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.