Evaluating the effectiveness of an employee assistance programme within South African police services in the Waterberg District, Limpopo Province

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) in South African Police services, within Lephalale Municipality, Waterberg District in Limpopo Province. The study was conducted within seven police stations. The sample comprised of 189 employees some of whom were employed in terms of the SAPS Act No. 63 of 1995 and others who were employed in terms of the Public Service Act No 103 of 1995. The sample was drawn from the population of 398 of employees using systematic random sampling method. The research approach followed in this study was quantitative and data was collected through the administration of questionnaires over a period of (8) eight days. Respondents were requested to give their experiences and understanding of the functioning of the EAP programme, awareness of the programme, satisfaction with the programme and how accessible the programme was to them. A theoretical background on the effectiveness of the Employee Assistance Programme in this study was provided through literature. In the literature, the goals, objectives and intentions of EAP were discussed. The aspects of EAP which are critical for EAP effectiveness were also explored and discussed. These include the benefits of utilising EAP, the rationale for EAP evaluation, the nature of EAP functioning in SAPS and EAP core technologies. The findings of the study are based on the one hundred and eighty nine (189) questionnaires that were returned by respondents. The findings were presented through tables and graphs and also interpreted using words. The study generally found that employees are aware of the existence of EAP within SAPS, though the utilisation rate was very low. However there is a need to improve EAP operation and strategies within SAPS to allow EAP to reach more employees. Based on the findings of the study, conclusions and recommendations were made regarding the improvement of the EAP in SAPS.