Abstract
M.A.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a worksite-based program designed to assist in the identification and resolution
of productivity problems associated with employees impaired
by personal and work-related concerns.
Although EAPs have been established in government
departments in South Africa in recent years, this model has
not yet been tried in the Department of Education,
Malamulele district. The Department of Education can be
described as a work environment that has many
characteristics common to most other work environments, but
it appears that there are characteristics that are unique to
the particular context that have to be considered before
establishing an EAP in such context.
This study will attempt to provide fresh perspectives to the
Department of Education; it may happen that this model can
be introduced subsequent to the submission of the
recommendations. EAP is regarded as a component for workforce
development and quality of work-life in contemporary
organizations; therefore it is vital that this program should be
established in the Department of Education.
The primary aim of this study is to explore the perceptions
and needs of teaching personnel regarding the feasibility and
the implementation of EAP in the work environment. The
objectives are as follows: to peruse the available literature
relevant to the research topic, to collect qualitative data from
teachers by means of focus groups, to compile a profile of
perceptions and needs for the formulation of proposal
regarding the feasibility of implementing an EAP in the
educational setting, to transcribe, analyze and present the
data that was collected in a way that it can generate
knowledge about the feasibility of EAP in the rural area of
Malamulele, to submit recommendations to the Department of
Education and to identify and recommend areas for future
research.
The study was conducted with 12 teachers and 7 managers
(principals) in the Department of Education, Malamulele
district, Limpopo. The research findings postulate that
teachers perceive EAP as vital and also feasible for their work
environment. They articulate that it should have been
established long time ago.