Some reasons and possible solutions for employee disengagement in a reinsurance organisation in Gauteng

Abstract

A reinsurance organisation in Gauteng conducted an employee engagement survey in November 2013 to gauge the employee engagement level amongst its employees. The survey revealed that the employee engagement level was at 24% across all the organisational levels. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore whether the employees are still disengaged and describe the current reasons and possible solutions for employee disengagement. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six managers and focus groups with 27 general employees. Data analysis followed Tesch’s eight steps in the coding process. The findings revealed that a lack of management’s experience, styles and skills; poor communication and a lack of a robust performance management system promoted employee disengagement. Recommendations include leadership training for managers; improving communication and reviewing the performance management system.