October 2003   In This Issue...   Front Page   Argentina   Canada   Europe   Finland   Hong Kong   Ireland   South Africa Regulatory   Update Research   Review Interact   Survey Questions   Member Exchange     Forum Feedback	South Africa: Responding to HIV/AIDS, Globalization, and the Legacy of Apartheid Tracy Harper, Joint Managing Director, Mkhize Harper & Associates, Houghton, Gauteng, South Africa Over the past decade, the implementation of EAP’s in South Africa has increased dramatically. Most medium-sized and large organizations have EAPs, and there is steady growth in the small business sector. EAPs implemented in South Africa historically have included individual life management services related to legal and financial, child care, and elder care issues, and today’s EAPs are no exception. A number of factors are driving EAP growth in South Africa, including the following: (1) Prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the workplace. HIV/AIDS is considered the third-biggest business risk in South Africa, with anywhere from 10 percent to 40 percent or more of employees infected depending on the demographics and nature of the business. An integral component of any HIV/AIDS risk management strategy is the implementation of an EAP. The challenge for EAPs has been to ensure that they maintain their unique position of addressing a broad range of psychosocial, behavioral, and emotional health problems. They must ensure they are perceived not just as a service just for those affected or infected by HIV/AIDS, but as a support infrastructure for a number of business and human resource initiatives. (2) Transformation, change, and organizational performance. Over the past decade, companies based in South Africa have been undergoing massive changes to survive in a global market and address the inequalities of the past apartheid regime. It has been recognized that these changes induce high stress and put pressure on organizational performance capabilities. An EAP is seen as an ideal vehicle to ensure that employees are emotionally and behaviorally healthy and can perform safely and effectively at their workplaces. This, in turn, contributes to organizational capability. (3) Supportive workplace legislation. Several laws passed in the 1990s require workplaces to implement initiatives to address emotional, psychosocial, and behavioral health factors that affect employees’ capability to perform and work safely. The EAP is seen as a fair and equitable vehicle for meeting these requirements. (4) Workplace wellness and organizational performance. Workplaces are starting to recognise the relationship between emotionally and behaviorally healthy employees and their organizational performance. Several wellness activities are being introduced into work organizations, and the EAP is seen as an integral component of these initiatives. Increasingly, EAPs are being designed into integrated employee and organizational health and wellness delivery models as well as employee and organizational performance and incapacity management models. An integral design component is the ability and capacity of the EAP to deliver services to diverse populations. Services are being delivered mainly through in-house EAPs (with their own contracted affiliate networks) or through outsourced, contracted EAP vendors. In keeping with the general business trend of outsourcing non-core business services, South Africa has seen the growth of EAP services being outsourced to EAP vendors. This has resulted over the last decade in the growth of EAP vendors in the market. Now, with more work organizations seeking seamless service provision, we are starting to see mergers, acquisitions, and/or partnering of vendors to meet their needs. Many organizations are realizing, however, that in order for the EAP to stay workplace focused and not be another insurance-like product and/or just a counseling service, a combination model is needed. This is a growing EAP model. Also, employers are beginning (albeit slowly) to recognize they need more information about EAP models and services to effectively select and manage their partnerships with EAP/work-life/wellness vendors, so they are turning to independent consultants for training and education in this area. As the EAP market has grown, it has been necessary to build the knowledge and skill capacities of the people delivering the services. A number of universities are now offering specific training in this area, and there has been a rapid growth in the number of short courses being offered. As we go into 2004 and beyond, the growth and development of the South African EAP/wellness/work-life market are expected to continue. Furthermore, as South Africa becomes a hub for business development and management in Africa, we are already seeing signs of South African-based organizations extending their EAP services across Africa. DISCUSSION (Member Exchange Forum)   Back Issues   Top of Page   Contact EAPA   © 2003 Exhange On-Line is a publication of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association, Inc. (EAPA). Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is expressly prohibited. Publication of bylined articles does not constitute endorsement of personal views of authors. Appearance of paid advertisements does not constitute endorsement by EAPA.	Vol. 1    No. 2