IDS StudyPlus, Winter 2002

Employee assistance programmes

• Reports on the increasing popularity among employers of employee assistance programmes (EAPs), offering support to staff on a wide range of personal and work-related problems.
• Examines the EAPs in place at seven organisations, some operating in-house, some externally provided and some a mix of both approaches.
• The StudyPlus contains a directory detailing the services offered by 23 specialist providers.

For a relatively modest cost, organisations can introduce an EAP to offer support to employees on a wide range of personal and work-related problems. An effective EAP can contribute to improved employee morale and productivity and give early warning of workplace issues that need to be addressed. The typical EAP offers employees access to a professional counselling service on a confidential basis and also provides information and advice on a wide variety of practical matters. These elements are accessible in the first instance through well-publicised phonelines (often operating 24 hours a day), backed up, where necessary, by a number of face-to-face counselling sessions. The emphasis is on short-term, solution-focused interventions.

There is a growing trend for EAPs to be integrated with related services such as occupational health and risk management. Employers are also increasingly calling on their supplier's expertise to inform policy development and initiatives in areas such as stress management, harassment or bullying and absence reduction.

A counselling service or EAP can be provided from in-house resources or by an external supplier. Another solution is to have complementary internal and external arrangements. The IDS StudyPlus on employee assistance programmes features detailed case studies of all these options. A Directory of suppliers gives detailed information on 23 external providers active in the EAP field. The main services offered are described and there is a checklist of the key issues for employers to consider when selecting a provider.

What’s in this StudyPlus

The 64-page StudyPlus contains the following sections:

Overview

The expanding market and the trend towards an integrated approach

Analysis

EAPs in practice –

• Why have an EAP?
• Internal or external options
• How EAPs work
• Confidentiality
• Reporting and feedback

Company practice

Seven case studies – Britannia Building Society; HSBC Bank; The Scottish Executive; Cummins Engine Company; Lothian and Borders Police; South West Trains; Northamptonshire County Council

Directory of suppliers

Choosing an external supplier –

• A checklist of key considerations when selecting a provider of EAPs
• Details of the services offered by 23 specialist suppliers.