Evaluating the effectiveness of the employee wellness programme in the Department of Home Affairs at eThekwini District.

Abstract

Employee wellness has become an increasingly strategic priority in the South African public sector, amid ongoing challenges such as high absenteeism, burnout, declining productivity, and workplace stress. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) remains under strain due to service-delivery pressures stemming from high workloads, constrained resources, corruption risks, and shifting employee expectations. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the Employee Wellness Programme (EWP) on employee wellbeing, work performance, and organisational efficiency within the DHA eThekwini District. A qualitative research design, incorporating semi-structured one-on-one interviews with management and frontline employees, was adopted for the study. The target population for a purposive sample was selected based on their relevance and accessibility regarding knowledge of wellness-related experiences. The primary sources were complemented by secondary data, including policy frameworks, departmental reports, academic literature, and legislative documents. Thematic analysis was used, manually, for both sets of primary and secondary data to identify major patterns or themes that may emerge from participants' narratives. The findings showed that although the EWP was well conceptualised and aligned with DPSA guidelines, its implementation was inconsistent and hampered by a general lack of awareness, under-resourcing, inadequate communication, and poorly developed monitoring mechanisms. A multidimensional approach to strengthening the EWP has been suggested, including leadership commitment, better resourcing, continuous improvement, and the integration of wellness into core HR and performance systems. The study contributes to public management scholarship by highlighting employees' lived experiences and the contextual challenges of implementing wellness programmes in high-pressure public service environments. Recommendations are made to improve EWP effectiveness and further support a resilient, healthy, and productive workforce within the DHA eThekwini District.