Employee assistance program: A valuable addition

Employees are an asset to the organisation. The aim of an organisation is to effectively utilise the skills and competencies of the employees towards corporate growth. Factors such as family crisis, financial strain, feelings of competition, health concerns and in fact stress of any kind can affect decision making and problem solving capacity of the employee, in turn hampering the performance at work. That is where; a healthy and stress free work-culture becomes a necessity. This study sought to understand the kinds of stress employees and the management faces and a sense of resiliency that is expected. ‘Employee Assistance Programs' have started to make a mark in the corporate world. An EAP helps employees with personal, financial and/or work-related problems that may impact their job performance, health, mental or emotional wellbeing. Generally free and confidential, EAPs' offer assessments, short-term counselling, learning and development as well as referrals and follow up services to employees and their family members. An intensive literature search was carried out to understand the use and impact of EAP in organisations. It is seen that such programs offer benefits in preventing distress among employees and also help them become more resilient to adverse situations. Implications of the study have been discussed.