HR managers across Europe look to EAPs to provide support for substance abuse and trauma

In addition to counselling services, EAPs (Employee Assistance Programmes) are also expected to provide support for alcohol and drug abuse, critical incident and trauma counselling, a study shows.

The Employee Assistance European Forum (EAEF) commissioned the Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University, Scotland to explore the perceptions of EAPs amongst HR managers in over 100 organisations in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark.

The Benchmark Study is the first published in Europe to explore the views of HR managers with responsibility for the EAP in their organisations or who were considering purchasing EAP services. 53% of managers questioned reported that they had established an EAP or were considering doing so to provide support for staff and their families or as a part of a benefits package. Other reasons given for implementing an EAP were to provide work/life balance, stress management, financial, legal, health and other information services for employees. From an organisational perspective, EAPs were seen as a means of supporting a caring employer policy, minimising disruption to work performance/productivity, optimising attendance and meeting duty-of-care obligations,

ìEAPs are expected to provide the same range of core services wherever they are being bought in Europe, despite different levels of EA development in different European countriesî comments Richard Hopkins, EAEF President. ìThis Study has helped focus European EA providers on the counselling services their customers wantî he added.

The name and reputation of the EAP provider, the quality of the provider and the relationship with the provider were seen as significant factors in the purchase decision, as was price. 66% of HR managers reported that EAPs gave value for money.

Established in 2002, the EAEF is the voice of EA in Europe, responsible for promoting best EA practice. The EAEF has over 50 members in 19 countries. Its next annual conference on the theme of ìEA in Actionî is in Istanbul in June 2008.