Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Wellness is the desired optimum level of existence an individual can experience and is conceptualized to be the balance among six dimensions, namely physical, emotional, social, vocational, spiritual and intellectual. An imbalance may be created through various factors that could affect the individual adversely and disturb the balance or wellness aspiring for. This study was prompted by the significant influence of unhealthy behaviours on the South African population and its concomitant effects on the workplace. The wellness of the individual is gaining new interest in times where human beings are plagued by increased levels of stress, disease as well as constant and unpredictable change. Wellness programmes are at the forefront of restoring the balance of the working population and the strive towards excellence presents advantages to both the employer and employee. There appears to be an increase in the emergence of wellness interventions since its initial origin in the mining industry of South Africa. There is, however, a lack of research conducted on these programmes to support the development and future improvement and expansion of this vital intervention. This study aimed to investigate the extent of wellness programmes in South African organisations as well as the sophisticated conceptualization of these programmes within this context. The study further extended to the formulation of a model presenting the system of wellness as well as its practical application. In order to investigate and explore these factors, a research questionnaire was developed and presented to a sample of 58 respondents for completion. The results indicate that there are various sophisticated methods applied in the structure and maintenance of wellness programmes in those organisations with such programmes implemented. A tendency towards appreciating the concept of wellness was further identified among respondents. It was however, also ascertained that specific guidance and information about the field of wellness programmes could be advantageous to the future development and frequency of such interventions in the South African business framework. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: "Wellness" is die begeerde optimum vlak van bestaan wat 'n individu kan ervaar en word voorgehou as die balans tussen ses dimensies naamlik die fisieke, emosionele, sosiale, beroepsgerig, sowel as geestesingesteldheid en intellektualiteit. 'n Wanbelans kan geskep word deur verskillende faktore wat die individu nadelig kan raak en die balans versteur of die "wellness" waarna hy streefbenadeel. Hierdie studie is aangespoor deur die belangrike invloed van ongesonde gedrag op die Suid Afrikaanse bevolking en gepaardgaande invloed by die werkplek. Die "wellness" van die individu wek nuwe belangstelling in tye waar mense se lewens al meer versuur word deur verhoogde stresvlakke, siektes sowel as voortdurende en onvoorspelbare verandering. "Wellness" programme is aan die voorpunt om die balans van die werkende bevolking te herstel en die strewe na perfeksie verteenwoordig 'n tweeledige voordeel vir sowel die wergewer as die wernemer. Dit kom voor asof daar 'n vermeerdering is in die toetrede tot die "wellness" programme se bestaansvlak sedert die aansprong daarvan sy beslag gekry het in die mynwese van Suid Afrika. Daar is egter 'n gebrek aan navorsing wat gedoen is aangaande hierdie programme om die ontwikkeling daarvan te ondersteun asook die toekomstige verbetering en uitbreiding van hierdie lewensbelangrike intervensie in die individu se lewe. Met hierdie studiestuk is daar beoog om die omvang van "wellness" programme in Suid Afrikaanse organisasies te ondersoek sowel as die gesofistikeerde begrip van hierdie programme in konteks te plaas. Die studie is verder verbreed tot die ontwikkeling van 'n model wat die stelsel van "wellness" en sy praktiese toepassing uitbeeld. Om hierdie faktore te ondersoek is 'n navorsingsvraelys ontwikkel en voorgelê aan 58 respondente vir voltooiing. Die resultate dui aan dat daar verskeie gesofistikeerde metodes aangewend word in die samestelling en onderhoud van "wellness" programme in daardie organisasies wat wel sulke programme ingestel het. 'n Tendens is waargeneem dat die konsep van "wellness" meer en meer na waarde geskat word soos aangedui deur die resultate behaal. Diesnieteenstaande is daar ook vasgestel dat spesifieke leiding en inligting omtrent hierdie veld van "welIness" voordeling kan wees vir die toekomstige ontwikkeling en behaling van sulke intervensies in die Suid Afrikaanse besigheidskonteks.

Thesis (DTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / In attempting to contribute to social transformation, South African Higher Education has undergone considerable changes, taking on greater student enrollment, increasing curriculum responsiveness, and prioritising pass- and graduation rates, all of which have put universities’ resources, specifically their human resources, under considerable pressure and stress (Rensburg, 2013: 5). Paradoxically, there has been no meaningful attempt to address the negative effects of these pressures and stress on the wellness of those who are expected to cope with the enormous changes. In addition, Higher Education Institutions’ (HEIs’) mergers, although honourable in intention, have resulted in negative, unintended consequences for staff. Previous research studies have highlighted the growing occupational stressors experienced by HEIs’ staff; however, limited sustainable solutions have been forthcoming. It is on this premise that this research study aimed to develop a holistic employee wellness programme model that would provide a support system for university staff. This model would alleviate the impact of challenges experienced in staff daily work and on their personal lives, and ultimately aid in promoting quality of work life and balance within the institution. The intention was to prevent university staff from experiencing job burnout and health-related problems, thereby promoting their optimal wellness and performance at work. A mixed methods research design was adopted involving a case study and a quasi-experimental research design. Purposive sampling was applied within the case study unit which included both academic and non-academic staff, as they shared similar attributes and wellness experiences within a university. Triangulation mixed methods that was applied combined, with equal importance, both quantitative and qualitative data which were brought together for comparison. This research study identified thirteen employee wellness factors that formed the foundation of a holistic employee wellness programme. Each employee wellness factor was allocated according to three types of interventions, namely primary – prevention, secondary – reduction, and tertiary – treatment, in order to promote employee-organisational health and wellness. The prevention intervention firstly promotes quality of work life and balance through a number of wellness factors, namely, Wellness working environment, Organisational intervention expectations, Organisational wellness support, Organisational culture, Human relations, and Social support; and, secondly, workplace health is promoted through the wellness factors, Physical health and wellness, and Lifestyle. The reduction intervention builds psychological capital through Psychological health and wellness, Resourcefulness, Resilience, and Basic work life skills.

The world has entered the third decade of the HIV and AIDS epidemic under different times in which the epidemic is treatable. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) (2005) declares HIV and AIDS a developmental crisis destroying developmental gains over generations. Since HIV and AIDS affect the most productive segment of the labour force, it is therefore not only a threat to development but also to the world of work without which development will be sacrificed (ILO, 2001). Collaborative response efforts that seek to mitigate the HIV pandemic by government, business and higher education institutions have been fraught with challenges. The main challenge that beset these efforts is that, in the absence of an HIV vaccine, voluntary counselling and testing remains the gateway to access treatment and care. Regrettably, participation in VCT has been confronted by challenges of low utilisation. This precedes the objectives of this study, which were to explore and describe factors that serve as barriers and facilitators of workplace VCT programmes with the objective to improve participation in these programmes. The current study was a product of a qualitative and exploratory-descriptive research design. A nonprobability convenience sampling method was used to sample participants for this study. The targeted population in this study were the non-academic employees of an academic institution in the Eastern Cape. Data was collected by means of focus group discussions and by using semi-structured interviews. The focus group samples comprised of an equal number of men and women with an overall participation of fifty-six participants. Data obtained was transcribed, thematically analysed and coded using Henning, Van Rensburg, and Smit's (2004) qualitative analysis and interpretation method. Findings of this research revealed that factors that facilitate and inhibit voluntary counselling and testing are psychosocial and cultural by nature. At psychosocial level, participants reported factors that facilitate voluntary counselling and testing to include psychological readiness to go for HIV testing, reassurances of confidentiality of HIV test results and normalising HIV testing (making the process more like that for screening and diagnostic testing). Cultural factors included cultural practices and beliefs such as "intonjane" and traditional circumcision - positive cultural nurturers that could facilitate VCT participation. Results of this study showed a lack of basic knowledge about VCT and fear of knowing one's status, fear of breach of confidentiality, fear of being stigmatised and a lack of trust towards health professional as the major psychosocial factors that serve as barriers to VCT participation. The cultural barriers to VCT pointed to hegemonic masculinity as a socially constructed gender identity that encourages gender inequalities and undermines efforts to improve HIV testing. The study suggested that strategies to increase VCT participation should consider leadership support of VCT programmes, incentivisation of VCT programmes, institutionalisation of HIV and AIDS education and the establishment of integrated wellness services for employees.

M.Phil. / Organisational wellness is a relatively new concept. Although a few models can be found in the relevant literature, there is a lack of holistic models for the engineering field, or more specifically for the mechanical engineering employee within the power-generating industry. The aim of the study was to develop an organisational wellness model for a company within the power-generation industry, by addressing the main research question: “What are the experiences and perceptions of five engineers on organisational wellness?” and the following sub-questions: 1. What events or incidents shaped the perceptions of these five engineers regarding organisational wellness? 2. What themes materialised from the stories and interviews? 3. Can any other organisational evidence be found in support of Sub-question 1? 4. Can stories provide the information that is needed for generating knowledge that can further the study of the concept of organisational wellness? The stories of five engineers and their views on organisational wellness that were extracted from mostly unstructured interviews, were packaged unconventionally as a movie script, aiming at contributing to the pool of knowledge on organisational wellness by adding a new holistic model to the field of study. The study also explored an alternative application of arts-based research methodology, and broadened the relevant industry’s knowledge on the topic of organisational wellness. ii It is clear that members of the younger generations relate more easily to visual media like movies and documentaries. The dissertation was thus designed to inspire their creativity and thoughts about the subject matter, moving away from the exclusiveness of an academic audience. I have created seven moments in time that reflect on different aspects of the dissertation, they are referred to as research moments. The main focus, or first research moment, is the movie script entitled “Discovering Wellness” with behind-the-scenes moments, which could be viewed as stand-alone documentaries and movies, nevertheless contributing to the overall research moment. The second moment focuses on relevant literature on organisational wellness, while the third moment encapsulates the qualitative approach, as well as the epistemological and oncological aspects of the research. Moments four to seven individually contain behind-the-scenes information that contribute to the various perspectives of the research setting in order to provide the reader with an in-depth view of the context. Music, photographs and art were also added for the purpose of directing the reader or audience member’s attention to the mind-set and perspective of the writer, as well as to provide richer information on the research setting or context. Themes materialised in the stories collected through the unstructured interview process, which enabled the recommendation of a new model for the industry or field. It also compares favourably with themes and constructs that have been identified in other wellness models which are relevant to other industries or fields. In conclusion, the research is not finite, and the story does not come to a definite end, as it simply showcases a perception on a moment in time. If it stimulates further research, it will have fulfilled its purpose. Key words: organisational wellness, holistic model, arts-based research, script writing, performatory art.

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

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / A global prospecting and mining leader recognizes HIV/AIDS as a threat to the company and its employees. The management has committed them to have a proactive approach trying to minimize the impact of this killing disease by putting in place effective workplace programmes. However, programmes can only be successful if the employees’ needs regarding knowledge, attitudes and sexual practices have been thoroughly researched identified. The aim of this study was to do an explorative descriptive study of the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of the employees of a mining company in Namibia on HIV/AIDS. The objectives were: diams; To measure the overall knowledge levels as well as attitudes and sexual practices of DBMN employees on HIV and STD's. diams; To determine whether there was a difference in the knowledge levels, attitudes and sexual practices of employees in different job categories, age groups, marital status, religion and education level. diams; To measure risky sexual behaviours of participants. All employees (550) of this mining company were invited to participate in the survey and 226 employees responded. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect data administered in a group setting. The questionnaire was regarded as having content validity and the SPSS program was be utilized for descriptive statistics. Utilizing the ratio data developed through the indexes, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine significant difference between the means of the groups in comparison. Because multiple comparisons were done, a post hoc test (Fisher LSD) was used to determine significant differences between group means. / South Africa

Please read the abstract (Synopsis) in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MA (Human Movement Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences / unrestricted

This study examined the association between level of physical activity and changes in dietary behaviors of 3,945 employees after a 10-week work-site physical activity program. Fifty-seven percent of the participants met the CDC/ACSM standard for physical activity sufficient for a health benefit. Physical activity was not significantly related to increased fruit and vegetable consumption, decreased dietary fat and calorie intake, and participants acquiring new nutrition skills. Physical activity was negatively associated with increased food label awareness. Participants who exercised sufficient for a health benefit were less likely to increase their food label awareness. Physical activity and dietary behaviors are generally not associated. Interventions to improve these behaviors should be behavior-specific.

Thesis (M. A.(Nursing Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / In this study, the working conditions of nurses in the public clinics are assessed as the nurses are not satisfied with their working conditions. The dissatisfaction on nurses working conditions by nurses was identified and observed by the researcher at certain clinics in the Sekhukhune District. Strategies are suggested to improve nurses’ working conditions in the selected public clinics of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study aims to develop strategies to improve nurses’ working conditions in selected public clinics of Limpopo Province, South Africa. A qualitative exploratory and descriptive research approach, using a phenomenological design has been used. Data were collected from professional nurses from the selected public clinics, using semi-structured interviews. Data were audiotaped and field notes were taken. The eight Steps of Tesch’s inductive, descriptive open coding technique, described by Creswell was used, followed by independent coding. Purposive sampling recruited 20 professional nurses from seven selected clinics in the Limpopo Province. The Turfloop Research Ethics Committee gave ethical clearance. The Department of Health gave permission for the study to be conducted in the selected clinics. Ethical considerations and measures to ensure trustworthiness have been observed. The results show that nurses’ working conditions are affected by the shortage of human and material resources, poor health clinic structures, unacceptable duty schedules, large numbers of clients which to lead to nurses’ burnout. In addition, there is the challenge of the different roles played by nurses, which impede the provision of quality patients’ care. The nurses suggested that the Department of Health should be transparent regarding any information regarding issues of the health system. Furthermore, strategies to improve patients’ awareness regarding the nurses’ working conditions have been developed from the themes that emerge from this study. The findings of the study cannot be generalized to other clinics of the Limpopo province and of other provinces.

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree Master of Arts in Social and Psychological Research by coursework and research report in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / Linking health and productivity to organisational advantages, this study explores the benefits that health screening may provide organisations in South Africa. Health was evaluated in this research as the amount of lifestyle factors (physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and BMI) and biometric factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high glucose) employees were at risk for. The study aimed to investigate whether increased health leads to the experience of negative health consequences, which may negatively impact on productivity in the workplace. Productivity was assessed firstly by a person’s ability to be at work, and secondly by their ability to significantly contribute to their organisation while they were at work. As such, workplace productivity loss was evaluated in terms of the direct, and indirect, organisational costs that ill-health results in. Workplace productivity loss was measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health V2.0 (WPAI-GH). Participants were 409 employees from an organisation in the financial service sector (Mage = 41.86, SD = 9.3). Multiple regression analysis found one lifestyle factor (physical inactivity) and one biometric factor (cholesterol) to significantly predicted work productivity. Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI and blood pressure did not significantly predict workplace productivity loss. Significant relationships were found between physical inactivity and BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol. Alcohol consumption was significantly related to cigarette smoking and blood pressure, while BMI and blood pressure had a significant relationship. The findings contribute to knowledge on how workplace productivity can be promoted through healthy lifestyle behaviours and biometric risk factors. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed in terms of how organisations can design, implement and evaluate appropriate workplace programmes that are related to the specific health needs of their employees. This was positioned as an essential business practice that positively relates to organisational effectiveness by increasing workplace productivity. Keywords: workplace productivity loss, lifestyle risk factors, biometric risk factors, organisational advantage, South Africa / GR2017