An evaluation of Employee Assistance Programme services in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

Abstract

Since the implementation of EAP services within the COJMM, EAP practitioners experience different challenges. Some of these challenges are limited funding for the EAPs, lack of awareness of EAP services and poor participation in EAPs by the employees (EAPA-SA, 2010:6).Due to the above challenges the EAP within the COJMM is not always effective and structured as envisioned by the EAP Professional Standards. Furthermore, the researcher has also observed that the intention of EAPs in the public sector has been influenced by the instruction of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and is subject to increasing pressure to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (85 of 1993) and Labour Relations Act (108 of 1996) rather than implementing EAP services guided by employees? needs and EAP Professional Standards. The findings from previous research studies and the Public Service Commission? reports in South Africa reveal that various Government departments are still experiencing challenges with regards to implementing effective EAP services within the public sector (Public Service Commission, 2010:2). Based on the researcher?s professional observation, it seems as if in the South African context municipalities as well as provincial and national government departments are faced with different challenges to implement EAPs that are in line with the professional standards for EAPs. This view was confirmed by Matlawa (2011), EAP Advisor at Tzaneen Municipality in Limpopo Province, who indicated that EAPs within the public sector are not always implemented in accordance with the professional standards of EAPs in South Africa. Therefore, a quantitative research approach was appropriate to evaluate the EAP services within the COJMM according to the Professional Standards of EAP in South Africa. A randomised cross sectional survey design was utilised to carry out the research study with a questionnaire as a survey instrument. Quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire from the sample of 109 employees in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and valuable conclusions emanated from the findings of this research study. The majority of the respondents identified amongst other factors the issue of staff ratio as one of the limitations with regards to the implementation of EAP services within COJMM. The other key issue that the respondents identified clearly was with regards to the lack of marketing of the EAP services within COJMM. The study was also concluded with some useful and relevant recommendations from the employees? responses on how to improve the implementation of EAP services within the COJMM. One of the crucial recommendations drawn from the findings of this research study was that more information sessions and training on the processes and procedures regarding accessing EAP services should be conducted regularly throughout the whole COJMM. Another recommendation was that every region within the COJMM should have an EAP representative for better proximity of the service to employees.