Page 52 - Transformation Report

2. Employee Wellness

The wellness and morale of employees in the higher education critical continued to work onsite throughout the lockdown
sector remain a matter of concern and, with the significant period and were given remote support.
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, many of
our employees have been directly or indirectly affected. With Human resources continue to strategically communicate with
the unemployment rate in the Eastern Cape province close employees regarding their physical and mental wellness.
to 50 percent, economic hardships have been magnified. Psychosocial support was provided to all employees through
Many of the psychosocial pressures confronting our students the Wellness@Work programme, which can be augmented
are also impacting negatively on our employees, with an with further support, should the need arise, by the employee’s
increase in incidents of mental illness during this period due private counsellor, psychologist, or psychiatrist, funded via
to the isolation caused by lockdown regulations. their medical aid schemes.

In response, the University has introduced various To enable monitoring of absenteeism, disability, and long-
interventions, such as webinars facilitated by professional term illness the Leave Office, in conjunction with the HR
wellness practitioners, to assist employees to adapt to new Remuneration and Benefits team, collaborated with ICT
working norms. On-site counselling services and grief support to upgrade the ITS package being used by the University.
sessions are also available to assist employees in coping with This will enable leave to be tracked and markers indicating
the loss of colleagues, friends, and family members. In terms possible disability and/or long-term illness that could result
of national directives, the services deemed as essential and in potential incapacity cases to be identified.

3. Enhancing Social Cohesion Through the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Programmes

Various events and activities were conducted during the Its intangible aspects contribute towards the building of
period under review to highlight the importance of art, social cohesion and creating a sense of belonging and
culture, and heritage as modalities used to bring together identity. The mandate of the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Unit
students, employees, and external stakeholders who, in is to contribute strategically towards institutional culture,
some way or another, interface with the University. Arts, transformation, and engagement. The Unit, in collaboration
Culture, and Heritage is a meaningful contributor to with other stakeholders within the University, was primarily
academic projects in overt, subtle, and often invisible ways. responsible for hosting such events.

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