Abstract:
ORIENTATION: Calls exist to understand how talent can be managed especially within the public
service.
RESEARCH PURPOSE: The research sought to determine the determinants of employee mental
health accounting for the role of decent work and organisational citizenship behaviours within
the South African public service environment.
MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: Talent management within the public service has become a crucial
focus area. Further, there is a need to explore how such efforts of talent management relate
with the promotion of employee well-being.
RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: A survey approach utilising a convenience sample
was used with the South African public service employees with a sample of 289 respondents.
The location of the study was Bisho, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The
Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for the purpose of analysis with multiple
regression and partial least squares (PLS) also utilised.
MAIN FINDINGS: The results do not show support for the influence of organisational citizenship
behaviour on employee mental health. Further, decent work predicted employee mental
health and also had a full mediation on the relationship between organisational citizenship
behaviours and mental health.
PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: Managers, particularly in the public service, where work
engagement is so intense, should prioritise decent work and organisational citizenship
behaviour when promoting employee mental health. Managers should also take a closer look
at how these two constructs influence talent promotion. A focus on these constructs will not
only nurture talent but will also produce a highly engaged and committed workforce that will
provide the sector with a competitive advantage.
CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: The findings inform an important conversation around addressing
the challenges of employee mental health within the organisation. The theoretical and
practitioner press could potentially benefit from these findings in addressing such a challenge.
