Assessing the emotional agility of internal auditors while remote working at eThekwini Municipality.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered many workforce environments driving almost a forceful directive for employees to work from home. Such a shift in workforce dynamics had many ripple effects on private and public sector businesses and employees. The Internal Audit Unit at the eThekwini Municipality had compelled its Leadership to start looking differently at how Internal Audit operates and conducts work as a professional unit within the municipality. Having to work under such conditions affected many aspects within the work environment; hence the department had seen the need to assess its working environment allowing staff to work remotely to ensure it maintained its effectiveness and productivity whilst keeping its employees safe during the various lockdown levels declared by the president of South Africa. This study used a qualitative research method where interview questions were posed to senior managers of the Internal Audit Unit within a local municipality in South Africa to assess the emotional agility factors and how they impacted the workforce during remote working. The dissertation comprises of two important parts, a comprehensive literature review and fieldwork. The target population consisted of 17 members of the Leadership committee of the Internal Audit Unit in the eThekwini Municipality. Interviews had been administered on ten randomly selected senior managers where the results were thematically assessed against two conceptual frameworks. The study results aimed to provide Internal Audit leaders with tools and information needed to understand how to better manage employee engagement, commitment, and development of remote working employees. The findings may be used at other similar organisations in the same industry, i.e., other metros in the country to obtain an understanding of how internal auditors assess employee engagement, commitment, and development during remote working and the decisions taken to ensure optimum productivity. Internal Audits in other public sectors and private sectors have not been included as part of the research as it is assumed that each entity has its own challenges and opportunities. The factors considered in this study can be used as a benchmark for other Internal Audit entities to consider in their employee management and remote working strategy.