Original Research - Special Collection: Mental Health Research in African Organisations

Mental health and corporate social responsibility for industrial psychology

Dean Vermeulen, Lené I. Graupner, Bouwer E. Jonker
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology | Vol 45 | a1665 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v45i0.1665 | © 2019 Lené Ilyna Jorgensen-Graupner, Dean Vermeulen, Bouwer Engelbertus Jonker | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 20 March 2019 | Published: 10 October 2019

About the author(s)

Dean Vermeulen, WorkWell, Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences, School for Human Resource Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Lené I. Graupner, WorkWell, Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences, School for Human Resource Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Bouwer E. Jonker, WorkWell, Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences, School for Human Resource Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Abstract

Orientation: Organisations must do whatever it takes to ensure sustainability and longevity, and extend benefits into the communities where they operate.

Research purpose: The general aim of this study was to explore the contribution that the profession of industrial psychology can make towards improving mental health by means of a CSR programme.

Motivation for the study: This study was motivated by the notion that, in South Africa, organisations are encouraged to be socially responsible and Industrial-organisational Psychology (IOP) can be of service to this goal for the organisation.

Research approach/design and method: A qualitative research design with a combination of purposive and convenience sampling was utilised. Participants consisted of the project team who participated in a training institution’s CSR initiative in the North West province. Data gathering took place in the form of semi-structured in-depth interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

Main findings: The results showed that typical IOP topics that could be formulated into a CSR programme included life skills and topics related to personal growth and self-worth. The results also showed that universities are able to play a vital part in community engagement, and an inter-relationship of benefits can be established.

Practical/managerial implications: The research indicates that industrial and organisational psychologists could also contribute to organisations when they operate in the CSR scope.

Contribution/value-add: On an individual level, this study contributed to clarify the understanding whether IOP has a place in social investment and contributions.


Keywords

Corporate social responsibility; Mental health; Industrial psychology; Career counselling; Workplace counselling; Young adults

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