Abstract
Abstract : Rapid changes in the economic, social and technological environment in which organisations operates have resulted in significant changes in the modern workplaces. One such change is the change in the nature and structure of work through introducing flexible employment options. Flexible work schedules are adopted by companies to provide their employees with proper work-life balance and consequently enhance the productivity of employees. However, the effective operation of a flexible work schedule depends on the communication structure within the organisation. The primary aim of this research is to examine the influence of communication satisfaction on the flexible employees’ engagement and propensity to stay in the organisation. To conduct the research a South African organisation that adopts a flexible work schedule for its employees was selected. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was thus selected as the case for this research. A single case mixed methods research was used to examine the influence of communication satisfaction on the flexible employees’ engagement and propensity to stay in the organisation. A total of 38 and 6 flexible employees completed the surveys and interviews respectively. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and the qualitative data was thematically coded. The findings from the study indicate that communication satisfaction among the flexible employees who took part in the research was very low. Furthermore, communication satisfaction has a statistically significant positive impact on social engagement and propensity to stay in the organisation. One major drawback to the generalisability of the findings is the limited sample size used for the research.
M.A. (Communication Studies)