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There is no going back to the workplace model that prevailed before the pandemic. Many organisations have taken steps towards, or already embraced, remote or hybrid working environments where teams can work both remotely and/or in the office. While remote workers may...
How meaning and purpose drives wellness, motivation and performance
This article was submitted by on of our readers: Reinhard Korb If you would like to submit an article, please do so hereHow meaning and purpose drives wellness, motivation, and performance.Do you want to get the most out of your employees while giving them the best...
EAP’s Positive Impact on Employee Productivity
While employees each have their own personal reasons for prioritising their personal wellbeing, employers generally support the wellbeing of their workers to maximise productivity (and reduce healthcare costs). Every organisation wants healthy, happy employees who are...
Championing Women in The Workplace
The theme of International Women’s Day 2022 is, “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. In the world of work, the advent of COVID-19 threw into question, like never before, the idea that the world is making steady progress towards gender equality in the...
Future-proofing Your Organisation
Future-proofing an organisation starts with future-proofing its employees. As organisations rebuild in the aftermath of the global pandemic, those that take the opportunity to retain, upskill, empower and holistically support employees - and so future-proof their...
How can the right training affect employee “performance”?
Workplace training refers, in one aspect, to the programmes an organisation conducts to help employees to develop the skills, competencies, and knowledge required for a particular job, and so make them capable of fulfilling their professional functions to an...
Dealing with bullying in the workplace
Workplace bullying can be executed in a variety of ways. It can take place in person through physical or verbal abuse, or remotely via email, text messages, internet chat rooms, instant messaging or other social media channels. In some cases, workplace bullying can...
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Working in a small business can demand a lot of time and energy, often to the detriment of relaxation and downtime. Making sure the work environment is conducive to employees’ optimal mental health will always be an ongoing challenge for small business owners....
EAPs are a Useful Tool for Managers
As a manager or team leader, your primary role is to maintain productivity and safety within your team and the workplace. You may find it difficult to help an employee when you suspect that personal problems are impairing their job performance. Your organisation’s...
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Some people are sceptical and argue that spirituality has no place in the workplace. This may have some validity when spirituality is defined in the context of religion, but when it is defined as demonstrating respect, care, compassion and support so that employees...
Addressing the COVID-related Impact on Gender Equality in the Workplace
Across the world, COVID-19 has done serious damage to the hard-won progress that has been made in many aspects of gender equality over several decades. There are a number of recent research studies that indicate this negative impact of COVID-19 on women in the...
Work-life balance and its effect on productivity
The advent of COVID-19 was seen to throw “traditional” work-life balance for a loop as the people who could, shifted to working from home during lockdown. Work-life balance means different things to different people as each individual has different tolerances, life...
Farewell: Rev. Craig Matthew Van Wyk
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of one of our Egoli Chapter Members. Rev. Craig Matthew Van Wyk (EMS Senior Chaplain & Former ECSA Pastor/ DBC 1988) passed away after a massive heart attack. A great person, an inspiring counsellor as...
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Why do EAPs tend to be underused, despite the fact that they are free for employees to use? Before COVID-19, numerous studies were consistent in pegging EAP usage at less than 10%. As employees have increasingly turned to EAPs during COVID-19, employers have the...
Are EAPs Keeping Pace with Change?
In the last 26 months, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) have had to turn a corner, and fast, due to large-scale disruptions caused by COVID-19. From perhaps being seen as “just another employee benefit”, they have become an essential employee support service that...
Supporting Employees Who Are Facing Retirement
Retirement is something that every employee needs to think about - it signifies a very abrupt change to one’s lifestyle. Some people cannot wait to retire; it is a goal they have planned for and have anticipated for many years. But this is not true for everyone. For...
Tackling a Growing Problem of Workplace Rudeness
Regardless of the nature of your work, you have probably encountered some form of rude behaviour at work at one time or another. You may have encountered a co-worker who never responds to your emails or who does not respond when a meeting invite is sent to them. You...
Supporting Employees Going Through a Divorce
Psychological, social and financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have left many South African marriages broken beyond repair, with the result that the number of divorce cases has escalated since March 2020. International research studies have found a...
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It makes sense that people want to incorporate the same ideals and beliefs that they apply to their private life to their work life; and spiritual or religious beliefs can profoundly affect how employees do their jobs. When an employee finds they are surrounded by...
How Can Employers Create a Mentally Healthier Workplace?
What is a healthy workplace? According to the World Health Organisation (WHO 2009), a healthy workplace is one where, “workers and managers collaborate to continually improve the health, safety and wellbeing of all workers and by doing this, sustain the productivity...
Tomorrow’s Workforce How Will Generation Z Handle Launching Their Careers in the Next Normal?
While a lot has been articulated in the last 18 months about older people at risk from COVID-19, Generation Z, the younger generation born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, also saw their world shaken in 2020 due to the pandemic. From being subjected to...
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Financial concerns lead to absenteeism and presenteeism South Africans rely greatly on credit for daily living. According to the South African Reserve Bank. Approximately R750 out of every R1,000 is used to service debt in South African households. This is a warning...
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The current life expectancy for South Africans is on the rise according to United Nations World Population Prospects*. South Africans are living longer and they are also working for longer. In other words, more employees from the older generations are staying in the...
Re-engaging Female Employees Returning from Maternity Leave
Many working mothers have no choice but to return to work soon after having a child due to financial demands. Despite increasing diversity and inclusion in the workplace, subtle or subconscious prejudice can occur toward women who are returning to work following...
Two years on: The effects of COVID-related stress and anxiety on the workforce
Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic in March 2022, bereavement, isolation, uncertainty and fear have triggered a decline in mental health on a massive scale. Two years on, and a significant proportion of the South African...
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There are several benefits to be had in being a member of the Employee Assistance Practitioner’s Association South Africa (EAPA-SA) for EAP service providers. One such benefit is the credibility that comes with being a member of the country’s leading professional...
The Downside of Implementing Outdated and Improper Company Policies
Effective policies and procedures are living documents that must be added to and adapted so that they remain up-to-date to meet an organisation's current and future needs. Outdated policies can leave an organisation and their employees at risk. Old policies may fail...
Measures to Combat Employee Burnout
While Sweden is the only country in the world to recognise burnout as a disease, in 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) added burnout as an occupational phenomenon (not a medical condition) to the revised version of its International Classification of Diseases....
Common Mental Health Challenges in the Workplace
The development of mental health problems rises from a complex relationship between biological, psychological and social/environmental factors. One contributing social context is the workplace. “There is evidence that the poor organisation and management of work can...
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Selecting an Employee Assistance service provider from among the many accredited EAP service provider-members the professional body, Employee Assistance Professionals Association of South Africa (EAPA-SA), will help to ensure your organisation is making the best...