Lourens Geyer

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STAFF WELLNESS INTERVENTIONAT THE UNIVERSITY OF
THE FREE STATE
April 2007
Lourens Geyer Annette Prins
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STAFF WELLNESS

• Employees form an essential core in
  organisational success and frequently provide the
  competitive edge.
• Leaders are tasked to manage and motivate their
  workforce in pursuit of organisational goals and
  in the best interest of all.
• The changing world of work includes, inter alia
• an increasingly diverse workforce with
• needs, aspirations, and attitudes different from
  those of their managers
• This necessitates creativity and ingenuity from
  leaders.

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PRESSURE FOR WELLNESS

• Is increasing worldwide at corporate level
• Also in South Africa
• I.t.o. taking care of employee wellbeing
• Result from legal pressures
• Basic Conditions of Employment Act
• Occupational Health and safety Act, etc (Kotton,
  2006).
• Modern man is much more alert to his/her rights
• More intent on leading a balanced life
• Increasingly seeking for more balance between
  work, leisure and family life.
• Work satisfaction and well-being has become an
  important issue in a competitive market within
  organisations.
• Organisations are therefore increasingly coming
  under scrutiny in terms of how well they cater
  for their employees.

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WELLNESS INFLUENTIAL FACTORS

• Global Factors
• Globalisation
• Information Age
• Power Relations
• South African Context
• Transformation
• HIV / AIDS

• Rate of Change
• Work Stress
• Money

• Crime and Violence
• Poverty

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WELLNESS INFLUENTIAL FACTORS

• Higher Education Context
• Massification
• Time pressure
• Achievement pressures
• Professional standards

• Technology
• Work load
• External accountability
• Quality Assurance

• UFS Context
• Transformation
• Regional engagement
• Performance Management

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CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

• Research Based
• Theoretically Sound
• Top Management Support
• Credibility
• Sound Ethical Principles
• Advocacy / Marketing
• Equity Equal Access
• Quality Control

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RESEARCH

• Faculty of Humanities end 2004
• UFS main and other campuses end 2005
• Respondents moderate to high levels of burnout
• Physical stress symptoms (headaches, insomnia,
  chronic fatigue, concentration problems,
  indigestion)
• Emotional stress symptoms such as anxiety, anger
  outbursts etc
• ACADEME
• Significantly higher levels of emotional fatigue
  and cynicism than support staff
• Junior lecturers and associate professors
  reported higher levels of stress symptoms than
  the other lecturing staff
• 32 of respondents reported treatment for chronic
  stress-related conditions

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RESEARCHWork related stressors

• Management matters
• Perceived indifference
• Little recognition
• Transformation adding
• to uneven playing fields

• Task Properties
• Devolution of admin
• Lack of resources
• Opportunity for growth
• and development

• HR Matters
• Salaries working hours
• Consistent implementation of
• policy matters
• Recognition of staff contributions

• Overloading of staff
• Overload correlates positively
• with emotional fatigue and
• cynicism
• Unrealistically tight deadlines
• Encroachment on family time
• and relations

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Discovery Health 2006ACUTE ILLNESS EXPERIENCE
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Discovery Health 2006EMPLOYEES REGISTERED ON
CHRONIC ILLNESS BENEFIT
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Theoretical underpinning A schematic
representation of the hierarchical ordered living
system
(Wessels 1991)
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Theoretical underpinning The Cybernetic
CyclePROBLEM SOLVING MODEL
(Wessels 1991)
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A schematic presentation of a practice model for
psycho-intervention
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• A COMPLEX SYSTEMS
• Individual
• Groups
• Organisations
• Community

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2

• B GOALS
• Preventative
• Remedial
• Developmental

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1
2
1
3
1
2
C METHODS 1. Direct management/
Education 2. Consultation-education 3.
Psych-technology
(Wessels 1991)
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Theoretical underpinning THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL/SPI
RITUAL MODELIN SEARCH OF A BALANCED LIFESTYLE
FOUR HUMAN DIMENSIONS
(Winiarsky 1997)
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AIM OF PROGRAMMETO EMPOWER BOTH ORGANISATION AND
STAFF IN RELATION TO WELL-BEING

• AT ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL
• To create an organisational climate in support of
  a competent, motivated and enabled workforce (to
  achieve the Universitys Vision and Strategic
  Priorities)
• To enhance staff morale
• To increase productivity and creativity
• To reduce absence, sick leave
• To reduce medical claims

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AIM OF PROGRAMME

• AT FACULTY, DEPARTMENTAL AND
• INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
• To accentuate individual strengths, competence,
  pro-activity and general wellbeing
• To enhance the quality of work life
• To enhance the personal life of employees
• To stimulate individual awareness and
  responsibility for own health and wellbeing
• To actively promote health versus healing the
  ill
• PARADIGM SHIFT (MEDICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL)
• FROM CURING THE ILL TO PREVENTION AND
  DEVELOPMENT (CAPITALISE ON HUMAN STRENGTHS)

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ESTABLISHMENT OF UFS STAFF WELLNESS PROGRAMME

• EVOLUTIONARY
• PHASE 1
• A Campus wellness programme
• A Campus wellness office with a referral function
• PHASE 2
• Organisational Interventions
• Faculty and Departmental Interventions

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BENEFITS TO COST RATIO AND GOALS
Time
Benefits
Long Term
Intermediate Term
Cost
Short Term
(Gerstein Sturnmer, 1993180)
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PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

• Wellness Committee
• Management of Wellness Programme
• Wellness Forum
• Individuals that represent the different
  faculties /departments/
• divisions
• Tasks
• Assist with advocacy of programme
• Determine staff needs
• Support staff members in need
• Refer to wellness office
• Wellness Referral Office
• Manage referrals
• Crisis intervention

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Wellness programme 2007First Quarter
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Wellness programme 2007Second Quarter
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Wellness programme 2007Third Quarter
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Wellness programme 2007Fourth Quarter
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DEVELOPMENTALOrganisational Level

• Research report (basis)
• Set of proposals to address identified
• problems on various levels
• Top Management
• Middle Management
• General Staff
• Proposals incorporated in UFS Strategic Plan
• Top Management Take cognisance of and
• supports Wellness Programme and initiative

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DEVELOPMENTALFaculty, Departemental and
Individual level

• Stress Management
• Neethling Brain Profile
• MBTI
• Emotional Intelligence
• Team Building Programmes
• Motivational Programmes

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Special Groups

• Top Management
• Service workers
• Pensioners
• Qwaqwa Campus

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Thank you for your attention On behalf of the
Wellness Committee