Stress levels as a rationale for the establishment of an employee recreation programme in the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa

Abstract

In this study, human movement studies, physical education, recreation and its contributions and stress have been placed in proper perspective. Conditions within the Department of Correctional Services regarding situations leading to the generation of stress in employees are also placed in perspective. Stress within the Department of Correctional Services is a growing concern both for Management and employees. This study is aimed at identifying stressors both from within as well as outside the work context as well as reviewing the relationship between stress and physical activity (sport and recreation) in general as well as in the context of the Department of Correctional Services sport policy. Heads of prisons have been selected for the purposes of this study as they are constantly under pressure. Heads of Prisons in the Department of Correctional Services are ranked according to the size of the prisons they supervise. Subsequently a Head of Prison could be ranked from a Correctional Official (CO) to an Assistant (ASD) or Deputy Director (DD). Although there are many methods of reducing stress this study proposes to view physical activity and recreation as a central part of life, much like sleeping and to show that sport and recreation can serve to balance work by providing restorative refractory periods as well as reducing stress. This study has shown that conditions in the workplace are a major contributor to stress. The study also shows that the DCS has excellent sporting facilities in most Management Areas and that these need to be utilised fully. The DCS sport and recreation policy should be reviewed to ensure that DCS employees make optimum use of the opportunities to participate in sport and recreation. Copyright 2001, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bhoodram, PA 2001, Stress levels as a rationale for the establishment of an employee recreation programme in the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa, MA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11072005-161621 / >