The influence of job design on employee job satisfaction at Transnet port terminals

Abstract

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is a critical organisation in South Africa's port sector. The organisation has experienced persistent job satisfaction challenges, resulting in high employee turnover and reduced organisational performance. Without effective job satisfaction strategies, TPT risks losing its competitive advantage and failing to meet its operational objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of job design on job satisfaction at TPT Durban Container Terminal, Pier 2. To achieve this, a quantitative survey design was used. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to 319 employees selected using simple random sampling from a target population of 1 865 employees. Of the distributed questionnaires, 288 were returned, representing a response rate of 90.3%. The results showed that job design has a statistically significant positive relationship with job satisfaction, explaining 46.3% of the variance in job satisfaction. The primary factor associated with job satisfaction was employees perceiving that their job contributes to the overall attainment of company objectives. Effective feedback, utilisation of employee skills, and provision of training and support were also identified as key contributors to job satisfaction. This study contributes new empirical evidence on the influence of job design on job satisfaction in the South African port sector, an area that has received limited scholarly attention. The findings provide TPT management with a practical basis for developing targeted job design interventions. In summary, improving job design at TPT can meaningfully enhance job satisfaction, employee commitment, and organisational performance, making it a strategic priority for human resource management in the port sector.