Browsing by Author "Swart-Opperman, Christina"

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    An exploration of the role of toxic workplaces and burnout amongst social workers in Cape Town
    (2025) Manqindi, Zodwa; Swart-Opperman, Christina
    Social Workers in Cape Town operate within high-pressure environments characterised by complex social issues, limited resources, and emotionally intense workloads. These conditions often give rise to toxic workplace dynamics, including poor leadership, lack of emotional support, excessive caseloads and organisational dysfunction (September and Dinbabo, 2008; Matlakala, 2022). The purpose of this study was to explore the role of toxic workplaces and burnout amongst Social Workers in Cape Town. The primary objective was to develop an in-depth understanding of the experiences, challenges, and coping strategies of Social Workers in workplaces where leaders behave negatively, that result in Social Workers experiencing burnout. The secondary objective was to engage practitioners' opinions as to what can be done to mitigate toxic environments in the workplace. A qualitative exploratory research design was employed to achieve these objectives. In-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 18 Social Workers working in Non-profit Organisations in Cape Town. The findings revealed that Social Workers face heavy workloads, fast-paced environments, unsafe areas, inadequate resources, and lack of supervision, all of which impact their Mental Health and Well-being. Common problems included micromanagement, unmanaged caseloads, poor leadership, nepotism, gaslighting, disrespect, and lack of appreciation. Additionally, ineffective leadership characterised by a lack of transparency, unity, and ineffective styles was noted. Participants suggested that founders of private organisations should have social work experience to better support employees. The findings of the study also stressed the impact of toxic workplaces on social workers, including mental health struggles, with many coping through medication, alcohol, or smoking. High turnover rates were attributed to burnout, underperformance, absenteeism, feeling underpaid, and mistreatment. Decisions to stay or leave were influenced by personal circumstances and mental health priorities. In summary, these findings highlight the need for better leadership, support systems, and mental health resources to improve the work environment for Social Workers.
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    Exploring the inclusion of women in work-life policy- and practice-making and its influence on career-advancement decisions at a state-owned entity
    (2022) Nassar, Aneesa; Swart-Opperman, Christina
    This study explored the experiences and perceptions of women employees' work-life integration, inclusion in work-life policy- and practice-making, and its influence on their career-advancement choices at Transnet Port Terminals (TPT), an operating division of Transnet Ltd, a State-Owned Entity in South Africa. The main research question was: “What role does inclusion in work-life policy- and practice-making and subsequent work-life integration practices play for women employees when making career-advancement choices?” Vast literature is available on women in the workplace and work-life perceptions. However, there is little exploration of this topic within a State-Owned Entity setting, where women are affiliated to two distinctive groups, namely, the Bargaining Unit (trade unions with collective bargaining power) and Non-Bargaining Unit (management employees without collective bargaining power). The research was conducted using a multi-method qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women employees and managers of women employees to identify the discourses that construct their perceptions of women's inclusion in work-life policy- and practice- making, work-life experiences, and their influence on career-advancement choices. Also, selected policies were analysed to understand how these policies shaped work life and employment equity at the organisation. Some of the key findings of the study include: - Due to collective bargaining and resultant employee related policies, women in the Non- Bargaining Unit did not receive some of the same work-life benefits that their Bargaining Unit colleagues enjoyed. This indicates a ‘union or collective bargaining gap' – where women in the same organisation who have the same needs receive different benefits due to their collective bargaining status. - Participants expressed their desire to be present and meet their responsibilities in both the work and life spheres. This suggests a new construct of perhaps “work-life satisfaction”. - Family-supportive managers was found to be a key positive influence in participants work-life satisfaction. The study concludes with a praxis model, identifying positive elements that are in place at the organisation and suggesting initiatives to build on these to create an inclusive environment where women employees can influence work-life policy- and practice-making and make positive career-advancement choices at the organisation.
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    The Embodied needs of Women in the Workplace: An Exploratory study
    (2021) Chimhandamba, Nyasha Aura; Swart-Opperman, Christina
    Women and men face differences in how they experience the work environment concerning health and safety and their needs within the workspace. Depending on age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, women and men face different stigmas, thus impacting their difficulties within their work environments. Owing to this knowledge, the purpose of this research was to explore this difference in the workplace and understand how women experience the workplace differently. Specifically, from a perspective of embodiment and the needs, women are often inclined to have as a result of biology in the workplace. This insightful study explored the personalisation of embodiment by examining the diversified understanding of embodied needs of women that existed within different levels of an organisational hierarchy and had varied roles that required different levels of skills, manual labour, and knowledge. Using qualitative interviews and a phenomenological approach, the realities of these women with different embodied needs, and embodied stages were explored. The central insight being that while women may suffer the same injustices in the workplace and share the same biology, their embodied needs and experience still vary and cannot be painted with the same brush. Through this qualitative insight, key themes such as pregnancy and maternal needs, workplace accommodations, women clinic services and women workplace accommodations were identified as components of the female embodied needs. This exploratory study brought light to this understanding by exploring the varied experience of 12 participants.
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    The role of epistemic curiosity in the self-directed learning of graduates who have transitioned to the workplace and completed a structured graduate programme
    (2025) Stewart, Celeste; Nilsson, Warren; Swart-Opperman, Christina
    This qualitative study explores and focuses on the role of curiosity in cultivating self-directed learning for graduates who have transitioned into the workplace. Young people make a significant transition when moving from the world of studies to the world of work. Their success as full-time employees depends on several factors, including their ability to engage their curiosity, stay motivated, and drive their own learning. This approach to learning requires the learner to be in the driving seat and fully engaged, which contrasts with the more passive learning experienced at school and university, where the learner is a receiver rather than a driver of knowledge and learning. The study assumes that the more engaged the learner, the more value they will derive from the learning experience. As a motivational state, this inner drive begins to build habits for adult learning that set them up well for the future. The study sample consisted of 20 participants—10 graduates and 10 mentors—as it was important to gather perspectives from both graduates and the mentors who support them. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was used to identify the key themes that emerged. The interviews explored how participants viewed curiosity and self-directed learning, whether and how they engaged with their own learning while in the graduate programme, the role of curiosity in their learning, and the benefits of engaging with their curiosity and learning. The study's key themes are: inner drive, exploration, ownership, resilience, and community. Findings suggest that curiosity catalyses deeper engagement with learning material, fostering resilience and intrinsic motivation. However, external factors, such as rigid curricula and fear of failure, often stifle this natural inclination. Furthermore, the study suggests that epistemic curiosity drives intrinsic motivation, deeper engagement and ownership of learning, a drive for comprehension and sense-making, and a sense of resilience within their curiosity or exploratory behaviour. Participants also highlighted the challenges of a lack of curiosity, such as feeling unsafe to explore and an intolerant learning environment, which stifled growth. The mentors' role in advocating for the graduates and creating a supportive learning environment was highlighted. Additionally, mentors were found to play a key role in creating the psychological safety required for learning by being vulnerable and sharing their own experiences. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of creating educational environments that nurture curiosity. It offers insights for educators seeking to design curricula and teaching strategies that promote lifelong learning. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on studentcentred learning and emphasise curiosity as a critical yet underutilised component of educational practice within the South African context.