CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION

List of Subtopics:

What is Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?

Background of Research

Statement of the Problem

Purpose of Research

Research Objectives

Conceptual Framework

The Importance of the Research

Limitation of the Research

Definition of Concepts

Background of Organization  

.

What is Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?  

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) that were developed in the United States in the 1940s are focused on the problems of alcoholic workers that experiencing declining works performance. The early EAPs were also concerned with problems of drug and substance abuse. A few EAPs services on that time also dealt with the workers that were experiencing severe emotional problems (Weiner, Akabas, and Sommer in Cunningham, 1994). Over time, the EAPs provide a range of services including other social, emotional, and relationship issues that far beyond the first EAPs services offered. As Mondy and Noe (1996) define that an EAP is a comprehensive approach that many organizations have taken to deal with numerous problem areas, including marital or family difficulties, job performance problems, stress, emotional or mental health issues, financial troubles, alcohol and drug abuse, and grief and loss. More recently, some EAPs have also become concerned with HIV and AIDS, eldercare, workplace violence, and natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes (Haskins and Kleiner in Mondy and Noe, 1996). To make it easier, Cunningham (1994) asserted that EAP is referring to a program that provides direct service to an organization’s workers who are experiencing many different types of problems in their personal or work lives.  

    The main idea to have an EAP is to retain a valued employee whose job performance affected by personal or work lives problems by motivating them to seek help. The decision to accept assistance is the responsibility of the employee. In addition, the troubled employees are advised to seek help by meeting the EAP counselor by their own, not by “involuntary” or forced as stated by Cunningham (1994). However, Backer and O’Hare; and Leavitt in Cunningham (1994) claimed that in most EAPs the majority of employees seek help on their own without the intervention of their supervisors, and most of them shows no sign of declining work performance. Even though the EAPs services should be fully utilized by the employees in voluntary basis, but the supervisors is still can refer any employees that shows the decline of job performance or poor attendance. The idea here is employees are highlighted as organizational asset (Carroll, 1996), not as a resource. More and more organizations agreed that the key factor of their success is their own employees or workers. The implementation of an EAP in organization reflects the caring image of the organization itself. Top executives insisted that ‘corporate social responsibility’ was the main reason why they wished to install an EAP (Corneil in Carroll, 1996). Typically, most or all the EAPs costs are borne by the employer or to make it easier -it is a free service. Pfeffer’s research into successful organizations showed clearly that the most important factor was the way they cared for their workers (cited in Carroll, 1996). Table 1 shows the rationale of the EAP introduction into the workplace. 

    Whatever reasons of why employers should introduce EAP in the workplace, the fact is these programs are being set to increase worker productivity while reducing overall cost. An example claimed that they have realized the significant price they are paying in lower productivity and quality for their workers’ personal and work problems (Labig, 1995). In addition, one CEO claimed that a well-run EAP would return a minimum of three dollars for every dollar spent on the program (Mondy and Noe, 1996).  However, this cannot happen unless the employer is committed to the success of the EAP installed as agreed by many EAP practitioners. The employer has to ensure that every level of employees should play their role in order to utilize the use of EAP as a profit driven.

Source: Alker and McHugh, (2000, p. 306).

Table 1 Cited reasons/expectations for EAP introduction

References

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