Job satisfaction amongst employee assistance professionals in the jacaranda branch of employee assistance professionals association of South Africa

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the factors influencing the level of job satisfaction among the Employee Assistance professionals in the Jacaranda branch of EAPA-SA. The researcher was motivated to choose this subject as a result of the challenges she faced while she worked as an Occupational social worker for a motor vehicle manufacturer. Furthermore, the lack of literature concerning EAP professionals and job satisfaction motivated the researcher to conduct the study. The qualitative approach was utilized in this study and interviews were used to gather data about the factors influencing the level of job satisfaction among the EAP professionals. Utilising an interview schedule, the researcher interviewed 1 0 respondents who were all registered members of the Jacaranda branch of EAPA-SA. A purposive sampling method was used to select the suitable respondents for the study. The type of research used was applied research, as the intention was to answer practical questions about the factors influencing the level of job satisfaction among the EAP professionals. The exploratory design was utilized in this study since there was limited information about job satisfaction of EAP professionals in existence. The purpose of using this design was thus to explore the factors influencing the level of job satisfaction among the EAP professionals in order to provide new information about the topic. A discussion on the theoretical overview on job satisfaction focused on the importance of job satisfaction, theories of job satisfaction, cultural and demographic factors impacting on job satisfaction, antecedents of job satisfaction and the potential consequences of job satisfaction. In addition, a theoretical overview of Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) and the Employee Assistance Professionals Association of South Africa (EAPA-SA) was also discussed. In this section, emphasis was placed on the historical development of EAPs and EAPA-SA, the rationale behind implementing EAPs, the core EAPs activities, EAP service models and the EAP professional. The research findings indicated that most EAP professionals were very satisfied about their jobs. Most respondents expressed their feelings of happiness and love for their jobs, which may be linked to their high levels of job satisfaction. The research findings however also indicated that job satisfaction is influenced by different factors for instance, some respondents were not satisfied with their salary even though they were happy with their jobs as a result of training opportunities and recognition by management. The low level of job satisfaction because of the salary was attributed to the positioning of the EAP, which differs from one organisation to the other. The issue of positioning should thus be addressed to ensure that all the EAP professionals are rated in the same level in terms of remuneration. - In addition, the study also showed that management lack adequate information about the EAP, which may result in lack of support to the EAPs. In order to gain support for EAPs, the EAP professionals should ensure that management becomes educated and informed about what the EAP entails.