement. By understanding the scale of measurement for their data, data scientists can determine the kind of statistical test to perform [36]. Scaling denotes the assignment of objects/units of study to numbers according to a rule. The four measurement scales are nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio, with all focused on the quantity of information on the data collected [34]. The questionnaire included closed-ended questions. For this study, the questionnaire predominantly consisted of structured, closed-ended questions, with responses based on a 5- point Likert scale. The questions were structured to focus on a specific area of the study, to generate accurate data that would facilitate statistical analysis. The structured, closed-ended questions allowed the respondents to choose from 1 to 5, where 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=neither agree or disagree, 4= agree and 5=strongly agree [37]. 3.5. Reliability It is imperative the data, once collected for the study are examined for reliability and validity. Bell [38], with various tests and scales applicable to ensure reliability. Pilot or pre-test of the study must be determined through administration of the questionnaire to similar respondents not participating in the main study [34]. 3.6. Validity Validity is a process of testing how the instrument that is established measured the concept it is supposed to measure [39]. This is assessed considering the research design and measurement instrument. It confirms whether an instrument used is measuring what it supposed to measure to reach 6871 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate the intended conclusion of the study undertaken [38]. The questionnaire for this study is deemed valid by verifying through the study pilot. 3.7. Quantitative Analysis Data were analysed through application of SPSS version 28.0 for Windows [40]. This includes descriptive analysis/ statistics to summarise information regarding the data, such as the number of employees who are female or their average. 3.7.1. Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics are used to summarise data in a more compact way in the form of tables, graphs or charts [41]. This includes frequency distribution, percentage frequency and measures of central tendency as well as mean, mode and median [40]. 3.8. Qualitative Analysis During analysis of qualitative data, the researcher uses thematic analysis for information collected from interviews, ` while determining the presence of certain words, themes and concepts, which is meaningful for qualitative data analysis [41]. 4. Data presentation and Analysis The information acquired was captured using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 28.0). Data captured were twice verified for possible errors. The results were demonstrated through the use of graphs and texts, and for qualitative approach, thematic content analysis was used for information collected from interviews. 4.1. Profile of Participants 4.1.1. Gender Figure 1 illustrates the respondents’ analysis for gender, indicating 171 female respondents and 67 males. The majority of respondents were female (71.8 percent) with participating male employees less than female employees at (28.2 percent) of the population of 238 in the organisation. Figure 1. Profile of participants based on gender. 6872 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate 4.1.2. Race Figure 2, the respondents’ analysis for race, shows Africans as the highest race group represented with 153 respondents (64.3 percent), followed by respondents who are Indian with 48 responses (20.2 percent and respondents’ indicating their race as Coloured, with 37 respondents’ (15.5 percent). It shows that the organisation is mostly dominated by Africans followed by Indians in terms of race, with the minority found to be Coloureds. There were no White participants. Figure 2. Profile of participants based on race. 4.1.3. Education Level All 238 respondents participated in relation to their educational level. The educational level of participants’ ranges from ABET to degree level. Most employees are found to have attained matriculation (79.4 percent) which shows 189 employees in the organisation hold a matric. The number seems to be very high within the organisation. This may be from previous minimum requirement for employment which required matric (grade 12) entry level. This followed by employees who attained a diploma qualification (10.9 percent), which compromised of 26 employees. ABET qualification made up the next category (7.1 percent), which is 17 employees. A further employee has degrees (2.1 percent) and one employee who has a masters’ degree (0.4 percent). The responses indicate most jobs performed in the organisation does not require the highest qualification as the majority employees have matric. 6873 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Figure 3. Profile of participants based on educational level. 4.1.4. Experience Figure 4 shows that most of the experience found within the organisation is with employees who have worked between 10-15 years. These employees’ number 91 (38.2 percent). The second highest category comprises employees who have worked for the organisation between 16-20 years, who number 77 (32.4 percent), followed by 34 employees who have worked 21-25 years (14.3 percent), the next category is made up of 5 employees with 26-30 years (2.1 percent). This is followed by 11 employees who have 4-9 years working experience (4.6 percent) and last employees who have been working for 3 and more years. These employees are found to be the very least in number. 6874 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Figure 4. Profile of participants based on experience. 4.2. Responses on Employee Job Satisfaction (EJS) 4.2.1. Statement 1: The Organisation Makes Me Feel Like an Important Member of the Workforce. Most respondents (42.9 percent), as shown in figure 5, disagreed that the organisation made them feel important as members of the workforce while 29 percent strongly disagreed, and, 20.6 percent were unsure; whereas 5.5 percent agreed and only 2.1 percent strongly agreed. The findings indicate that there was no sense of belonging in relation to the organisation and employees. 6875 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Figure 5. Feeling important. 4.2.2. Statement 2: The Organisation Provides Me with Opportunities for Added Responsibility Only 6.3 percent of respondents agreed that their organisation provided opportunities for added responsibility, 51.3 percent disagreed, 24.8 percent strongly disagreed, 15.5 percent were unsure and only 2.1 percent who strongly agreed. Thus, a majority of respondents indicated that the organization did not provide them with opportunities for added responsibility. Figure 6. Opportunities for added responsibility. 6876 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate 4.2.3. Statement 3: My Current Role Challenges Me As shown in Figure 7, 45.9 percent disagreed that their current roles challenged them. A further 15.1 percent of respondents were unsure, 10.5 percent agreed, 5.9 percent strongly agreed, and one respondent did not answer this question, which represents four percent of respondents. The finding indicates that a majority of the employees perceived that their current role was not challenging. Figure 7. Challenging roles. 4.2.4. Statement 4: I Am Happy and Satisfied with My Organisation and My Current Role. Figure 18.4 (d) Most respondents’ 47.5 percent disagreed they are happy and satisfied with their organisation. Furthermore, strong disagreement was indicated by 26.1 percent strongly disagreed, 16.8 were unsure, 7.6 percent agreed, and 2.1 percent strongly agreed with the statement. The response showed that employees of the organization dissatisfied with the organization and their roles. 6877 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Figure 8. Satisfaction with current role. 4.3. Qualitative Analysis and Discussion Interviews were conducted with two different groups; 7 managers of the department and 4 out-of- service employees. 4.3.1. Employee Job Satisfaction Of the seven managers, five indicated they we dissatisfied with their jobs. One respondent out of the five, indicated that most employees were merely working to get paid. The other two respondents indicated that they were under the impression that employees were satisfied with their jobs, although they were not certain. MSO, “I can say, most of them are not satisfied with their jobs. At this stage, I can confidently say, some of our employees or most of them are not satisfied with their jobs”. Another respondent, MC said, “I suppose not exactly.” XU said, “They are not 100% satisfied with their jobs, employees are just working because of salary.” According to NAD, “For those who are satisfied with their jobs, it will be things like fringe benefits and job security. But there is no room for upward mobility.” Two managers disagreed regarding employee’s dissatisfaction with their jobs. TB responded, “My understanding is that they are satisfied but I cannot speak on their behalf.” HD shared the same opinion, saying, “I would like to think so, although, it is not easy to outright say so”. In connection with how job satisfaction relates to employee loyalty and organisational commitment, it is important to consider the responses of participants in relation to out-of-service employees. According to Mba and Ikemefuna [42], employees who lack loyalty towards the organisation can easily leave the organisation. Therefore, the findings in this question indicates that employees in the Department of Education are not satisfied with their jobs. A lack of job satisfaction impacts on employee loyalty as well as organisational commitment. Five managers attested to the statement that employees were not satisfied with their job. Two managers were not sure if employees were satisfied with their jobs or not, On the question regarding regrets of leaving the former employer, some of the out-of-service employees, the responses of the participants were unanimous. MSO said, “My exit from the department was a carefully-planned decision. I felt that I have had it enough. Therefore, I have no regrets leaving at the time”. Similarly, MC said, “I have no regrets at all. I decided it was time for me to quit the job. My 6878 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate leaving was voluntary because I could no longer cope with the environment”. The other participants responded in a similar manner. Even though they left their jobs before their statutory retirement age, they all agreed that they had no regrets doing so. This shows that they left their employment because of a lack of job satisfaction and organisational commitment, a development that weakened their loyalty to the department. 4.3.2. Organisation Assurance on Employee Loyalty The respondents were of different views on organisation assurance on employee loyalty. The participants indicated that the organization ensure employee job satisfaction with salaries and other incentives. Loyalty is the most important element of employee commitment and job satisfaction. MSO said, “The organization keeps us motivated only in salaries and emoluments. I will mention long service awards and 1.5% pay progression based on performance assessment and bonuses. Other than these, there were no other motivation to keep employees on the job”. MC expressed a similar view, saying, “The department only offers incentives to keep us in the job”. Also, NMA said, “The department compensates everyone for the work they have done”. However, TB said that the department had policies in different forms to regulate the behaviour of employees. According to HD, there was no departmental policies to enforce loyalty. “Loyalty is on personal basis, there are no departmental policies or tools in place” (HD). NAD expressed a similar sentiment, saying, “Loyalty cannot be ensured because it depends on each employee”. According to XU, “Everyone should loyal, because everyone is contractual and is obliged and appointed as per department’s contract of employment.” The finding is an indication that the department lacks legislative frameworks or policy thrust to ensure employee loyalty. Both the in-service and out-of-service managers agreed that the incentives for employee loyalty was non-existence in the of the Department of Education. The out-of-service employees hinted that the working environment did not encourage loyalty to the department. According to MJ, “the work environment in the department was stressful. We are confronted with situations that stress employees every day”. MC expressed the same sentiment saying, “there was nothing more we get in the department other than stress every day. We worked in a toxic environment with no motivation for loyalty”. In addition to the stress factor, MSO said that the department did not accord proper recognition to qualification of employees. “For more than seven years, those of us with additional qualifications were not accorded the requisite recognition. This was demotivating.” Expressing a similar sentiment, HTS said, “The department did not recognize our qualifications and there was a lack of support from the management to accord us our due recognition based on our qualifications“. These findings corroborated the views of the managers who were still working in the department. This mean that the department has an entrenched culture and practice that demotivate employees. The consequence is lack of loyalty to the core values and objectives of the department. The employees had stunted career growth because of the lack of due recognition of their qualifications. Thus, most of them had to quit the department for better opportunities. 5. Discussion of Findings The majority of respondents were female at (71.8 percent) and male respondents at (28.2 percent). Based on race the highest group were Africans (64.3 percent), Indian with (20.2 percent followed by Coloured at (15.5 percent). It was discovered that most employees are found to have attained matriculation (79.4 percent), followed by (10.9 percent) with a diploma qualification, ABET qualification (7.1 percent), followed by (2.1 percent) with degrees and (0.1 percent) with Masters’ degree. Employees of the department felt they were not important asset to the organisation. There is a lack of organisational commitment. According to Mafini and Dlodlo [43], when employees are not engaged in making decisions, they become unsupportive of anything happening in the organisation. A further (45.8 percent) of respondents disagreed that their roles challenge them. There is a high rate of employees in the DoE Umlazi and Pinetown district, who lack job satisfaction (JS) 45.8 percent which is the majority of employees who disagreed that their roles challenge them. There is a high rate of 6879 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate employees who lack motivation and job satisfaction. (47,5 percent) of respondents further disagreed that they are happy and satisfied with the organisation and their current roles. The out-of-service employees indicated that they have no regrets for leaving their previous employer. Due to lack of job satisfaction (JS), organisational commitment (OC) and loyalty. They left services to another employer. (Five) managers indicated that employees are not satisfied with their jobs for various reasons. This has impact on employee loyalty and organisational commitment. Managers further indicated that there are no measures, policies, or procedures to ensure employee loyalty. They further indicated that it is on personal basis. 6. Recommendations Managers of Umlazi and Pinetown district can do better to meet employees’ needs, by understanding the concepts of job satisfaction (JS), organisational commitment (OC) and Employee Loyalty (EL). This can be done by designing strategies and procedures on internal job rotation, improvements on career development as well as employee involvement in decision-making that affects them. This can be done by designing and distributing problem surveys, and employee views on job satisfaction, employee loyalty and on employee commitment. This study utilised mixed methods, it is recommended that further research be conducted on qualitative research method. Further research study is recommended on impact of job satisfaction on organisational commitment. The study further recommends strategies that can be implemented to improve level of employee job satisfaction, employee loyalty, and commitment to the organisation to retain employees for the benefit of the organisations. Further study can be conducted to other government departments or private sector as a qualitative case study. Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). References [1] [1] M. J. Maleka, T. B. Skosana and J. P. Lekgothoana, “Work satisfaction of municipality employees while performing duties under limited financial resources”, Public Municipal Finance, 5(3), pp 39-46, 2016. [2] [2] E. Halimsetiono, “Increased organizational commitment to reduce employee turnover”. Kesmas J Kesehat Masy Nas (National Public Heal Journal), 8(8), 339-350, 2014. [3] [3] A. Shahid and S. M. Azhar, “Gaining Employee Commitment”. Benchmarking: An International Journal of Management Research, 5(1), pp 250-268, 2013. [4] [4] F. D. Mabasa and H. Ngirande, “Perceived organisational support influences on job satisfaction and organisational commitment among junior academic staff members”, Journal of Psychology in Africa, 25(4), pp 364-365, 2015. [5] [5]. J. Cohen, 2012. “Measuring and improving school climate: A prosocial strategy that recognizes, educate and support the whole school community”, in P.M. Brown, N.W. Corrigian and A. Higgins-D’Alessandro (eds), The Handbook of Prosocial Education, New York: Rowlan and Littlefield, 2012. [6] [6] I. G. Riana and W. Pradnyantha. “The use of Cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instrument in science education”, Research in Science Education, 48, pp 1273-1296, 2016. [7] [7] K. Falkenburg and B. Schyns, “Work satisfaction, organizational commitment and withdrawal behaviours”, Management Research News, 30(10), pp. 708-723, doi: 10.1108/01409170710823430, 2007. [8] [8] I. Yamaguchi, “A Japan–US cross-cultural study of relationships among team autonomy, organizational social capital, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment”, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 37(1), 58-71, 2013. [9] [9] J. H. Buitendach and H. De Witte, “Job insecurity, extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction and effective organisational commitment of maintenance workers in a parastatal”, South African Journal of Business Management, 36(2):27-36, 2015. [10] [10] H. A. Alvi, M. Hanif, M. S. Adil, R. R. Ahmed, and J. Vveinhardt, “Impact of organizational culture on organizational commitment and job satisfaction”. European journal of Business and Management, 6(27), 30-39, (2014). [11] [11] K. D. Jeruto, “Organisational commitment and job satisfaction in educational institutions: the Kenyan case”. A PhD Thesis, Middlesex University, London, 2014. [12] [12] N. Ahmad, N. Iqbal, K. Javeed, N. and Hamad, “Impact of Organizational Commitment and Employee Performance on the Employee Satisfaction”, International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Education Research, 1(1), pp 84-89, 2014. Available: https://www.ijter.org.index.php/ijter/article/download/8/12. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://www.ijter.org.index.php/ijter/article/download/8/12 6880 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 8, No. 6: 6866-6880, 2024 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3486 © 2024 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate [13] [13] G. Tumwesigye, “The relationship between perceived organisational support and turnover intentions in a developing country, the mediating role of organisational commitment”, African Journal of Business Management, 4(6):942-952, 2010. [14] [14] A. Singh and B. Gupta, “Job involvement, Organizational Commitment, Professional Commitment and Team Commitment”, Benchmarking: An International Journal of Management Research 22(6): 1192-1211, 2015. [15] [15] U. T. Jansen and L. B. Andersen, “Public Service Motivation, User Orientation, and Prescription Behaviour: Doing Good for Society or for the individual user”? Public Administration, 93(3): 753-768, 2015. [16] [16] P. K. Triegaardt and J. P. Hugo, “The Supportive Role of School Management on the Satisfaction of Male Teachers in a South African School District. Journal of Social Science Research, 15, pp 139-156, 2020. [17] [17] B. S. Kuipers, W. Kickert, and J. Van der Voet, J. “The Management of Change in Public Organizations: A literature review”, Public administration, 92(1), 1-20, 2013. https://doi/10.111/padm.12040. [18] [18] L. B. Wills, 2013. “The relationship between Organizational Commitment and Work Effectiveness among Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives”, An unpublished PhD dissertation, North Central University, Prescott Valley, 2013. [19] [19] Z. A. Mercurio, “Affective commitment as a core essence of organizational: An integrative literature review. Human Resource Development Review, 14(4), pp 389-414, 2015. [20] [20] E. McLaggan, A. Bezuidenhout and C. T. Botha, “Leadership style and organizational commitment. An Integrative Literature Review”. SA Journal of Human Resource Management 11(1), Art. #483, 9 pages 2013. [21] [21] H. J. Bernadin, 2017. Human resource Management: An Exponential approach. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2017. [22] [22] R. Rajput, M. Singhal and S. Tiwari, “Job satisfaction and employee loyalty: A Study of Academicians”, Asian Journal of Management, 7(2): 25-32, 2016. [23] [23] M. Kotze and I. Venter, I., “Perceptions of leadership effectiveness in the public sector: an empirical study”, Journal of Public Administration, 45(3): 413-435, 2020. [24] [24] Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), “Employee Performance Management and Development System”, 2020. Available: http://www.dpsa.gov.za/dpsa2g/documents/ep/2020/EPMDS.pdf. [25] [25] Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), “Annual Report. Education Series Volume III Educational Enrolment and Achievement”, 2020, Available: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/Report%2092-01-03/Report%2092- 01032016.pdf. [26] [26] L. Ludviga, I. Sennikova and A. Kalvina, “Turnover of public sector employees and the mediating role of job satisfaction. An empirical study in Latvia”, Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference, 4, pp 364-378, 2016. [27] [27] E. S. Fuller, M. D. Young and B. Bakker, “Examining the impact of school leaders and their preparation on teacher quality and student achievement”, Educational Administration Quarterly, 47: 13-216, 2011. [28] [28] J. Wilson, Essential of Business Research. A guide to doing research project, London: Sage Publications Ltd, 2010. [29] [29] J. Wild and C. Diggines, Marketing Research. Cape Town: Juta and Company, 2009. [30] [30] Department of Basic Education, “2019-2020. Annual Report: Annual turnover rates by salary band for the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020”, 2021, Available: https://www.gov.za/siyes/defaults/files/gcis- documents/2020/12/basic-education: [31] [31] E. Babbie, The Practice of social research (International Edition). Andover: Cengage Learning, 2013. [32] [32] J. N. Cresswell and J. D. Cresswell, Research Design. Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Approach. Los Angeles: Sage, 2018. [33] [33] C. Betram and I. Christiansen, Understanding Research. An introduction to reading research, Hatfield, Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers, 2014. [34] [34] K. Maree and J. Pietersen, First Steps in Research. 2nd edition. Pretoria, Van Schaik Publishers, 2016. [35] [35] J. Mofokeng, “An examination of factors influencing investigating officers' retention in the South African Police Service”, Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology, 2015(sed-5), 34-51, 2015. [36] [36] University of South Wales (UNSW) 2023. Types of Data & the Scales of measurement: Available. https://studyonline.unsw.edu/au/types-of-data [37] [37] A. E. Kelly and R. A. Lesh, Handbook of research design in mathematics and science education: Routledge, 2012. [38] [38] J. Bell and S. Walters, Doing your research project. A guide for the First-time researchers. Berkshire, England: McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. [39] [39] U. Sekaran and R. Bougie, Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach: 5th ed. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Son Ltd, 2011. [40] [40] H. E. Fischer, W. J. Boone, and K. Neumann, “Quantitative research designs and approaches”, In Handbook of research on science education (pp. 28-59). Routledge, 2023. [41] [40] V. Braun and V. Clarke, “Teaching thematic analysis. Overcoming challenges and develop strategies for effective learning”, The Psychologist, 26(2), pp 120-123, 2013. [42] [42] S. E. Mba and C. O. Ikemefuna, “Job satisfaction and employee turnover intentions in total Nigeria PLC in Lagos State”, International Journal Human Social Sciences, 2 (4), pp 1-23, 2012 [43] [43] C. Mafini. and N. Dlodlo, “The relationship between extrinsic motivation job satisfaction and life satisfaction amongst employees in a public organization”, SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 40 (1): 113, 2014. https://doi/10.111/padm.12040 https://www.gov.za/siyes/defaults/files/gcis-documents/2020/12/basic-education https://www.gov.za/siyes/defaults/files/gcis-documents/2020/12/basic-education https://studyonline.unsw.edu/au/types-of-data