Browsing by Author "Mgquba, Nonzukiso"

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    Evaluating the perceived effectiveness of employee assistance programs during the coronavirus disease 2019 among frontline employees at a selected government institution
    (Universty of the Western Cape, 2024) Mgquba, Nonzukiso; Hamman-Fisher, Desiree
    All South Africans relied on frontline employees to perform essential services during the coronavirus disease 2019. Frontline employees at a selected government institution were placed under enormous and extraordinary demands to serve the public while putting themselves, and their physical, mental, and well-being at risk. Many feared contracting the coronavirus disease 2019 at work and infecting their family at home. As a result, they felt extremely stressed and reported high levels of anxiety. They were expected to utilise Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) to cope with their lived experiences. However, this was not the case as frontline employees found it difficult to contact the outsourced EAP service providers and visit their premises for consultations. This study evaluated the perceived effectiveness of Employee Assistance Programs during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Furthermore, it explored the frontline employees’ lived experiences. The study was located in the interpretivismparadigm and adopted a case study design. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted through the use of the convenience sampling technique. The content analysis approach was used to identify the main themes, and sub-themes and organise the findings. The findings suggest that EAP is perceived as a valuable resource, which could potentially aid employees faced with personal and work-related problems. Despite this, only one participant used the EAP during the pandemic. Due to the safety measures, there were no formal awareness programs conducted during the pandemic. Participants reported a lack of visibility and promotion of EAP services which contributed to them not utilising it. Furthermore, the managers and human resource personnel did not coordinate the EAP services well.