Impact of workplace discipline on organisational performance at a selected chemical organisation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abstract

In today’s competitive environment, workplace discipline has been considered an important strategy that influences positively organisational performance. Although workplace discipline has received scholarly interest from both organisational researchers and human resource management practitioners, arguably, there is still a paucity of research on the impact of workplace discipline on organisational performance in KwaZulu-Natal. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of workplace discipline on organisational performance at Sappi Saiccor, Umkomaas. The study adopted descriptive and exploratory research to describe and provide in-depth knowledge about the subject. The mixed methods approach was employed to collect and analyse the quantitative and qualitative data. Stratified and purposive sampling techniques were used to select 291 participants from a population of approximately 1200 Sappi Saiccor, Umkomaas employees in KwaZulu Natal. An online questionnaire and structured interview grid were used to collect the data. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 27.0) was used to analyse the quantitative data while the qualitative data was analysed using NVivo (version 12.0). The quantitative results revealed that there is a strong positive relationship between workplace discipline and organisational performance. Similarly, the qualitative findings affirmed that workplace discipline positively impacted organisational performance at Sappi Saiccor. Additionally, the quantitative and qualitative findings revealed a positive relationship between workplace discipline and employee relationships. Moreover, the quantitative and qualitative results showed a significant relationship between organisational performance and COVID-19. Besides, the results of this quantitative and qualitative study found a positive relationship between workplace discipline and the impact of COVID-19. The scope of the study was limited to the impact of workplace discipline on organisational performance at Sappi Saiccor mill, Umkomaas in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study recommends that employers must be consistent during disciplinary processes and communicate properly the organisational rules and procedures.