EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES: THEIR RATIONALE, BASIC PRINCIPLES AND ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

This paper presents background information about workplace programmes that provideneeded personal and social services to employees. These programmes are commonly referredto as Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs). The paper deals with the theoreticalbackground to aid an understanding of what these programmes are about. The discussionsrevolve around three aspects: reasons why organisations establish these programmes; theirunderlying principles and their essential elements; and the programme services, functions andstructure. In the first section, which focuses on the reasons for programme establishment, ashort list is provided of the commonly given reasons why organisations establish suchprogrammes to assist their employees. The second section focuses on programmes’ basicprinciples, while the third discusses twelve essential elements of these programmes. Thepaper ends with a descriptive illustration of programme development within a highereducation institution in which the author participated. This takes the form of tabularpresentations of programme functions and services as well as its structure. As the paper isdirected at the social work fraternity, it is important to begin by defining and explaining therelationship between workplace programmes and social work, through the route of elucidatingoccupational social work

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AT THE WORK PLACE: THE PROBLEM AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Personal problems, including substance abuse, often impinge on employees’ job performanceand therefore productivity. This paper discusses substance abuse as an example of anemployee problem at the workplace that can be addressed through services such as employeeassistance programmes (EAPs). The use and abuse of substances occur for a number ofreasons, including misguided ones, such as a person trying to “forget problems” at home,socially or at work. In relation to work, the effects are enormous, such as employeeabsenteeism, workplace injuries, as well as damage to expensive workplace equipment andproperty. Aspects discussed in the paper include factors that help “enable” the abuse of suchsubstances within the work environment, factors that indicate deteriorating employee workperformance, as well as possible ways to deal with the problem at the workplace. The paperconcludes with a discussion of possible workplace policies and programmatic solutions onhow to deal with the problem

A study on gender mainstreaming: the case of a rural university in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Gender mainstreaming has been adopted as a strategy for promoting gender equality in institutions of higher learning worldwide, not least in Africa. This study investigated Gender Mainstreaming at the University of Venda, (UNIVEN) in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study was based on Feminist epistemologies of doing research. In particular,a feminist standpoint theoretical approach was embarked upon to understand the position of female staff members vis-à-vis gender mainstreaming at this institution of higher learning. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to analyse the data. The study involved a population of 60 participants and a sample of 25 male and female workers selected using the purposive sampling technique. Data were presented in pie charts, tables, themes and in textual forms. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. But for the sake of this paper, thematic data was presented as it closely represents the views of those who participated in the study. The major findings and conclusions of the study are that the University of Venda faces enormous challenges in mainstreaming gender in its functions. There are perceptions that most strategic higher positions in the institution are dominated by men while women are marginalized. Although the University has policies on gender, staff members do not know about them while management does not implement these policies. UNIVEN makes use of the Employment Equity Act of 1998, but it is not clear whether line managers are aware of its implementation. However, some respondents said that there were no gender challenges at the institution as staff members’ promotion is based on merit through performance evaluation and progression. The study recommended that there should be more gender awareness activities such as workshops, conferences, and symposia for workers and staff members in order to sensitize them about gender issues.Keywords: Representation, Gender Mainstreaming, Institutions of Higher Learning, Gender Equality, Managemen