SAPS is currently implementing an EAP. Supervisors are an important link in the EAP process because they are the first persons to identify a troubled employee and to refer the employee to the EAP. Owing to her knowledge of an EAP and her interest in supervisory training, the researcher was asked to assist with the development of a supervisory training programme. The researcher has been employed as a social worker in the SAPS for ten years. In practice it happens that commanders refer troubled employees to the EAP when the commanders do not know what else to do with the troubled employees. At that stage the problems that the employees experience are of such a nature that long-term therapy is needed to attend to them. At times the commanders will act as social workers instead of referring the employee to the EAP. The researcher wanted to establish empirically what the role, knowledge and the attitude of commanders within the SAPS are regarding the EAP. The researcher decided to explore the topic by means of a literature study regarding the EAP in the SAPS and supervisory training and to interview several experts in the EAP in the SAPS and two experts in private organisations. An interview schedule was compiled and tested on one respondent. The information gained from the interview was sufficient and the researcher could go ahead with the data collection. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two percent (2%) of the commanders in area West-Metropole. The researcher interviewed one (1) Senior superintendent, two (2) Superintendents, four (4) Captains and three (3) Inspectors. None of the respondents had previous training in the EAP. A stratified random sample was used to select the respondents. From the information gathered from the respondents, the researcher achieved the objectives of the study and provide answers to the three (3) research questions, namely: • What is the knowledge of SAPS commanders regarding the EAP? • What is the knowledge of SAPS commanders regarding their role within the EAP? • What is the attitude of SAPS commanders towards the EAP? The researcher determined that the respondents had limited knowledge regarding the EAP and the services rendered by the EAP professionals in the SAPS. The respondents all knew that they had to refer the troubled employee to the EAP but some of them first tried to be the social worker before they referred to the EAP. Therefore it is important that the distinctive roles of the commander/supervisor and the EAP are identified. All the respondents felt positive towards the EAP in the SAPS and said that they self would make use of the services of the EAP. Although the researcher could not generalise the findings, sufficient information was provided to make the following valuable recommendations: recommendations regarding the content of a supervisory training programme, the marketing of the services rendered by the EAP in the SAPS and the steps that could be taken to ensure confidence in the EAP. / Dissertation (MSD (Employee Assistance Programme))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Organisational culture is different from the societal culture. However, both cultures share common elements which are values. Any organisation has a culture that is determined by its leadership; nature of business and its operation. However, organisational culture is influenced by its external trends, which are political; environmental; social; technological; legal and economical factors which changes from time to time. These determinants have direct and indirect impact on the organisational culture of the organisation. Organisational culture is powerful influence on organisational behavior of the employees and it has norms that dictate how members of the organisation should behave. Moreover, it has a meaning why members of the organisation should or behave the way they do. There is a greater need of the EAP to understand to organisational culture of the organisation as it has an impact on employees’ wellbeing and the productivity of the organisation. EAP professional should understand the organisational culture and its impact on the members of the organisation should be able to design appropriate interventions to help its members to cope and adapt on the organisational culture. Though organisational cultures differ from one organisation to the other, but organisational culture is essential for the successful operation of the organisation. It is also essential for both successful organisational change and change management; and improving the value of the workforce. The researcher believes that EAP is one of the labour management support system that can be used by organisations to influence the culture of the organisation through its core technologies. These can be proven through the literature review and empirical study testing the degree of the EAP influence on the organisational culture in the National Department of Human Settlements. The premise of this research is based on the exploring the relationship between the EAP and organisational culture as well as the influence of the EAP on the organisational culture in the National Department of Human Settlements. More importantly this study seeks to enquire the EAP and organisational culture and their influence on each other through the following objectives:- <ul> <li> To describe the organisational culture through the literature review;</li> <li> To describe trough he EAP through the literature review;</li> <li> To explore the culture that exists within the National Department of Human Settlements through an empirical study;</li> <li> To explore the relationship and the integration of the EAP on the organisational culture within the National Department of Human Settlements through an empirical study;</li> <li> To formulate conclusion and recommendations regarding the influence of an EAP on the organisational culture of the National Department of Human Settlements; and</li> <li> To develop a guideline to enhance organisational culture through the means of the EAP.</li> </ul> The literature study has shown that EAP has a role on the organisational culture through its core technologies such as: training and development, marketing, case management, consultation with work organisation, networking and monitoring and evaluation. It has been revealed that there is a limited literature the integration of the EAP and the organisational culture. However, through literature review there were common elements between EAP and organisational culture that revealed the relationship between these two concepts. This study has revealed that there is knowledge gap on the integration of the EAP with the organisational culture. On the other hand, it has revealed that there is extensive information regarding organisational culture including its; key features, levels, types, factors contributing towards its formation and its determinants in the organisation. The empirical findings obtained from a sample of employees from the Department of Human Settlements (supervisors, managers and employees) have revealed the core aspect of the study through the quantitative research method. The researcher had applied the quantitative approach, since observations were systematically undertaken in a standardized statistical procedure. Data were presented by means of exact figures gained from precise measurement. This methodology was to explore the degree of the utilization of the EAP in the Department, the type of organisational culture that exist in the Department, the degree of the EAP influence on the organisational culture and the position of the EAP on the organisational culture in the Department. The findings and its analysis revealed that the Department has different organisational cultures and there are dominant cultures as well as the subcultures. They also revealed the degree of the EAP utilization in the Department, the influence of the EAP on different types of organisational culture and the position of the EAP on the organisational culture in the Department. The research conclusions and recommendations served as a basis of developing the guideline to enhance organisational culture through the EAP in the National Department of Human Settlements. These guidelines seek to assist the management of the Department to promote the organisational culture that yields better organisational performance and its productivity, development and empowerment, enhance management support and the entire staff well-being in the Department. “Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator-individuality, power to think and to do…It is the work of true education to develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men’s thought.” (Ellen G. White) “Education is the great engine to personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine; that the child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” (Nelson Mandela). Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The study was mainly to investigate the need for an Employee Assistance Programme at Reamogetswe Secure Care Centre, North West Province. EAP is a worksite programme aimed at assisting troubled employees to improve their work productivity and enhance their social functioning. The investigation was comprised of a literature study about EAP in order to gain an understanding of it. A questionnaire was designed and handed out to employees of the Secure Care Centre to complete. Empirical findings were gathered based on the information from the questionnaires, which were completed and returned by the respondents. The findings in the study suggested that there is a need for implementing an EAP at the Centre to assist with problems affecting employees. The findings suggested that 93.8% of the respondents agree that the Centre should take responsibility for employee’s welfare. The majority of the respondents further indicated that they prefer to have an EAP practitioner always at the Centre. The study also revealed that if employees experience problems be it personal or work related or a combination of both, they need to assist to enhance their social functioning. / Dissertation (MSD (EAP))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The purpose of the research has been to explore perceptions of supervisors regarding their referral role within the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Traditionally supervisors are expected to identify troubled employees and refer them to the EAP. Therefore, the study will help in identifying perceptions on the part of the supervisors and improve knowledge as to how they perceive their referral role within the EAP. The researcher did an exploratory study in this qualitative applied research, since her intention was to gain understanding of the perceptions of supervisors regarding their referral role within the EAP. It is the aim of the qualitative approach to understand the meaning that individuals attach to their everyday lives. The population consisted of 30 EAP client companies of The Careways Group in Gauteng. The researcher interviewed 12 respondents from three client companies, who had 20% or fewer supervisory referrals. The 12 respondents were selected as the sample through non-probability sampling, utilizing a purposive sampling method. Five of the respondents were working for Nashua Mobile, four were working for Computer Share and three were working for New Vaal. The empirical data was gathered by means of a semi-structured interview schedule. A tape recorder was used to record the interviews and put data into transcripts. All respondents signed an informed consent form (Appendix D). An in-depth literature review was conducted about the benefits of an EAP, types of referrals, responsibilities of a supervisor, resistance to utilise the EAP and addressing supervisors’ referral problems. Findings indicate that supervisors need comprehensive training regarding the EAP, which should also be linked with other management trainings. Supervisors believe that they are the key figures in implementing the programme because they work closely with employees, but they are not confident enough to implement the programme due to lack of knowledge. Supervisors indicated that the EAP plays a minimal role as a management tool and there is a need to re-position the programme based on the needs of the organisation. There is a general view that as the needs of the organisations is changing, so should the focus of the EAP. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The study was aimed at exploring the role of the Employee Assistance Programme in addressing the job performance of educators in the Eastern Cape Department of Education as it is affected by both personal and work related challenges. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select schools that had once utilized the EAP and had more than ten educators in their staff establishment. One school was selected from each of the 3 clusters into which the province is divided, with cluster C having two schools chosen because of its size and demographics. A focus group interview method was used to collect the data. According to the findings of this study most educators are frustrated and demoralized due to various challenges they encounter in both their personal and work lives but, what was outstanding was the fact that they were blaming the new political dispensation for the deteriorating culture of teaching and learning. Among the things they mentioned as the source of their frustration were the lack of support by both the government and the parents, lack of learner discipline and commitment, too many curriculum changes, lack of incentives and opportunities for promotion, and lack of resources. It transpired that even though they were faced with so many challenges, they had no coping mechanisms and were not aware of any EAP services available in the department. They all admitted to have been taken to team buildings when they had conflicts in their respective schools and that relationships improved after that, but were not aware that it was a service available from EAP since they were organized by their EDOs. From this study it was clear that EAP was not marketed well enough to the intended beneficiaries hence it was not fully utilized and seemed not to be playing its role in improving job performance of educators in the department. There were no differences in the views shared by participants based on school location but there were more negative emotions on the older participants compared with the younger ones. One challenge that became obvious in the execution of the EAP mandate was the absence of a specific EAP Act. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore firefighters' perceptions of how their working experiences and personal lives positively and negatively influence each other. The purpose of this study was also to understand firefighters' perceptions of the support that is currently available to them and what further support they require, in order to cope with the demands of work and personal relationships. The research was conducted in two research settings and permission was gained to conduct the research from the City of Cape Town's Research Department and the Fire Chief of the Fire and Rescue Department. A qualitative research design was used to conduct this study, and purposive sampling was used to select the sample. A total of twenty, male firefighters were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. A digital recorder was used to ensure that the interviews could be recorded accurately. The interviews were transcribed and analysed following Tesch's (1990) method of data analysis. The findings from this study reflect that the participants' work experiences and personal lives do influence each other. The participants reported that the training and education they received to become a firefighter, their relationship with their colleagues, and shift work had a positive influence on their personal lives. At the same time a number of workplace stressors such as shift work, repeated exposure to trauma, challenging aspects of career advancement and the negative consequences of the rank structure, were identified as negatively influencing their personal lives. Positive factors such as social support including support from family and work as well as religious support help buffer the negative effects of stress experienced by firefighters in their work. Personal and family challenges were seen to have a negative influence on firefighters working experience. Lastly, recommendations were made to various stakeholders including the Fire and Rescue Department as well as the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and Wellness branch. These included the need for online surveys, sports days and informal meetings between management and firefighters. Recommendations to EAP and Wellness branch included 2 continuous marketing of EAP services, pro-active interventions such as stress management and building resilience for firefighters, management training as well as wellness events.

Employee Assistance Programme is a programme designed to assist employees who have a variety of problems affecting their productivity. It is a fact that for the programme to be effective and functional there should be enough referrals to the programme. It is without doubt that supervisors play a pivotal role in the success of the programme. However, this research focuses on explaining and understanding the perception of supervisors within the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) about EAP referrals. DFA is one of the Governmental departments within South Africa. Their core function is implementing the South African Foreign Policy. The mission of DFA is mainly to promote South Africa‘s national interests and values, the African Renaissance and the creation of a better world for all. To alleviate problems and enhance productivity, the Department introduced EAP system, but from statistics received from the EAP centre, it was evident that the utilisation rate is very low. It is unknown whether the low utilisation rate is due to a lack of referrals by supervisors, a lack of knowledge from both the employer and employees, or if the programme was not marketed properly. The researcher utilised a qualitative research approach because she was interested in describing and understanding the perceptions rather than explaining them. She developed a semi-structured interview schedule and the respondents were interviewed and given a chance to comment and widely define issues. It was a one-on-one interview using a semi-structured interview schedule and the respondents were free to expand on the topic. The researcher interviewed and tape recorded the responses of the respondents. The respondents were informed of the rationale for using a tape recorder and were requested to give consent in writing. The research findings revealed that the EAP within the DFA was under-utilised and not effective. Supervisors were passive role players and were not confident of their role as referral agents. The supervisors clearly highlighted that they were not trained as referral agents and were also not aware of different types of referrals. They did not know about the referral procedures and the programme was not property marketed to them. Their main concern was that the programme did not receive enough support from management hence they were not confident of the services rendered by the Programme. The researcher therefore recommended that the Department should review the policy on an ongoing basis to reach all levels of employee within the Department. A training programme to be developed and implemented, focusing on all aspect of the programme, as well as a training manual to be developed and made available to all levels of employees. The researcher further recommended that the EAP, within the DFA, be marketed, visible and accessible, with ongoing utilisation surveys to monitor the utilisation rate on an ongoing basis be conducted. / Dissertation (MSD)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Social Work and Criminology / MSD (EAP) / Unrestricted

The purpose of this research was to examine the perceptions of a selected group of retrenched participants from Ford Motors in Gauteng in the Dipaakanyo Social Plan Programme. An evaluative qualitative study utilizing a triangulation of methods was chosen. The findings revealed that the programme led to an understanding of the economic context, acquisition of new skills, and changes in attitude and behaviours. The challenges were the timing, duration, as well as the language and style of facilitation. Recommendations were that the programme form part of an Employee Assistance Programme, develop comprehensive individual development plans and inclusion of spouses.

Thesis (M.A.) (Social Work) --University of Limpopo, 2007. / An evaluation of Employee Assistance Programme is pivotal in any department or enterprise. An EAP must be evaluated to justify its existence to external authorities, to ascertain the extent to which the programme is fulfilling its objectives and to find ways to improve its performance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the EAP within the Department of Public Works in Vhembe District specifically focusing on the employees’ awareness of the programme, its utilization, as well as programme adequacy. A quantitative approach was used in this study. Eighty six (86) employees from various levels in the Department were selected to participate in the study using a systemic random sampling in which every tenth person from the sampling frame was selected. Summary of the main findings The following is a summary of major findings from the study: 􀂃 The majority of the employees were aware of EAP within the Department of Public Works through meetings. 􀂃 The Employee Assistance Programme within the Department of Public Works was viewed as accessible by the majority of employees. 􀂃 The utilization rate of EAP within the Department of Public Works in Vhembe District was low, since only 29% of employees indicated that they had utilized the services before. 􀂃 The employees who had utilized the EAP were mainly referred by their supervisors while some referred themselves. Only ten percent (10%) of supervisors/managers indicated that they had referred employees to the EAP. The referral rate of employees to the EAP by supervisors/managers was low. 􀂃 EAP was viewed as confidential by the majority of employees within the Department and the level of employees’ trust to the EAP staff was high. v 􀂃 The majority of employees were not aware of the EAP policy and they had never participated in policy formulation. 􀂃 Most employees within the Department indicated that the EAP was addressing their personal problems, and the programme was viewed as useful (programme adequacy). 􀂃 The majority of employees were satisfied with the EAP within the Department of Public Works in Vhembe. 􀂃 Most employees identified a need for EAP staff to inform all employees within the Department about its services and to visit the Cost Centres frequently. / Not available

Thesis (MDev. ) -- University of Limpopo, 2011 / The provision of Employee Assistance Programme in a working environment such as a municipality is very crucial. In order to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of the programme to justify its existence to the outside world and to assess the impact of its fulfilment to its objectives, evaluation is therefore necessary. The aim of this research study was to ascertain the implementation of the EAP at the Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District with special focus on the employees’ awareness of the programme, its utilization and also the programme adequacy. A qualitative approach was used in this study. Forty two (42) employees of various ranks or level’s in the municipality were randomly selected to participate in the study, and they were from all the four main centres of the municipality i.e. Makhado, Waterval, Dzanani and Vuwani. Summary of the Main Findings A high percentage (81%) of the employees knew of the existence of an EAP within the municipality, and meetings appeared to be the main awareness strategy. − The attitudes of employees towards the EAP were positive, this state of affairs points to the usefulness of the EAP service. − The EAP provided by the Municipality was viewed as accessible by the majority of employees. − The utilization rate of the EAP in the Municipality was very low as only 17% of respondents indicated that they had utilized the service before. − The majority of referrals were conducted by supervisors while only 9.1% were self referral. The majority of respondents did not answer the question implying various reason/s and could also mean lack or poor knowledge and information about referrals within the programme. (iv Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province − The majority of employees did not respond to the question on whether they were satisfied with the EAP within the municipality, and that could translate into low knowledge and information about the programme. − The majority of employees were generally happy with the current location of EAP in the municipality. − The majority of employees viewed EAP as confidential and the level of trust in the EAP staff was high. − The majority of employees were not aware of the EAP policy and never participated in its formulation. − The majority of employees felt that EAP services were useful, and this means that provision of proper information might encourage employees to use the service. − Most employees suggested that frequent dissemination of information to employees through meetings, workshops and other regular contact sessions could enhance the EAP in the municipality. Recommendations The following recommendations with regard to the employees’ familiarity with the EAP are important: o That more awareness sessions be conducted with all employees, especially those at regions unit so that adequate information is cascaded to all employees of the municipality. o The awareness sessions should be conducted at least quarterly involving all regions, and the EAP Advisory Committee should meet at least bi-monthly to discuss aspects to improve and enhance EAP services in the municipality. o It is also recommended that additional qualified EAP personnel, with at least minimum qualifications in Social Work and, or Social Psychology, or any relevant (v Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province qualifications and experience in EAP be appointed to run the programme on full-time basis. o That evaluation of the programme implementation should be conducted using the participatory strategies such as suggestion boxes, arranging focus groups and bench-marking with other institutions. The recommendation to allow employees opportunities to submit suggestions, in-puts and give feedback regarding the programme will no doubt assist in the improvement and promotion of the programme. o The Makhado Municipality should utilize different marketing strategies as recommended by EAP literature, such as the following: i. The use of promotional material such as brochures, leaflets, and posters that are user-friendly and in languages understandable by all employees of the municipality. ii. Outreach programmes: The EAP unit needs to regularly visit all the regional offices of the municipality in order to intensify information sharing to employees about the EAP. These can also include decentralising EAP workshops to the periphery offices in order to reach the employees who are far away from the head office in Louis Trichardt. The above-mentioned could serve as effective strategies in promoting and maximising the visibility of the EAP, and may close the gap on information not reaching all employees in the municipality thereby increasing its penetration rate.