Organizational Support Systems for Employee Assistance Programs

ABSTRACT

As broad-based employee assistance programs (EAPs) gain popularity, they are also coming under greater scrutiny by organizations. Employee assistance programs have their roots in organizational alcohol programs, for which a set of standards in terms of staffing, operation and evaluation had gradually developed over the years. However, such standards for EAPs are not as well developed. With greater environmental pressure for organizations to streamline and meet the demands of changing work environment and workforce, it is argued that the field of industrial/organizational psychology can add much to the field of EAPs in terms of helping EAPs meet organizational needs most effectively and efficiently. This paper presents some current trends facing organizations and addresses the issues of how industrial/organizational psychologists can help organizations meet these new challenges by develop organizational components which serve as support systems for EAPs.