Abstract
M.A. (Social Work)
Etzioni (1964) states that our society is an organisational society. We are born in an
organisation, educated by organisations and most of us spend much of our lives working for organisations.
Work (including the work environment) and the family are critical factors in the life of an
individual. These factors provide a sense of identity to the individual and also provide the
values and.position of the individual in the community. Interdependence exists between the individual, his work and his family. Demands can be placed on the individual in the
workplace or by his family that might have a negative influence on his productivity in the
work environment.
A primary research study was done to determine the nature of social work in a government institution, JG Strijdom hospital. This hospital functions as a bureaucratic institution. The sample of the study included all the departments in the hospital. The research sample was drawn from the variety of professional- to nonprofessional groups that are found in the hospital, these groups were subjected to a questionnaire containing the different factors pertaining to what might have a negative influence on the employee in the work place. The analyses of the results were done by grouping the primary and the secondary functions of the hospital. The primary function of the hospital can be described as patient care and the secondary function is the administration of the organization. The objectives of these two roles can clash in a certainarea where the human skills that are needed for the two different functions differ. These differences had an influence on the research results and subsequent requirements of a social workerin the workplace.
The primary difference that was determined in this study was that the primary function was staffed by personnel that required assistance in self development. On the other hand the personnel of the secondary (administrative) function required assistance with their personal problems. The severity of the differences can be attributed to the present state of flux in the hospital. The hospital is in a state of merging with the Coronation hospital and a pending threat of affirmative action is hanging over the hospital.