An investigation into citizen aggression on municipality employee’s prosocial and proactive work behaviour: a case study of a KwaZulu-Natal Municipality
ENGLISH VERSION Local government officials are responsible for making municipalities the most visible levels of government. However, if planned services are not delivered, municipal employees can become targets of citizen aggression due to their proximity to the angry public and their association with public service challenges. Given this close relationship between local government employees and the community, it became necessary to examine the connections between external workplace aggression initiated by the public and employee behaviour. Despite the existing literature, there is a gap in understanding how community aggression originating from public anger with municipalities affected municipal officials. This research focused on the extent to which external workplace aggression influences prosocial and proactive behaviour of Mtubatuba Municipality employees. The study used social exchange theory as its theoretical framework to investigate this because provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the reciprocal relationships between individuals and their environment, particularly in the context of workplace interactions. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed method design, which involves independently collecting and evaluating both quantitative and qualitative data and subsequently comparing and integrating the findings. Given this research approach, pragmatism was deemed suitable philosophical orientation for the study. The study engaged 132 participants through questionnaires and conducted in-depth interviews with five key informants. Quantitative data analysis employed the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), while a content analysis approach was applied to the qualitative data. Rigorous data quality control was upheld to ensure the reliability and validity of the quantitative data collection instrument and the trustworthiness of the qualitative research instrument. Structural equation model (SEM) was used to test research hypotheses regarding the influences of external workplace aggression on prosocial and proactive work behaviour of municipal employees. The research findings reveal that external workplace aggression is a prevalent experience among the participants, encompassing both psychological and physical forms of aggression. Some employees had experienced mild forms of aggression, such as being rudely treated or yelled at. Others reported experiencing more severe forms of aggression, such as being threatened with a weapon or physically assaulted. Notably, external workplace aggression exhibits a negative correlation (-0.342**) with prosocial workplace behaviour, implying that higher levels of external workplace aggression are associated with reduced levels of prosocial work behaviour. Additionally, there is a moderately negative relationship (-0.345**) between proactive work behaviour and external workplace aggression, suggesting that increased levels of external workplace aggression correspond to decreased proactive workplace behaviour. The findings also highlight the absence of mechanisms to support employees when facing external workplace aggression, thus explaining the reason behind the absence of reported external workplace aggression. The study underscores the need for the municipality to take proactive measures to mitigate external workplace aggression. This includes implementing security measures and training employees on effectively handling confrontations with aggressive customers or clients. The study also recommends continued security protection for senior officials who are more likely to encounter external workplace aggression compared to other municipal staff members. It is crucial for the municipality to acknowledge the detrimental impact of external workplace aggression on prosocial and proactive behaviour and establish a reporting mechanism for employees to address encounters with external workplace aggression effectively.
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