Employee Assistance Program

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        Employee Assistance Program

At least one fifth of an organization’s employees are suffering or will suffer from some degree of mental disorder.  This fact is one that not many supervisors or managers believe or even know about.  Management believes the idea that man is perfectible and has control of every aspect of his life including mental disorders.  This belief is based on the idea that the only way to influence people to change their habits and attitudes is to show them through logic, the “error of their ways”.  If management is to minimize conflicts and costs related to mental illness, it must discard many of its false beliefs about human nature and except more realistic ones. Only in rare cases are the sufferers of mental illness aware that anything is wrong with them.  It is an improbable idea that management can expect to confront the employee, explain the error of his ways, and ask him/her to “just snap out of it”.  Also, employee’s attitudes and behaviors do change which is very difficult to control.  Management must realize this and work within its employees’ existing behaviors and attitudes instead of trying to change them.  It is unrealistic to expect perfection in the employee.  Each employee works under the typical anxieties and insecurities of employment in America with the potential of developing mental disorders.   Therefore, regardless of the actions taken by management, employees will continue to suffer with problems and the potential for mental disorders throughout the various stages of their lives.  “If management is to cope successfully with employees’ problems, it must revise its assumptions regarding the lack of security, certainty and predictability of future employment.”

  Trouble starts when basic employee needs are not met in the workplace.  When employees experience problems, the quality and quantity of the work products suffer.  Additionally, employee conflicts with management and other employees may result in poor attendance, conduct issues, inadequate safety compliance, and “poor” attitudes.

“Twenty percent of employees in the United States workforce have job related problems caused by alcoholism, drug dependency, mental or emotional disorder, compulsive disorders, gambling, financial difficulties, legal difficulties, marital discord, family problems, or a combination of these.” 

These problems can and usually come as a result of the company’s failure to provide them with a strong, compatible supervisor.  Most supervisors have worked there way up through the ranks and may not have management or organizational “know how”.  For this reason, supervisors can appear to be weak, incompetent, unreliable, and authoritarian resulting in problems with its staff.  Also, anxiety may be caused by the lack of structure and definition of the employee’s duties, responsibilities, and the range of perceived authority.  Other reasons for anxiety and stress in the workplace may be the perception of discrimination or favoritism.  The placement of a worker where he is not accepted as part of the “in-group” can build up feelings of rejection and may result in conflicts.  One of the biggest failures of management, which causes anxiety and tension, is communication.  Failure of the supervisor to provide feedback to allow the employee to know his/her standing regarding work performance may cause anxiety due to an uncertain future.  

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Employees will turn to other troubled employees when their security and future is at risk.

An Employee Assistance Program may be a solution to the existing problems between management, the employee, and the organization as a whole.  These problems that have the potential to cause mental disorders in the industry constitutes one of society’s most costly and universal problems.  Progress in coping with mental disorders in business has been slow.  The problem is too complex and is rooted in our beliefs; however, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) may provide insight into the improvement of the problems or if not, the ...

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