Sense of coherence and employees’ perceptions of helping and restraining factors in an organisation

The objectives of this study were to assess the construct validity and reliability of the 13-item version of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) and to investigate whether employees with a strong sense of coherence perceived helping and restraining factors in their organisation differently to those with a weak sense of coherence. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The total population (N = 2 678) of employees in a financial institution in Gauteng participated in the study. The OLQ was administered and it showed acceptable reliability and construct validity. Individuals with high scores (n = 300) and those with low scores (n = 300) on sense of coherence differed regarding their perceptions of helping and restraining factors in their work and organisation.