Employee value proposition as a tool for promoting affective commitment and intention-to-serve among traffic officers

Abstract

Orientation: Traffic officers fulfil a vital role in reducing road accidents and preventing road deaths. The commitment of traffic officers to meeting the expectations of both government and the public in these respects is vital.

Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore how an employee value proposition (EVP) affects commitment and the intention-to-serve among traffic officers – the focus of this study being traffic officers deployed in the province of the Eastern Cape (EC), South Africa.

Motivation for the study: From a human resource or organisational perspective, it is necessary to determine whether an EVP serves the goals of the organisation and meets the expectations of employees, as meeting both goals and expectations has a bearing on organisational success.

Research approach/design and method: The purpose was to establish a link between EVP, affective commitment and intention-to-serve and was designed in a cross-sectional research manner. This study adopted a quantitative approach during which data were collected across the EC province from 376 operational traffic officers from junior to first supervisory level and employed by the EC Department of Transport. STATISTICA version 13 was used for the processing of data.

Main findings: Employee satisfaction with the EVP and affective commitment were unconfirmed. In terms of the two subfactors of intention-to-serve, namely intent-to-perform and intent-to-use-discretion, intent-to-perform obtained the higher scores. The EVP was found to be a predictor of both affective commitment and intention-to-serve.

Practical/managerial implications: The study makes a case for revisiting the EVP offered to traffic officers, and recommendations in this respect are provided.

Contribution/value-add: This study is a prima facie case that focusses on an EVP in the context of traffic officers in South Africa and, specifically, traffic officers in the EC. Also, based on the databases searched, little research was found that focussed on intention-to-serve from the perspective of traffic officers.