A critical evaluation of the effectiveness of employee assistance programme in Tanzania: a case study of African Barrick Gold Mine

Abstract

Over the past seven years, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) have been functioning in another form in the Tanzania mining sector within Human Resource Management. However, there are only few comprehensive studies conducted to address the efficacy of the programmes. Employees with unstable mental or physical conditions want to work, are able to work and have a right to work. This statement is the catalyst for seeking better connections between consumers and the world of work. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are among utilised human resources programmes to enhance employee wellbeing and proper functions. EAPs are worksite based programmes designed and (in most cases) sponsored by employer to assist work organisations in addressing employee behavioural problems that cause or potentially cause productivity, health and well-being issues. In Tanzania, EAPs have been established with the focus on a variety of employee problems within the workplace including, inter alia, substance abuse and dependency, adaptation problems, mental and personal relationship problems, dealing with disease, and providing counselling. The aim of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of EAP at African Barrick Gold (ABG) mine in Tanzania and to evaluate the extent to which employees at ABG utilise EAP services in order to enhance their health and well-being at work. This is achieved by using secondary data. Engaging secondary data sources from African Barrick Gold mine such as monthly reports, journals and newsletter, the findings demonstrate that, ABG employee assistance programme is effective within the mining sector and it can serve as the best practice to strengthen other EAPs in developing countries. The secondary data also revealed that EAP positively impacts employee commitment in the organisations through change of behaviours. However, the mere introduction of an EAP is not in itself sufficient to achieve all of the above as observed by the General Manager (Buly Newsletter, 2012:2). EAPs if not properly implemented are seldom successful and must therefore be evaluated in order to demonstrate their effectiveness (Buly Newsletter, 2012:2). Thus in order to achieve the above the present essay through the use of monthly, weekly and other reports aims at evaluating the effectiveness of EAP at African Barrick Gold mine in Tanzania over five years