Employee Assistance Programs

(17th Feb 2003)

Authored by Michelle Sarkis

Common workplace concerns that can impact on employees include job insecurity, changes in the nature of work and conflicts with managers or other workers, career planning or retirement. Other issues include marital or relationship difficulties, worries about children and aged relatives, substance abuse or gambling problems, anxiety or depression. Repairing the damage when it all gets too much comes with a hefty price tag with stressed workers costing companies around $1 billion each year in lost revenue. If the indirect costs of absenteeism, accidents, loss of employment, marital and family distress and other community costs are included, this figure may be closer to $4 billion (Brettargh, 2001)

To help reduce these costs, a growing number of companies are introducing some form of employee assistance programs (EAP) to help employees deal productively with stressful situations, whether they occur at home or at work. EAPs provide counselling and consulting services to Australian workplaces. They are a relatively new counselling benefit that allow psychologically distressed workers and sometimes dependents of workers, free and confidential access to mental health professionals. These progra ms have their historical roots in the area of alcohol and substance abuse and from this comes the tradition of providing counselling and consulting services aimed at preventing or assisting with personal problems experienced by employees or members of their family. Programs generally last between three to five counselling sessions, as they are not intended to be a long-term health intervention. Most issues are able to be resolved within a limited number of sessions. Problems of a more serious clinical natur e would be screened and referred to specialist services. It is employed as one of the main occupational stress interventions. Individual level counselling is the core activity but other services aimed at an organisational level are also available. EAPs are expected to offer (Cotton & Fisher, 1995):
· Assessment - problem clarification
· Interventions - advisory/welfare, counselling, mediation, psycho-educational and specialised psychological interventions including brief therapy
· Training - early detection of stress, conflict resolution, team building and supervisor/manager skills
· Prevention - reduction of workplace psychological hazards, stress education and prevention and psychological health promotion

An EAP scheme is generally run by a group of professionals and associates who are external to the organisation (i.e. they are not employees of the company that is paying for the programs). Services are usually provided outside the workplace to ensure privacy and counsellors maintain strict confidentiality. No information about what was discussed in the session may be relayed to the employer or any other person withou the written consent of the employee or family member involved.

EAP services consist of expert consultation and training in the identification and resolution of a wide range of job performance issues; confidential, appropriate and timely assessment services and referrals for appropriate diagnosis, treatment and assistance (Fearing, 2000). In addition, EAPs are able to establish links between the workplace and community resources, provide follow up services for employees who use treatment services and assist coordination with managed care and treatment provide rs.

For EAPs to work, programs must have the support of both senior management and unions. There must also be a clear set of policies established about the way in which employee assistance programs are to work within the organisation. Training sessions should also be conducted with supervisors to assist in early problem identification and referrals.

Organisations need to be aware of the range and prevalence of psychological hazards and issues in their workplaces and the at risk groups in their work environment. Australian EAP providers normally give annual regular reports to the organisation on the number of staff using the EAP, the reasons for seeking counselling, generic data on issues raised, work areas and classification of employees. The reports present information on group usage in group terms and no individual client accessing the pro gram is identified. Reports are structured so as to provide information on:
· Organisational hot spots.
· Monitoring of staff morale.
· Providing information to managers on his/her section's "psychological well being."
· Providing feedback about perceptions of manager's performance.
· Working with and encouraging attention to an organisation's culture.
· Feedback on change management.
· Ensuring development of effective human resources strategies and practices.

This collated information provides valuable feedback to an organisation on employees generally, workplaces and issues. Important things employers should consider when choosing a program provider include the provider's experience, the training and credentials of their staff, their locations, the scope of their service and the hours the service is available to employees.

Employee Assistance Programs - Martha Knox and Associates

The EAPs offered by Martha Knox and Associates are unique for several reasons.
· Firstly, an intense level of organisational research is conducted prior to the program being implemented, providing consultants with an indepth level of knowledge and understanding of workplace relationships. Specifically, workforce demographics are profiled and materials such as annual reports, newspaper articles and industry journals are regularly utilised. Interviews with relevant managers, supervisors and employee representatives are also conducted, enabling consultants to provide inter ventions that are workplace appropriate and useful for the counselling client. This avoids the "sausage factory" effect that is often associated with large employee service providers using a one-model approach of generalist counselling for all employees. In fact, the difficulty with many large EAP providers is that referrals can get lost in the system and naïve counsellors, (who have not been appropriately briefed about the workplace), can provide advice that is counterproductive to the workp lace and client. Hence, the initial organisational case study conducted by Martha Knox and Associates ensure that the EAP consultants maintain a strong sense of what is appropriate and expected within that workplace.

· The second defining feature of the EAPs provided by Martha Knox and Associates are that the consultants are organisational psychologists with extensive clinical experience and a strong background in dealing with the workers compensation system. Whilst other EAP providers tend to recruit counsellors or clinical psychologists, our consultants have either worked as management consultants to senior executives, been employed as rehabilitation officers or in human resources. In addition to the ir corporate backgrounds, consultants also have significant work experience in working with clinical populations (i.e. anger management, substance abuse, eating disorders, depression and post traumatic stress disorder). This combination of a working knowledge of organisational systems such as workers compensation, performance management and occupational health and safety with good clinical skills is another defining feature of the EAPs provided by Martha Knox and Associates.

· Finally, in terms of the level of investment held with clinical supervision, the structured clinical supervision program offered by Martha Knox and Associates ensures access to the latest techniques and research. Supervision by a paid professional is conducted one evening a month. We continue to do a regular scan through Australian journals to identify who the top experts are in specific clinical areas. If we cannot get that expert to visit our workplace, the counsellors attend training workshops in given clinical conditions. Professionals from the law or finance also deliver training. Monthly sessions are supplemented with peer supervision sessions, where counsellors from three different practices meet and discuss case studies on a confidential basis.

Disclaimer:

The information provided on this page does not constitute treatment and in no way replaces direct advice from qualified professionals providing tailored solutions to particular workplaces and individuals.

References

Brettargh, A. "Throwing a Lifeline". HR Monthly, February, 2001.

Cotton, P. (Ed.) (1995). Psychological Health in the Workplace: Understanding and managing occupational stress. Carlton: The Australian Psychological Society.

Fearing, J. (2000) Workplace Intervention. Minnesota: Hazeldon