EAP Coordinators' Perceptions of Employees' Problems Pervasiveness

Integrating Traditional Organizational Behavior Theories and Issues for Employee Assistance Practice

“…Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are public, private and/or union sponsored human service programs that provide a systematic way of addressing employees' personal and work problems (Chima, 1995). They focus on extending employees' coping options by helping to prevent and resolve personal, work, or family problems that interfere with employees' optimal productivity.…”

“…They focus on extending employees' coping options by helping to prevent and resolve personal, work, or family problems that interfere with employees' optimal productivity. While EAPs began with the intention to deal primarily with an employee's alcohol and drug problems, they have exponentially evolved into a broader type of program, to include counseling on personal finances, emotional, marital, medical difficulties, career crisis, or job demands (Perry & Cayer, 1992;Chima, 1995). The rationale for organizations to provide policies and procedures which help employees in identifying and dealing with personal problems is that it is more desirable, both economically and socially, to rehabilitate proven and trained employees than to terminate or replace them (Chima, 1995).…”

A PLACE FOR MARRIGE AND FAMILY SERVICES IN EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS (EAPs): A SURVEY OF EAP CLIENT PROBLEMS AND NEEDS

“…Over time, a number of EAPs have moved outside of this set of core technologies, providing in-house services and, in some cases, extending those services to other family members as well. Thus, the initial focus of EAPs on the addicted employee has expanded to an approach that recognizes the role of mental health and/or family and marital issues as potentially interfering with work performance (Chima, 1995). Such a "full service" approach offers the increased potential for higher rates of utilization of a variety of prevention and intervention services by employees and their family members (Metcalf, 1993).…”

“…Supporting Chima's estimate, Leiter and Wahlen (1996) found personal problems are implicated in 80%-90% of industrial accidents. Further, emotional illnesses are estimated to account for 61% of absences and 65% of job terminations (Chima, 1995(Chima, , 1997. Employers subscribing to full-service EAPs recognize the negative impact of these problems on worker morale, productivity, and relationships with coworkers.…”

“…Further, there is a high correlation between unhappy, unresolved family relationships and poor EAP outcomes (Wright & Beach, 1992). When surveyed, EAP coordinators overwhelmingly endorsed the idea that a large number of their employee-clients had severe family problems (marital, children, relationships, parents) that required professional intervention (Chima, 1995;EAPA, 1996).…”