Causes and management of stress in the workplace: a case study of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

The main aim of the study is to examine the causes and management of stress in the workplace using COGTA-KZN as a case study. The intention is to explore and discover the causes and the effects of work-related stress and to add these findings to the existing body of knowledge. A qualitative research design wa sused to conduct this study. The target population is of levels 2-10, levels 11-12, and levels 13-15 as well as a selection of employees in the office of COGTA-KZN MEC. The researcher scheduled four focus group interviews with the selected study participants, a sample of 20 in total with 5 respondents from each selected category and an in-depth discussion based on the predetermined questions was designed. The respondents included 5 senior managers, 5 middle managers, 5 supervisors in the levels below this category and the other 5 participants were officials in the office of COGTA-KZN MEC. The respondents were purposively selected by the researcher based on their relevance in terms of the study. The results indicated that employee relationships between COGTA-KZN need serious overhauling to improve relations. Therefore, the study recommends that political cadre deployment should further be explored as there seems to be blurred lines that often border on nepotism and favouritism; often undermining existing staff who have been mentored and coached, for years specificaly when new career opportunities pesent themselves. Additionally, the study recommends that further research be conducted to establish strategies that government can employ to re-skill the current cohort of employees in order to implement knowledge management effectively from within the current staff. Currently the high staff turnover from within provincial government seems to affect both the employee and the employer, particularly at a senior level.