Employee Assistance Programs and Employer Downsizing

ABSTRACT

What is the role of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) in organizational downsizings? This article examines the role of EAPs in the planning and implementation stages of organizational downsizing. It Fmds that EAPs are little used in the planning stage, and that their services are not systematically provided to managers, survivors or those who are terminated. In a sample of public and private sector organizations that have experienced downsizing or significant restructuring, there is little difference between public sector and private sector organizations.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) traditionally have been designed to respond to personal problems that plague employees and impact employee job performance. These problems also are the types of problems that are generated by dramatic change in the workplace. This article explores how organizations define the role of EAPs when employers downsize.