Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Pretoria published a fascinating study on the importance of staff retention in private-sector companies.

The study, “Fostering Organisational Commitment: A Resilience Framework for Private Sector Organisations in South Africa”, published in the journal Frontiers, found that private sector employees in South Africa with a profound emotional attachment to their organisation exhibit a strong sense of belonging and loyalty. This, in turn, influences their behaviour and purpose.

The research, which surveyed 293 professionals, also found that while there is moderate satisfaction with commitment and control, there is room for improvement.

“Employees’ desire for more growth and challenges in their roles can enhance job satisfaction and overall well-being,” the report notes.

“The results further show that positive perceptions of organisational commitment, job embeddedness, and hardiness are the most influential factors in predicting resilience-related behavioural capacities and career adaptability.”

Building an organisational culture that embraces and promotes these aspects is crucial. The talent shortage is a global phenomenon; companies must maintain top-performing individuals to remain competitive.

Muhammad Ali, managing director of South African ISO specialist World Wide Industrial & Systems Engineers (WWISE), says top management is responsible for the quality and effectiveness of organisational culture and must be held accountable if a weak one exists.

As such, they should be meticulous and leave no stone unturned in developing a culture that is both sustainable and appealing to employees.

Ali says the standards developed by the International Organisation of Standardization (ISO), which sets uniform benchmarks for companies and organisations worldwide, are fit for purpose.

“The system and standards benefit everyone in the organisation by creating structure and understanding of roles and responsibilities,” he explains.

“It provides continuous awareness training for staff at all levels, with interested parties such as suppliers becoming a key component in fulfilling the standards to ensure an end-to-end and effective value chain.”

He points out that an excellent working environment should ensure non-discriminatory and non-confrontational approaches, burnout prevention, and physical aspects like suitable office temperature, lighting, hygiene and airflow. 

According to Ali, the most relevant ISO standards for building an effective organisational structure are:

• ISO 10010:2022 Quality management – Guidance to understand, evaluate and improve organisational quality culture;
• SANS 16001: 2020 – Wellness, health, and disease management systems;
• ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management;
• ISO 14001: 2016 Environmental Management; and
• ISO 45001: 2018 Occupational Health & Safety.

Ali says that a standard like SANS 16001:2020 demonstrates an organisation's commitment to employee well-being, enhances its image in terms of social responsibility, and even assists employees in changing their lifestyles.

From the company’s perspective, having healthier employees reduces the costs of medical care and absenteeism at the office. And, of course, productivity and performance improve.

“The benefits of implementing standards for employers and employees are numerous. Standards create a sense of cohesiveness and, at the same time, entrench consequence management strategies. Since the standards also call for internal and external audits, a practical root cause analysis can assist in improving the organisation’s overall performance.

“ISO standards measure the effectiveness of training which determines the value or return on investment for an individual and an organisation.”

While some organisations can see an immediate change in organisational culture through implementing ISO standards, studies show that it takes about three years to see a significant return on investment.