National Association of Social Workers

Styles of Aiding Workers Evolve for EAPs

Employee Assistance Programs Handle Array of Issues

Emotional distress can reduce a worker's capacity to perform by 50 percent.

By Paul R. Pace, News Staff

Illustration: John Michael Yanson

The field that started out as a way to help workers deal with their alcohol or drug addictions has grown into a broad spectrum of aiding a company's workforce and its productivity. The field is employee assistance, and a majority of those in it are trained in social work, according to Dale Masi, a leading expert on employee assistance programs (EAPs).

While the EAP started out as a way to help employees with alcohol and drug addiction, EAP professionals today say they need to be well rounded to address an array of problems. Issues that may affect job performance that are brought up by employees as often as any traditional addiction include personal relationships, depression and anxiety, experts say.

Natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the threat of terrorist attacks and the latest warning of disease on the nightly news leads to higher stress for employees and, in turn, can affect their productivity, said Faye McAneny, who handles the EAP for NASW's national office in Washington, D.C.

"The thing about EAP is, it's not a specific foray," she said. "It's anything and everything that walks through the door. You have to be very flexible in your clinical approach."

McAneny also runs her own EAP firm, Mental Health Resources, Ltd., and has worked in a variety of clinical settings. She said that the experience has helped tremendously in dealing with an assortment of employee issues.

One EAP company manager said emotional distress can cause a 50 percent reduction in a worker's capacity to perform his or her duties. Two EAP managers said family or marital problems appear to be the new leading cause for seeking EAP assistance.

As the EAP evolves, studies continue to show that EAPs help boost or maintain a company's profit margin by promoting better employee performance and aid in easing supervisor-employee relations.

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From July 2006 NASW News. © 2006 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.