The study examined the influence that the psychological contract has on the job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of employees in the South African workplace. It also studied in detail, the effect that psychological contract breach and fulfilment have on the satisfaction of employees with regard to their work, fellow-employee, supervisor, and the as a whole organisation. The data for this study therefore, was collected through perusal of existing scientific articles/papers, published/unpublished dissertations and theses, text books and other relevant informative documents. This makes the study to be premised on theoretical and analytical methodology. This article therefore, reveals the destructive effects that psychological contract breach has on the operation of organisations in South Africa, which are also presented and discussed in detail. The article also reveals the costly effect that employees' job dissatisfaction has on organisations in terms of unplanned employee turnover. For the enhancement of psychological contract fulfilment, this article proposes strategies for organisations to adopt and implement, with an aim of improving employees' job satisfaction in the workplace and ultimately discouraging turover intentions among employees. This study therefore, plays a very important and significant role in terms of contributing to literature and better understanding of psychological contract in general, and the effects that psychological contract has on employees' job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in particular.

This paper aims to report on the outcome of the study that investigated the cause of the ongoing antagonistic employment relationship (ER) in the South African public sector workplace, which has negatively affected employment relations satisfaction (ERS) and psychological contract (PC) fulfilment. This antagonism between management and employees has lowered the levels of employer-employee trust (Sudiarta, 2021), as well as job satisfaction (Silitonga et al., 2020) in the workplace. This study, therefore, explored the type of ER, levels of ERS, and state of PC that is prevalent in the workplace to recommend solutions for the situation. A quantitative research approach was adopted for the study because of its appropriateness for the study’s objectives. Data collection was done by means of a structured questionnaire. The results revealed a prevalence of positive ER in the workplace, a higher level of ERS among employees, a negative state of PC, and a positive inter-relationship among the three variables. This led to the conclusion that although the three variables are positively interrelated, the PC influences both ER and ERS negatively in the workplace. This study contributes to knowledge and literature on ER, ERS and PC pertaining to their nature, interrelationship and collective effect in the workplace.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the primary labour legislation that was promulgated after the democratization of South Africa after 1994. These legislations were introduced as regulatory and corrective measures for workplace relationships in work organizations (Booysen, 2005; Vettori, 2018). The data for this paper was collected through the perusal of scientific journals, newspaper articles, published/unpublished dissertations and theses, textbooks, and other relevant informative documents. The significant and influential role, which these labour legislations played in the development of a new era of employment relations in South Africa, cannot be overstated. The South African perspective of employment relations is also presented and discussed in this paper to reveal its nature and its role-players, such as the state, trade unions, and employers’ organizations (Ehlers & Jordaan, 2016; Smith & Diedericks, 2016). The workplace relationship between employers (through their management) and employees (through their trade unions), and the effects which such an antagonistic relationship has had on the South African labour market are also addressed (Finnemore & Koekemoer, 2018). The main finding of this paper is that there has been an improvement in workplace relationships, since the implementation of the post-1994 labour legislation although such improvement has been gradual.

The Global Competitiveness Report of 2014 rated the South African labour market as the lowest (137th position) out of the 137 countries measured with regard to employment relationship, which included cooperation in labour–employer relations. In the 2018 report, 148 countries were rated, and again South Africa was placed in the last position. The antagonism that continues to characterise employment relationship in the South African workplace in general and the public sector in particular has impacted equally negatively on employment relations satisfaction and the fulfilment of the psychological contract. This article explores the interrelationship between the three variables (employment relationship, employment relations satisfaction and psychological contract), and the effect that each has on workplace relations in general. The study adopted a quantitative research approach and used a survey design. A proportionate stratified random sampling method was used to determine the sample size, and the data were collected through a structured questionnaire. A scientific analysis of the data results revealed that psychological contract was a mediator and that employment relationship was a predictor that had a direct influence on both psychological contract and employment relations satisfaction. Based on the mediation results, the researchers reached the conclusion that employment relationship and employment relations satisfaction were both influenced by psychological contract. Therefore they recommend that, to improve relationships in the South African workplace, management and employees should invest more effort in encouraging a positive employment relationship and the fulfilment of psychological contract obligations.