The Relationship Between Employee Engagement and Organisational Productivity of Sugar Industry in South Africa : The Employees' Perspective

The sugar industry in South Africa is marred by a low level of employee engagement and productivity. There is no conclusive evidence linking the level of employee engagement to productivity, however, low levels of engagement have been suggested as a factor that causes low level of productivity. This article evaluates factors affecting employee engagement and its relationship to productivity. A quantitative research method (with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis techniques) was utilised at 73 sugar factory employees in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The findings indicated that the sugar manufacturer in this study had relatively engaged employees. The main factors affecting their engagement were the personal feelings of employees, their work environment, communication, the leadership style, and their commitment. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between employee engagement and their productivity. If the manufacturer wants improvement in productivity, there needs to be improvement in employee engagement through the enhancement of their job satisfaction and instilling a sense of pride in the organisation. The leadership of the organisation could achieve this by devising a Human Resource (HR) strategy that encourages employee communication, interaction with the management and improving their workplace environments.