Standards for the EAP Profession: Isn't It Time We All Start Speaking the Same Language?

Abstract

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are expected to provide efficient and effective services to their customers. Practice standards, including evidence-based interventions and standardized outcomes, have not been established. This article reports findings from an online survey focused on EAP outcomes from 23 EAP owners, who cover 1,500 work organizations and more than 900,000 employees. Results suggest work-related stress and cost of health care are of paramount concern to EAPs and their customers, and standardized outcomes and reporting formulas would be welcomed. Implications for future research to advance the EAP field and better demonstrate value are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Outcome measures
• standardized reporting

The authors would like to recognize the contributions of Mr. James Harting, Owner of Daybreak Software and the Center for EAP Benchmarking Surveys, and thank him and the participating EAP companies for collaborating with the University of Maryland on this research study.

Notes

Note. STD = short-term disability; LTD = long-term disability.

Note. STD = short-term disability; LTD = long-term disability.