An Integrated Approach to Expand One Federal Government EAP's Role Beyond Disaster Response

Summary

In view of the world events of the past several years, the demand on organizations to have dynamic disaster preparedness and management systems in place is growing exponentially as the immediate and long-term effects and the potential disruptive impact of natural disasters, acts and threats of terrorism, and other crisis situations has increased for organizations, the workplace and the work force. Whether the employer is an international private sector enterprise, an independent labor organization, a governmental agency, or a small non-profit entity, the demands on work organizations and their employees is extensive in times of crisis or when responding to a specific disaster or traumatic incident, whether natural or man-made. As evident by the advent of an entire industry of consultants and organizations providing disaster preparedness, planning, response, and management services, the workplace has indeed become the playing field for a patchwork of disaster and trauma related services and strategies, many of which are disparate and disconnected from the very work force upon which the execution of the disaster response plan or the continuity of business operations is dependent. This author will build upon the conclusions of a recent study indicating that the “human capital” dimensions of disaster preparedness and management are often overlooked in such planning and execution efforts, while advancing the idea that employee assistance programs provide not only a logical but an ideal fit for that void. By offering some examples from one federal EAP's evolving efforts in this area, the author will offer a discussion of various approaches, strategies, activities, and partnerships that an EAP affords the employee assistance practitioner—a collection of capabilities that are inherent in the very conceptual framework and fundamental premise on which EAPs in the workplace have been built, and of the possibilities that can be realized as that EAP becomes well-positioned and fully integrated into the workplace, bringing value to and providing vital resources to the work organization and the work force in preparation for, response to, and management of disasters, traumatic events and other crisis situations to which more and more employers and labor organizations around the globe are prone—ultimately enhancing the value of the EAP to the organization and to their collective continuity of operations planning and execution.

Key Words:

• Employee assistance services
• EAP
• disaster preparedness
• disaster response
• disaster management
• emergency preparedness
• emergency management trauma response
• human capital
• continuity of business operations