Determinants Of The Use Of Professional Counselling Services Within Formal Organizations In Kenya: A Case Of Safaricom Plcty

Abstract

The research intended to investigate determinants of the use of professional counseling services within formal organizations in Kenya, with specific reference to Safaricom PLC. The research was guided by five specific objectives. These objectives were; to identify types of counseling services offered in the Safaricom, to ascertain the extent to which employees in Safaricom use professional counseling services, to establish employee’s perceptions of counseling services in Safaricom, to show how employees perception of counseling services affect its use and to examine key social and economic factors that influences the decision to use counseling services in Safaricom PLC. The study adopted a descriptive survey design, where participants answered questions administered through questionnaires and interviews. Based on the research findings, the main determinants of employee counseling use were observed to be substance abuse, work pressure, financial challenges and family conflicts. The other factors observed were injury at work, grief in times of bereavement and career challenges. Also, according to the findings of this study, employee counseling is effective for all employee ranks and leads to satisfaction, and that counselling is important in addressing employee work related and personal challenges. However, the study findings showed that despite the consensus by the respondents that employee counseling is effective, the use of the facility is still minimal, and that employees mostly seek employee counseling when faced with a challenge or when recommended by employer. The study concluded that counseling is important in addressing employee work related and personal challenges. This reflected a positive perception to the facility but it has not been embraced fully. The study recommends that there should be mandatory trainings on the use of employee counseling services quarterly, and that the employee counseling services should be demystified during all staff functions like strategy cascades, team buildings and staff parties. In addition, the study recommends that the counseling facility offices be incorporated openly within the workplace premises for easy awareness and access. The Kenyan government should make it compulsory for all employers to provide employee counseling services for free so that major issues affecting employee productivity can be addressed in organizations.