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Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) / Employee Wellness
Programme (EWP)
The EAP is a generic term
referring to the structure that is developed within an
organisation to provide professional assistance to
“troubled” employees. The mission of the EAP is to enhance
employee resources for self-development so that they can
improve their well-being and their work performance. The
objectives of the programme include the identification,
assessment, referral (when necessary), treatment or
counselling and re-integration of “troubled” employees back
into the workplace.
An EWP has added services in that its primary role is
preventative and focuses on providing information, resources
and knowledge to employees with the purpose of empowering
and ensuring the maintenance of physically and emotionally
healthy individuals and improving their wellbeing.
Every employee, at some stage or another, is affected by
problematic issues they are facing at home or at work. Often
an employee will cope adequately with the difficulty and
there will be no need for any professional intervention.
Sometimes however, the employee feels overwhelmed,
unsupported and stressed by their home or work related
problems. If left unattended or inadequately managed, these
issues can affect an employee’s work performance and / or
home lives negatively. The EAP therefore, enables the
employee to manage both their personal and work related
problem, thus minimising the negative impact they may have
on one another.
The EAP concept is based on an open systems framework,
recognising that an employee is unable to separate himself
from psycho-social problems while in the workplace. Problems
that occur in the workplace due to the nature of work also
need to be managed to reduce stress and enhance motivation.
Experience has shown one in four employees are troubled at
any one time, the impact on productivity and employee morale
being obviously negative. Research has also shown that up to
80% of “problem” employees can be returned to a productive
level of performance through EAP intervention, at little
expense and great benefit to the company.
If implemented, an EAP is available on your site every week
at a specified time for a specified number of hours. Dates
and times are distributed, placed on notice boards and
displayed on the EAP office door. Appointments can be made
during this time, or via e-mail.
The EAP operates on a micro (individual counselling) meso
(group training, group intervention) and macro level (policy
development, organisational change).
For more information or a proposal for your company, please
contact Colette Rodrigues either on Cell: 082 883 7569, via
email on
colette@employeewellness.co.za or by filling in the form
on the contact page.
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Principles
of the EAP: |
The EAP is:
- A broad
brush approach encompassing intervention
with all personal problems
- Available
to all levels of employees
- Voluntary
and strictly confidential
- Accessible
through self-referrals
(self-recognition that help is needed),
clinic referrals (from the occupational
health sister or doctor) and formal
referrals (referred by supervisor /
manager due to impact on work performance)
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Independent (not an employee of the
company)
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