Experiences of clients at a counselling centre of work-home interaction

Abstract

The goal of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of work-home interaction of clients at a counselling centre of a mega-church in Centurion, as well as the consequent negative or positive impact of such interactions. The underlying motivation to conduct the study at the counselling centre was to make a contribution towards healthy family life by assisting clients to facilitate positive work-home interaction. Furthermore, the study explored whether an experience of negative work-home interaction was the sole, or part of the reason why clients sought help at the counselling centre. The study also aimed to explore and describe the strategies used by employed individuals in managing work-home interaction, in the face of many changes affecting the work and home domains in contemporary society. In order to achieve the goal of the study, a qualitative research approach was adopted in an attempt to understand the complexities of the interaction between work and home. Collective case studies were used and data was collected through one-on-one interviews with an interview schedule. After careful analysis of literature and the transcripts of the interviews, important themes and sub-themes came to the fore. Key findings were stipulated and focused on aspects such as the consequences of eroded boundaries between work and home, gender roles in marriage, wives in higher earning positions than their spouses. Furthermore, helpful strategies utilised by clients in order to facilitate positive work-home interaction were described. Future research studies could focus on initiating a research study that covers a more extensive geographical area and represent the ethnic diversity in South Africa. Such studies could also focus more extensively on women in higher earning positions than their spouses, the effects thereof and the challenges with regards to gender roles in marriages.