Absenteeism in the organisation is a major problem for many South African organisations and it is a financially crippling factor. It is made worse by the fact that organisations have no proper mechanisms in place to deal with the problem of absenteeism. The goal of the study is to show that the utilisation of an EAP programme will effectively manage and reduce absenteeism for organisations. Use was made of a literature review. Recommendations are made on how to implement and manage EAPs in the organisation in order to reduce absenteeism. / Prof. F. Crous

This research project looks at the perceptions of an Employees Wellness Programme (EWP), at Nissan South Africa (NSA) as expressed by lowest strata employees. In this study lowest strata employees are black males who receive, bin, pick or dispatch parts at the Parts or Accessories (P&A) warehouse. The literature reviewed suggests that a good EWP should offer the following: HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, condom usage and distribution, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and free HIV/AIDS treatment. This qualitative case study shows that lowest strata employees perceive the NSA’s EWP to be an effective programme. This is supported by findings that show the respondents are aware of HIV transmission and prevention measures. However, there is room for improvement in the areas of VCT and HIV/AIDS treatment. The challenge for the workplace is implementation of an EWP because participation in the programme is voluntary. This qualitative case study offers recommendations, which might assist NSA’s EWP to more effectively address the HIV/AIDS-related needs of lowest strata employees. These recommendations are as follows: the VCT programme and education on antiretroviral drugs should be conducted at shorter intervals, partnerships should be formed with local traditional healers and non-profit organisations that are working on HIV/AIDS projects. Also, since this study has focused on one strata of employees, further research is suggested on skilled workers, who in NSA, are mostly white males. Lastly, similar studies could be conducted in workplaces across the motor industry and the manufacturing sector at large. / Professor Anton Senekal Mrs Bronwyn Dworzanowski

Thesis(M.A. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) in South African Police services, within Lephalale Municipality, Waterberg District in Limpopo Province. The study was conducted within seven police stations. The sample comprised of 189 employees some of whom were employed in terms of the SAPS Act No. 63 of 1995 and others who were employed in terms of the Public Service Act No 103 of 1995. The sample was drawn from the population of 398 of employees using systematic random sampling method. The research approach followed in this study was quantitative and data was collected through the administration of questionnaires over a period of (8) eight days. Respondents were requested to give their experiences and understanding of the functioning of the EAP programme, awareness of the programme, satisfaction with the programme and how accessible the programme was to them. A theoretical background on the effectiveness of the Employee Assistance Programme in this study was provided through literature. In the literature, the goals, objectives and intentions of EAP were discussed. The aspects of EAP which are critical for EAP effectiveness were also explored and discussed. These include the benefits of utilising EAP, the rationale for EAP evaluation, the nature of EAP functioning in SAPS and EAP core technologies. The findings of the study are based on the one hundred and eighty nine (189) questionnaires that were returned by respondents. The findings were presented through tables and graphs and also interpreted using words. The study generally found that employees are aware of the existence of EAP within SAPS, though the utilisation rate was very low. However there is a need to improve EAP operation and strategies within SAPS to allow EAP to reach more employees. Based on the findings of the study, conclusions and recommendations were made regarding the improvement of the EAP in SAPS.