case study
20 Jun 2007 - 16:15: Department for International Development - South Africa (DFIDSA)
The Dept. for International Development
Employee number: 1 500
Industry sector: UK Government
Number of offices: 40
International: 40 countries
Year EAP started: 2003
Company objective: Welfare services for both expatriates and local employees
Background
DFID (Department for International Development) is the UK government department responsible for Britain’s contribution towards international efforts to promote and eliminate poverty. Since 2003, PPC Worldwide has provided EAP services for DFID internationally, from our UK base using local affiliates.
DFIDSA (Department for International Development South Africa) is responsible for DFID’s work in Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland. DFIDSA’s main office is in Pretoria with small sub-offices in Botswana and Lesotho. A total of 65 staff are based in the Pretoria office. UK- based staff on fixed term postings to the region account for 20 of the 65 posts, while local staff fill the remaining posts.
Objectives
• Increase productivity, heighten morale and strengthen the bonds between management, employees and the organisation
• Provide employees with a practical, professional and effective way to address personal issues
• Provide a service to meet the needs of both expatriate and local employees
• Equip employees to be able to handle situations around HIV/AIDS
EAP Package
Telephone counselling
Face-to-face counselling
General information service
Legal advice
Financial advice
Manager services
In addition:
HIV/AIDS counselling and advice
Implementation
DFID felt that in South Africa there was a need for a locally managed service with a proven track record in dealing with issues around HIV/AIDS. To achieve this end, DIFD’s account manager in the UK arranged for Careways, our PPC partner located in South Africa, to provide the services DFIDSA required.
Careways worked with DFIDSA to create “The Employee Wellbeing Programme”, which was launched on 27 October 2004. This programme has two main components:
1. An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that gives employees and immediate household members access to therapeutic services. Careways provides this EAP service for all DFIDSA’s employees. However, to ensure the most appropriate advice is offered, expatriates have additional access to PPC’s UK based telephone information service.
2. An HIV/ AIDS programme which aims not only to create awareness of the HIV epidemic, but also to change behaviour in order to reduce the risk of infection.
In delivering the Employee Wellbeing Programme, Careways carried out:
• A thorough HIV/AIDS survey of staff which provided information on existing knowledge and attitudes in order to inform training sessions
• Interactive training sessions on HIV/AIDS for employees. These were very well attended with excellent feedback
• A Health Day, with the aim of empowering individuals to self-manage their life-style behaviour in order to reduce the risk of ill health. This event included voluntary on-site HIV testing and counselling
Evaluation
Careway’s Employee Wellbeing Programme was well implemented and has had high rates of utilisation during its first few months. Carolyn Airey, DFID’s Senior Welfare Officer and EAP manager, feels that using a locally run service has made a big difference to the South African operation. She says, “Raising the profile of the EAP by using Careways has made employees more aware of the service and therefore more inclined to use it.”
Carolyn Airey also commented on the benefits of the holistic nature of the Employee Wellbeing programme. “The fact that the HIV/AIDS counselling is offered alongside other EAP services, such as the General Information Service, means that employees can move seamlessly between the emotional impact of the disease to practical issues.”