Loopbaanontwikkeling in verhouding tot Bedryfsmaatskaplikewerk : 'n teoretiese Fundering

Abstract

Die kemdoel van die werk wat die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens verng, IS misdaadvoorkoming en die ondersoek van misdaad. Hulleuse "Ons beskerm en ons dien" sluit direk by hierdie kemdoel aan. In die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens, soos in enige ander organisasie, word mense benodig om die kemdoel te laat realiseer. Die spesifieke aard van die werk wat gedoen moet word het egter 'n direkte invloed op die maatskaplike funksionering van die mense wat moet verseker dat die kemdoel van die organisasie realiseer. Die laasgenoemde feit is die rede waarom die organisasie reeds in 1972 besluit het om 'n maatskaplike werk diens aan werknemers beskikbaar te stel. Die veronderstelling waarvan uitgegaan is, is dat indien die organisasie die individu bystaan in die hantering en moontlike voorkoming van maatskaplike probleme, die kemdoel van die organisasie beter sal realiseer, dit wil se dat produksie sal verbeter. Navorser, wat 'n bedryfsmaatskaplike werker in die organisasie was, het egter gevind dat die spesifieke loopbaankeuse en plasing van werknemers emstige maatskaplike probleme tot gevolg het en dat die organisasie ; nie aan die loopbaankeuses en plasings van werknemers aandag skenk nie. Die ervaring van die navorser is met 'n groep bedryfsmaatskaplike werkers wat tans in v die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens werksaam is getoets en hulle het oorweldigend saamgestem. Loopbaanontwikkeling as funksie van menslike hulpbronbestuur is deur navorser geYdentifiseer as 'n moontlike werknemerhulpprogram intervensie wat die spesifiekev probleem proaktief kan aanspreek. 'n Studie is van die funksie gemaak en dit is in konteks van die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens beskryf en teoreties gefundeer. Die ondersoek verskaf 'n duidelike funksionele skeiding en verskil tussen wat met Loopbaanbestuur en Loopbaanbeplanning onder die oorkoepelende term van Loopbaanontwikkeling bedoel word. Die loopbaanontwikkelingsfunksie is ook in konteks van die organ1sas1e bespreek om die toepassingswaarde daarvan te verduidelik. Die toepassing van loopbaanontwikkeling as funksie van die werknemerhulpprogram is in detail bespreek aan die hand van die bestaande teorie en die praktykervaring van die navorser. Die studie is verder ondemeem met die doel om 'n spesifieke teoretiese fundering te verkry om loopbaanpatrone van werknemers te bepaal. Loopbaanpatrone word beskou as 'n integrale deel van die loopbaanbeplanningsfunksie. Navorser het vanuit die teorie en praktyk 'n instrument ontwikkel wat vier kern dimensies integreer en wat die loopbaanpatroon van werknemers in die spesifieke organisasie bepaal. Navorsing is ten opsigte van die tipe en voorkoms van loopbaanpatrone in die SuidAfrikaanse Polisiediens gedoen en navorser kon twee bykomende loopbaanpatrone identifiseer wat nie in die teorie voorkom nie. Die waarde van die bepaling van loopbaanpatrone in veral die assessering en bantering van werknemers met werkverwante probleme is in konteks van die werknemerhulpprogram bespreek. Die toepassingswaarde van loopbaanbeplanning as funksie van die werknemerhulpprogram is met bedryfsmaatskaplike werkers wat tans in die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens werksaam is getoets. Dit is van belang om te begryp dat hierdie studie van twee teikenpopulasies gebruik gemaak het. Eerstens was werknemers wat reeds 'n loopbaankeuse gemaak het gebruik om die tipe en voorkoms van loopbaanpatrone te bepaal. Tweedens is die bedryfmaatskaplike werkers in die organisasie gebruik om die toepassingswaarde en kennis van loopbaabeplanning te bepaal. Die bevindinge, gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings moet in die lig beskou word om nie net sin te maak vir professionele deskundiges nie, maar ook vir die werknemer van die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens.

The core business of the South African Police Service is the prevention and the investigation of crime. Their motto, 'We protect and we serve', is directly linked to their core business. In the South African Police Service, as in any other organisation, people play a key role in the realisation of the core business. The specific nature of the work that needs to be done has a direct influence on the social functioning of those who must ensure that the core business of the organisation is carried out successfully. As a result of this, the South African Police Service decided in 1972 to introduce a social work service for employees. It was assumed that, should the organisation assist individuals by addressing and possibly preventing social problems, the core business of the organisation would be realised, in other words, production would improve. The researcher, who worked as an occupational social worker in the organisation, had however noted that certain career choices and the placement of employees had created social problems and that the organisation had not paid attention to these issues. The findings of the researcher have been tested with a group of social workers in the South African Police Service, who agreed wholeheartedly with him. Career development, as a function of human resource management, has been identified by the researcher as a possible employee assistance programme intervention which will pro actively address this specific problem. A study of this function was undertaken and was subsequently theoretically grounded and described in context of the South African Police Service. The investigation supplied a clear, functional differentiation between the meanings of the terms career management and career planning, which are jointly referred to as career development. The career development function is also discussed in the context of the organisation in order to explain its applicability. The use of career development as a function of the employee assistance programme is discussed in detail in terms of existing theory and the practical experience of the researcher. The research was also undertaken with the aim of obtaining the specific theoretical grounding required to establish employee career patterns. Career patterns are regarded as an integral part of the career planning function. The researcher has developed an instrument that integrates four dimensions and determines the career patterns of employees in the organisation under discussion. Research relating to the type and appearance of career patterns in the South African Police Service was conducted and the researcher was able to discern two additional career patterns which are not identified in the existing theory. The value of the assessment of career patterns, especially with regard to the assessment and assistance of employees with work-related problems, is discussed in the context of the employee assistance programme. The value of the application of career planning as a function of the employee assistance programme was tested with occupational social workers employed by the South African Police Service. It is important to understand that in this study two target population groups were used. The first group consisted of employees who had already made their career choices, which enabled the researcher to obtain information about the type and appearance of career patterns. The second group consisted of occupational social workers and their involvement made it possible to determine the potential and applicability of career planning. The results and recommendations should be viewed with this in mind to ensure that they will be meaningful to professionals and employees of the South African Police Service.