Employee Assistance Programs: Evidence and Current Trends
This chapter addresses the topic of employee assistance programs (EAP) and their role in occupational health and wellness. The chapter is organized into three main parts. The first part is an overview of the nature of EAPs. The second part reviews the res
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Mark Attridge
Introduction Many employees suffer from emotional issues, family and home life conflicts, mental health concerns, substance abuse problems, and other health disorders that can interfere with doing their work effectively. The nature of work itself can also sometimes contribute to employee performance problems. In addition, societal changes and community problems (such as natural disasters, violence, economic distress) can influence employee health and behavior. Whether the source is from the individual, the workplace itself or greater society, many employers have turned to employee assistance programs (EAPs) to help respond to these kinds of problems. This chapter addresses the topic of EAPs, and their role in occupational health and wellness. It is organized into three main parts. The first part presents an overview of the EAP. The middle part reviews the research evidence for EAPs. The final part describes major trends in the field of EAP. Global expansion is also examined as a future direction for EAPs.
Overview of EAP Before examining the evidence for EAPs and the current trends in the field, it is necessary to first understand the nature of EAPs. Thus, this part of the chapter provides an overview of EAP (Attridge, 2009a). It includes a brief history of the field, the primary activities of an EAP, the unique qualities that distinguish an EAP, the contemporary business models and major market types, the promotion and use of EAPs, and the professional standards that guide the industry.
M. Attridge, Ph.D., M.A. () Attridge Consulting, Inc., 1129 Cedar Lake Road South, Minneapolis, MN 55405, USA e-mail: [email protected] R.J. Gatchel and I.Z. Schultz (eds.), Handbook of Occupational Health and Wellness, Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-4839-6_21, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012
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Definition of EAP EAPs are defined as employer- or group-supported programs designed to alleviate employee issues (Employee Assistance Society of North America [EASNA], 2009). Most employees use EAP services on a voluntary basis through self-referrals. Most often, the EAP is used for assistance with mild to moderate problems that cause acute stress (e.g., family/marital relationship issues, work problems, and legal or financial concerns), rather than for the treatment of more serious mental health and substance abuse disorders. The goal of these programs is to have a positive effect on restoring the health and well-being of the employee which, in turn, results in a return to higher productivity and improves overall organizational performance. Modern EAPs are complex programs that often feature interaction with work/life and other behavioral health services to address a host of mental health and, substance abuse issues, as well as workplace performance problems among employees and their family members. EAPs can reach employees through a combination of different channels, including faceto-face visits with counselors, 24/7 telephone calls, I
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