Total Quality Management in Contracted EAPs

Total Quality Management (TQM) is being implemented in many work organizations throughout the United States in an attempt to compete in a world market. Very few corporations possess the capacity in terms of resources, facilities and expertise to develop, and manufacture a product from inception to market without the use of outside resources. In many instances it is not economically desirable. As a result companies come to rely on a vast array of suppliers with the specific technology needed. Corporations committed to total quality management want suppliers who share the commitment. Employee assistance program vendors are one of these suppliers and as such have to meet the demands of client companies in the TQM arena. This article addresses one EAP vending firm's efforts towards implementing a TQM initiative within its own organization as a strategy to maintain a competitve market position as a supplier of EAP and behavioral health care services. Externally, the result has been to create a product differentiation when competing against other vendors. Internally it has resulted in the enhancement of a more cohesive and productive organization.     

Promises to keep. An evaluator's perspective on employee assistance programs.

This paper presents a critical review of the rapidly expanding literature concerning employee assistance programs (EAPs). Several essential features of EAPs are identified and the assumptions underlying these components are examined. The latter section of this report offers some tentative suggestions for correcting this situation so that the EAP movement will no longer suffer from the lack of a firm database upon which to build more coherent and defensible theories and programs.     

EAP Benefit and Cost Structure Analysis:

This presentation is a review of basic estimation methods geared for assessment of service benefit and cost structure of employee assistance programs (EAPs). The methodologies specify how various benefit and cost items can be organized and measured in dollar figures in order to translate effects of the EAP and operating cost distribution patterns. Based on the calculations, EAPs may assess cost saving patterns and avoid becoming a financial liability to the company. The estimation of benefit/cost ratios can be utilized for establishing program accountability and planning purposes. The methodologies presented in this chapter are at an introductory level. They are geared for EAP personnel and social work students interested in EAPs who have minimal familiarity with cost and benefit structure analysis.     

Federal Government EAPs and Total Quality Management:

In the federal government, total quality management (TQM) principles have been actively supported and encouraged since the Reagan administration. The EAP Consortium administered by Federal Occupational Health, a Division of the U.S. Public Health Service, Region IX, has had unique opportunities to implement total quality improvement principles. In an era of budget constraints and limited resources, it is a never ending dynamic process to achieve a better understanding of Federal agencies and to continually innovate EAP products and processes to remain customer focused. This article explores the challenges of satisfying customer needs and expectations by continuously working across the organization to improve external and internal processes.     

Experiences of internal and hybrid employee assistance program managers: Factors associated with successful,at-risk,and eliminated programs

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) originated as workplace-focused programs delivered largely by peer employees. Over the past 25 years, the once standard internal EAP has largely been replaced by internal/external hybrid programs or outsourced EAP vendors. Many long-standing internal programs have been downsized or eliminated, along with their internal program manager positions. This qualitative study examined the organizational, leadership, and programmatic characteristics associated with the internal and internal/hybrid EAPs from the perspectives of EAP managers working in programs that have thrived and those that have depreciated. Twenty-four current and former internal or internal/hybrid EAP managers were interviewed using a semistructured interview schedule. Qualitative methods were used to identify patterns and themes within the data to describe the experience of internal and internal/hybrid EAP managers and the critical success and risk factors associated with their positions and programs. Five final themes, with 15 subthemes emerged from the data, suggesting that both individual and organizational characteristics of EAP internal and hybrid programs are important to the program’s sustainability. These findings offer insights regarding best practices and critical success factors to EAP professionals, EAP purchasers, and the EAP industry.     

A Systems Theory Analysis of Employee Assistance Programs

The systems theory principles of wholeness or nonsummativity, dynamic equilibration, nonlinear causality, feedback, equifinality, and permeable boundaries are described with conceptual and practical implications for employee assistance programs. Ten interfacing macrosystems relevant to EAP work are identified (e.g., employees; families; supervisors and management; unions; business community), and ways to account for and address the diverse agendas of these systems in EAP practice are discussed.     

The Role of Supervisory Referral in Employee Assistance Programs

Abstract

A growing number of organizations offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to help employees with their personal problems. Many organizations rely on their supervisors to help identify and refer troubled employees to the EAP for assistance, yet very little conclusive evidence exists regarding the factors that influence whether or not supervisors identify and intervene with troubled employees. A previous review of the literature (Nord & Littrell, 1989) found that the following variables were consistently related to referral: (a) degree of management support for the EAP, (b) gender of supervisor, (c) gender of subordinate, (d) existence of a supervisor network, (e) occupational category of the employees supervised, (f) social distance between supervisor and troubled employee, (g) supervisors' attitude toward their role in referral, and (h) supervisor knowledge of the EAP. However, results of some of the studies reviewed for the current paper were inconsistent with Nord and Littrell's (1989) findings. Additional research is needed in this area, including research on the effectiveness of EAP supervisory training, in order to provide guidelines for the administration of effective EAP programs.     

Chapter 21: A Commentary on the Integration of EAPs

Abstract

This article addresses the notion of integration-past and present. The author discusses his earlier experiences and research in the field when the dominant model of service delivery was occupational alcoholism programs and counselors of the day sought to integrate these programs into the personnel management function as a means of more effectively serving the employee and the employer. This article also reviews the evolution of this earlier model into employee assistance programs and points out the success and continued growth of these programs was the direct result of empirical research that demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of EAPs. The author reminds the reader to be mindful of the need to maintain the core technology ascribed to EAPs as the range of workplace human service programs continues to expand. Lastly, the author reiterates the necessity of empirical research to demonstrate the value of adding of work-life and wellness services to the broadening scope of programs aimed at maximizing human capital.     

Formative Evaluation of EAPs by Studying Role Perceptions and Organizational Cultures

This article argues that formative evaluation is the most appropriate strategy for the current developmental stage of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Since most EAPs entail multiple interventions and have poorly defined success criteria, the utility of summative evaluation in this field is limited. A method for conducting formative evaluations is outlined. It involves the combination of quantitative and qualitative strategies: using a questionnaire to compare the perceived (actual and desired) role of EAP workers by significant groups in the organization; and, then by studying the organizational culture in which these programs are imbedded through intewicws with key informants. Examples from a study in Israel demonstrate the usefulness of the suggested approach.     

Total Quality Management of EAP Vendors

Employers are increasingly turning to benefits consulting firms to help them plan the management of employee mental health care costs. With evolving employee assistance and managed care programs, employers need to be "informed consumers." Direct marketing by EAP vendors is no longer the most effective business strategy. Most employers want to get an impartial third party opinion on what their needs are, the type of program(s) best suited to their organization and which vendor can best meet those needs. Quality and cost are of primary concern. This article addresses the specific elements that are examined by a benefits consultant in review and selection of EAP vendors with a particular emphasis on total quality management.     

Case Studies of Federal Occupational Health's EAP Responses to Natural Disasters

Summary

Employee assistance professionals have increasingly been called upon to address the emotional and mental health needs of customer organizations and their employees in response to large-scale natural or man-made disasters. In doing so, employee assistance program (EAP) professionals must use a repertoire of responses that encompasses a broad range of interventions, generally anchored in an understanding of and focus on the organization and its culture, mission, management and labor concerns, and other critical characteristics. The EAP's fallback response to a crisis affecting the workplace is often a critical incident stress debriefing or close variant of it. However, EAPs can best serve their customers at all levels with interventions attuned to an understanding of the workplace culture gained through a consultative relationship with management, while factoring in the nature of the disaster, the length of time and characteristics of the disaster's aftermath, and the nuances of the employees' physical and emotional needs throughout the entire disaster response and recovery process.

This article highlights these issues through the presentation of two case studies, gained from the hurricane response activities of the Federal Occupational Health (FOH) EAP. FOH, a service unit within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Program Support Center, has 60 years of experience working in partnership with its federal agency customers to deliver comprehensive occupational health services to improve the health, safety, and productivity of the federal workforce. FOH's EAP contracts with vendor organizations to provide direct employee assistance, work/life, and related services to more than 1.3 million federal employees. The first case study describes (from the first person perspective) an on-site, multi-focused EAP intervention at a federal facility. The second case study describes management consultation with the U.S. Postal Service in response to major hurricane activity.     

Chapter 20: A Social Partnership Approach to Work-Life Balance in the European Union—

Abstract

Over the past number of years there has been considerable focus on the integration of employee assistance and work-life programmes in the United States. A national survey conducted by EAPA, EASNA, and AWLP found there is a trend towards the integration of employee assistance and work-life. Many US providers and multinational companies will seek to extend their EAPs and work-life programmes globally. It is sometimes assumed that the EAPs and work-life models that operate in the US will transfer but this is often not the case. There is a cultural dimension to EAPs and work-life programmes that is often overlooked. The European Union (EU) is involved in the greatest example of integration in recent history and an understanding of the EU and its legal system will assist those providing their services. In the EU, EAPs did not follow the same growth pattern as in the US. Professionals in European countries working with business such as psychologists, social workers, and counsellors did not recognise the need for EAPs as, in their view, programmes to deal with personal problems in the workplace already existed. The concept of work-life is widely known and accepted in many European countries; however, there is little evidence of research specifically on the integration of EAPs and work-life programmes. This article will look at one EU country, Ireland, and outline the history and development of EAPs and work-life and present case studies of Irish companies who have developed work-life programmes.     

Validating a new total quality management‐benchmarking measurement model in an international humanitarian setting

The research aims to empirically validate a multidimensional measure of total quality management (TQM) benchmarking within a humanitarian setting. This study is the first to investigate the dimensionality of the TQM benchmarks as used by international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs). The proposed four‐dimensional construct for measuring quality lends itself to lean and practical TQM framework for INGOs, allowing them a greater awareness and an appetite for aligning their operations with TQM principles. Utilizing survey data collected from participants working for United Nations agencies in the Middle East, the methodology consisted of a set of literature‐backed quantitative procedures to test the validity of the previously suggested theoretical TQM‐measurement model. An alternate model emerged and revealed that the TQM‐benchmarking measurement model is a four‐factor variate. The implications of the proposed model for implementing lean management practices by INGOs are discussed.     

A Framework for Evaluating Employee Assistance Programs

Particularly in the past decade, Employee Assistance Programs (EMS) have become an integral part of the management of public sector and private sector organizations. The evolution of EAPs is briefly traced and the claims of advocates regarding their positive effects are documented. It is also emphasized that, in spite of their ubiquity, little attention has been given to devising strategies for evaluating the success or failure of EAPs. A framework is developed to guide comprehensive evaluations of such programs. A framework is developed to guide comprehensive evaluations of such programs. The framework stresses five aspects of EAP performance: effort, program performance (outcome evaluation), adequacy of performance, efficiency, and process evaluation.     

EAPs in Transition:

This paper is a survey report of EAP purpose and practices. One hundred and eighty-two (n = 182) randomly selected EAP practitioners responded to a questionnaire designed to measure purposes, services, staff specialties and characteristics, service users, and related background information. The findings provide an empirical evaluation of the "state of the art" of the growth, development and trends in the employee assistance field. Also, while the findings indicate that EAPs are in transition several basic functions common to all are identified.     

Employee Assistance Programs:

Many people in the employee assistance field view the development and expansion of employee assistance programs (EAPs) as a direct result of occupational alcoholism programs. This paper assesses the early role of occupational social welfare as the precursor of social service programs in the workplace and emphasizes the importance of having a broader historical perspective of EAPs.     

Approaches used by employee assistance programs to address perpetration of intimate partner violence

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are workplace resources available to employees with problems impacting work performance. EAPs are well-positioned to address intimate partner violence (IPV), a major public health problem with workplace impacts. A purposeful sample of 28 EAPs across the United States was surveyed to identify policies and programs to address IPV, including perpetration. Most EAPs did not report having standardized approaches for addressing IPV perpetration. EAPs also described significant barriers to identifying IPV perpetrators, with the majority relying on self-disclosure on the part of the perpetrator when contacting the EAP. These results suggest that many EAPs--even when interacting with employees who present with issues known to correlate with IPV--are missing a potential opportunity to assess and intervene with IPV perpetrators.     

A Brief Overview of Research Techniques Used to Evaluate Three Employee Assistance Programs Through the Family Service Association of Metropolitan Toronto Experience

This article describes three models of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) evaluations used by the Family Service Association of Metropolitan Toronto, a major provider of national EAPs in Canada. Each EAP and their subsequent evaluation is tailored to the specific needs of the different organizations. Example l focuses on a case by case review. Example 2 describes a method of determining how well the EAP reaches troubled employees and comments on the effectiveness of the intervention. Example 3 describes how a simple but effective user survey provides information for evaluation purposes. These three evaluation models are examples of how EAPs and their evaluations respond to the uniqueness of various organizations and their respective client groups.     

A Comparative Analysis of In-House and Contractual Employee Assistance Program

This paper aims to expand the present state of knowledge regarding employee assistance programs (EAPs) through the presentation of the findings of a study which explored the existence and the nature of such programs in the New York Metropolitan Area. The identification of all EAPs in this area allowed for the development of a typology encompassing the identified programs, and for a comparative analysis of in-house and contractual EAPs in the finance/insurance, manufacturing, and service industries.