Accor Services announces new strategic partnership

Accor Services today announced that Employee Advisory
Resource (EAR), one of the UKís leading providers of Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) and Work-Life services, will join forces with Workplace Options (WPO), the largest provider of Work-Life employee benefits in the United States and a current partner of Accor Services.

This strategic partnership will allow EARís growing portfolio of global clients to quickly and effectively extend coverage of their employee benefits outside the UK. It will allow WPOís EAP clients to expand their work-life services internationally and will provide them with access to an extensive network of behavioral health providers throughout Europe. These combined forces will now be able to share ideas and investments, in order to bring innovative new products to the two most dynamic marketplaces for worklife and employee support services.

The partnership reinforces Accor Servicesí global EAP/Work-Life strategy, which seeks to leverage shared quality/service standards and technology platforms with a strong local presence. Accor Services currently has EAP/Work-Life subsidiaries in the UK, the US, Australia and France. In addition, its rapidly expanding international network of affiliate partners enables Accor Services to provide EAP coverage in more than 35 countries and to reaffirm its leadership in the global HR benefit market.

Laurent Delmas, Managing Director of Accor Services UK, said: ìOur portfolio of international Blue Chip clients is increasingly telling us they need innovative products
and services of the highest quality which are consistent across the geographies in which they operate. This is exactly what this partnership will deliver to our clients and their employees.î

Workplace Optionsí Chief Executive Officer Dean Debnam said: ìThis is an exciting development for both existing and prospective clients of Employee Advisory Resource
and Workplace Options. Through this innovative partnership leading global businesses will get the benefits of one contract to cover their employees in more than 35 countries.î

ìWe are delighted to offer a truly international work-life service to our clients in the U.S.,î said Alan King, president of WPO. ìThis also allows us to expand our emindhealth network to include mental health professionals in 12 European countries.î