Employees' perception on the benefits of Workplace Counseling: A case of selected schools in Choma District

This study was set in five secondary schools in Choma District of Southern Province of Zambia. The study sought to explore the benefits of workplace counseling secondary schools. Participating schools included four co-education schools and one single sex school which comprised two grant aided mission schools and three government schools. The schools were conveniently selected. Using quantitative methodology, primary data was collected from teachers and head teachers using a questionnaire. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences using descriptive tables. Results suggest that employees see workplace counseling to be very beneficial by contributing to the adjustment of the workforce, contributing to employees' motivation and job satisfaction levels. These benefits ^e shown by a cumulative percentage of 95.3% feeling that workplace counseling has a positive contribution toward helping employees make correct and informed decisions, 96.5% of them being of the view that it contributes to a motivated and satisfied workforce and the same percentage being of the view that it contributes to reduced absenteeism. Furthermore, 9fl.7% felt workplace counseling contributes to reduction in work related anxieties and d|pression, 92.9 felt it contributes to increase in job satisfaction while 91.8% felt it contributes to improved mental well-being. Results also indicated that there is no structured workplace counseling policy or programme in the workplaces except for that which targets HIV/AIDS. Where it exists, it is embedded in the day to day responsibilities of a manager. This is evidenced by 87.1% of the respondents being of the view that administration does use it to improve workers' motivation levels while 81.2 feel administrators use it to deal with work related disciplinary cases.
However, some of the teachers felt they had never received any workplace counseling before. This is evidenced by 30.6 % of them saying they have never received workplace counseling