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In order to study whether employee assistance programs have a significant impact on job performance, whether psychological contract and perceived organizational support play a mediating role in job performance, and thus provide practical operational strategies for relevant enterprises to propose human resource management suggestions to promote job performance, the implementation of employee assistance programs has been the subject of practical research. The findings indicate that addressing issues related to high turnover, job burnout, and absences cannot be separated from the importance of the psychological contract, perceived organizational support, and employee performance in organizational change. By applying structural equation modeling (SEM) to the data from front-line employees of several units in China, this research tested the relationships among employee assistance programs, psychological contracts, perceived organizational support, and job performance using SPSS and AMOS. The results indicate that employee assistance programs positively affect job performance; psychological contracts and perceived organizational support play a mediating role between employee assistance programs and employee job performance (JOP). Our research suggests that an employee assistance program can optimize frontline employee assistance work, build a mechanism to stimulate frontline employees' psychological contracts, and create an organizational environment full of perceived organizational support. This study innovatively uses the structural equation model for quantitative research. In addition, most previous studies on EPA were based on a single variable, psychological contract, and POS were used as the main intermediary variables to explore the mechanism of their impact on job performance so as to enhance the explanatory power of employee job performance. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-05-018 Full Text: PDF

Purpose: To describe the well-being supports provided to health care workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in health centers and hospitals. Design: Cross-sectional qualitative interviews before and after implementation of a peer-based support intervention. Setting: Purposively sampled hospitals and health centers across the US. Participants: 28 site leaders and 56 HCWs sampled from 16 hospitals and 12 health centers. Method: Site leaders and HCWs were asked to describe supports available to HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thematic and content coding and analysis of interview responses were conducted using Dedoose. Results: Both site leaders and HCWs identified a range of support resources available. Communication resources were the most frequently cited in both groups. Health care workers reported bi-directional communication, while one-way communication was emphasized by site leaders. Hospitals highlighted counseling support, particularly Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), while health centers prioritized community support. Wellness activities were more prevalent in hospital settings, while health centers offered specific workplace-provided training for HCWs. Health care workers encountered barriers when accessing support, including limited time, fear of stigma, and disruptions to their existing support networks attributable to the pandemic. Conclusion: While there are resources for HCWs, the available supports may not align with their needs and barriers to access may limit the effectiveness of these supports. Continued engagement between leaders and HCWs could help better align resources with needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to a survey regarding indigenous employment, in Taiwan, a high proportion of indigenous people are engaged in construction work compared with the overall population. However, among indigenous construction workers, 56.15% have received no occupational safety or health training, and 9.39% have encountered occupational accidents in their workplaces. Therefore, this study aimed to develop employee assistance programs (EAPs) for indigenous workers in Taiwan by focusing on three dimensions—namely work, life, and health—and by establishing corresponding implementation paths for these EAPs. A modified Delphi method was adopted to screen EAP measures for the workplaces of indigenous workers, and a formal evaluation followed. Subsequently, the analytic hierarchy process was employed to calculate the overall weights among the factors in order to discern the relative importance of each factor in achieving the target goal or to resolve target problems and establish an order of priority. The results indicated that health was the most important of the three dimensions of indigenous EAPs, followed by the life dimension and then the work dimension. Compared with previous studies regarding Han Taiwanese workers, mental health services in the health dimension were particularly important in the present study. Finally, regarding the health dimension, this study suggests developing mental health services that respect indigenous culture and therefore are appropriate for indigenous people, such as the establishment of drug and alcohol addiction support groups and mental health service systems. In addition, corresponding welfare measures can be offered to enhance people's motivation to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented need for mental health support for hospital employees. To address these rising needs, members of the Psychiatry Department of Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital created a brief, behavioral skills-based mental health crisis intervention program termed "CopeNYP." Due to the success of CopeNYP's treatment model in reducing anxiety and depression, NewYork-Presbyterian adopted and expanded this model as its Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This EAP provides access to short-term counseling for over 38,000 employees and their household members. We describe the transition from a brief intervention to an expanded internal EAP. We report on user characteristics including client demographics and work-related variables. Our program yielded a utilization rate of 4.25% from July 2021 to March 2022. Nurses, administrative staff, and professional and allied health staff were the top three employee groups to utilize the services. The most prevalent presenting problem was Anxiety/Stress. Creating an internal EAP to support healthcare worker needs, including high quality mental health interventions, is feasible. We found that our EAP utilization rates were on par with other internal EAPs. In the era of healthcare burnout, internal EAPs can be beneficial for frontline staff who seeks intervention for mental health and relational issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate medical directors (CMDs) can provide tremendous value by leading or participating in the development of an integrated comprehensive health strategy that includes employer health benefits. Many CMDs report having benefits expertise but being underutilized while others report not having expertise. Professional organizations should support ongoing education on health-related benefits. Objective: Knowledge of health-related employer benefits is considered a core competency by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. This study seeks to understand how this translates into practice. Methods: An electronic survey was e-mailed to members of American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Corporate Medicine and Health and Human Performance Sections; Integrated Benefits Institute; and Employer Health Innovation Roundtable. Results: One hundred nineteen responses were received, including 54 from corporate medical directors (CMDs) and 43 from employee benefits professionals, from a variety of industries. Fifty percent of CMDs reported expertise in designing benefits, but only 25% are engaged with health benefits. The majority of CMDs thought that their involvement was important, while the majority of benefits professionals thought that it was not important. Conclusions: Many CMDs report having benefits expertise but being underutilized while others report not having expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee assistance program (EAP) is a service mode for organizations to effectively manage employees' psychology and behavior to improve their work efficiency. As the problems of teachers' stress and mental health are so serious that cannot be ignored, in order to understand their psychological stress and the demands for EAP, a survey was conducted among 386 college teachers, on their working pressure and pressure management by self-made questionnaires. The results show that besides the interpersonal relationships, teachers in colleges and universities have greater stress and the stress sources are more various, and they are supposed to have stronger subjective needs for the EAP. However, few college teachers have received EAP services, and the teachers who received EAP services are not the most stressed people. Thus, the EAP should be promoted inside universities to provide supportive services for teachers' career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic places substantial stress on service employees' work and home lives. Little research has explored the negative effects of perceived stress from COVID‐19 on work and home domains in terms of employees' attitudes toward work. We adopt a job demands–resources perspective to examine how perceived stress from COVID‐19 affects employees' work (i.e., work engagement and burnout) and home life (i.e., work–family conflict and family–work conflict). In particular, we address whether organizational employee assistance programs can buffer these negative effects. We sampled service employees (n = 248), and results show that perceived stress from COVID‐19 increases work engagement and burnout through work–family conflict and family–work conflict. Furthermore, employee assistance programs mean that employees are less likely to experience work–family conflict and family–work conflict when faced with perceived stress from COVID‐19. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and propose directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several studies on learner-to-teacher workplace violence and harassment, the problem persists in some South African schools. Learner-to-teacher violence and harassment is a form of workplace violence and harassment, as schools are workplaces for teachers. Learner-to-teacher violence and harassment is therefore an important occupational health and safety issue for teachers. Employers are obliged to provide a safe working environment for teachers to enable quality teaching and learning in schools. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of high school teachers who have been targets of workplace violence and harassment perpetrated by learners at selected schools in Limpopo Province of South Africa. Many teachers were willing to share their lived experiences but, due to data saturation, only eleven participated after being selected through purposive sampling from seven high schools under a chosen sub-district. The research ethics of voluntary participation, informed consent, ethical clearance, and gatekeeper permission were observed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews using an interview guide. The interviews were audio-taped, and field notes were also taken. Voice recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis into themes and sub-themes. The findings were confirmed by an independent coder to achieve trustworthiness. Teachers experienced physical workplace violence and harassment, verbal workplace violence and harassment, and nonverbal workplace violence and harassment from learners. Learner-to-teacher workplace violence and harassment affects teachers emotionally, and in turn, affects the quality of teaching and learning in schools. Some teachers propose the involvement of a community policing forum, the strengthening of schools' governing bodies, and reducing overcrowding in classrooms as possible solutions to deal with learner-to-teacher workplace violence and harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aile içinde veya yakın bir partneri tarafından hırpalanan kadınlar maruz kaldıkları kötü muamele sonucunda sendrom yaşayabilmektedir. Bu sendrom hırpalanmış kadın sendromu olarak ifade edilmiştir. Hırpalanmış kadın sendromu kadınların günlük yaşamlarını olumsuz yönde etkilemekte, bir işyerinde çalışan kadınlarda ise iş yaşamında da olumsuz sonuçlar doğurabilmektedir. Bir kadın çalışanın işine odaklanamaması, performansının düşmesi, potansiyelini tam olarak ortaya çıkartamaması, işyerinden sık sık izin alması gibi durumların yaşanması hırpalanmış kadın sendromu sonucu gerçekleşebilmektedir. Bu açıdan bakıldığında kadına yönelik şiddetin iş yaşamını da etkileyen bir sorun olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Bu durum özellikle toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı rol dağılımının olduğu toplumlarda kadınların çalışma yaşamında başarısız olacağı argümanına kanıt olarak sunulabilmektedir. Oysaki kadın çalışanın işyerindeki performansının maruz kaldığı şiddet kaynaklı olduğu ortaya konulduğu takdirde bu tür yanlış yargıların da önüne geçmek mümkün olabilecektir. Bu çalışmada sosyolojik ve hukuki temellere dayanan hırpalanmış kadın sendromu iş yaşamı açısından ele alınmıştır. Çalışmanın amacı hırpalanmış kadın sendromuna ilişkin kavramsal bir çerçeve çizerek iş yaşamındaki yansımalarına dair bilgi vermektir. Çalışmada ayrıca hırpalanan kadın çalışanlar için kurum yöneticilerinin alabileceği tedbirlere yönelik bazı önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

Mental health issues often result in significant impairment and financial challenges, both at home and in the workplace. Solutions vary widely in their usage and cost-effectiveness. This study presents an analysis of medical and prescription drug spending and utilization data for the employees of 4 companies who were eligible for an evidence-based workforce mental health program (WMHP). A variation of coarsened exact matching paired WMHP users to nonusers, based on demographics, location, and medical factors. Individuals included 2791 pairs of members whose medical claims were incurred in 2018 and 3883 pairs with claims in 2019. Using a cost efficiency measurement process, mean cost and utilization per person per year (PPPY) were compared. WMHP users had lower medical (−$2295 in 2018; −$2304 in 2019) and prescription drug spending (−$295 in 2018; −$312 in 2019). Over half of the cost reduction (−$1252 in 2018; −$1211 in 2019) resulted from shifting therapy services from the medical benefit to WMHP. WMHP users attended about 12 sessions PPPY, whereas the comparison group of nonusers attended about 7 mental health office visits PPPY under the medical benefit. WMHP users had more mental health-related visits in both years, but had fewer visits on the medical plan, and fewer emergency department visits for mental health than comparison group members. These results provide evidence that high-quality, evidence-based mental health services can reduce total expenditures and change utilization patterns. Evidence-based WMHP may represent a prudent investment for employers in providing mental health care to employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An implementation fidelity study evaluated the quality of the therapeutic alliance (TA) in the counseling services of a Canadian Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The aims were to evaluate the level of TA experienced by EAP users during counseling, to assess the influence of client gender, and to determine the associations between the level of TA and mental health and work functioning outcomes. The TA was assessed with the Brief Therapeutic Alliance Scale (BTAS-5), a self-report quantitative measure developed to rapidly assess multiple elements of the client-therapist alliance from the perspective of the client. The majority of the EAP users (N = 1277) reported experiencing a high level of TA during counseling and men and women reported equal levels. Pretest and posttest analysis with ANCOVA showed that EAP users (N = 505) reporting higher levels of TA had greater mental well-being, lower depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), lower work presenteeism (Workplace Outcome Suite-5; WOS-5), and greater life satisfaction (WOS-5) at follow-up after end of counseling. The TA from the perspective of EAP users can serve as an indicator of well-implemented employee counseling services and its assessment can provide additional evidence of counseling quality and effectiveness, supplementing the findings of traditional outcomes-based EAP studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional officers (COs) in the United States have one of the highest rates of injury and illness among all other occupations. This hidden workforce faces increased rates of suicide, divorce, and posttraumatic stress disorder due to the nature of their work. Internationally recognized and applied resources such as the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) are designed to assist officers with challenges they may face inside and outside of work, but research has noted low rates of use for this program. We take a communicative approach to investigate the challenges that may keep COs from taking advantage of the EAP. Based on interviews with 26 federal COs in the Midwest United States, we explore how officers construct barriers to EAP use by drawing a clear boundary between use of the program for 'personal,' but not 'professional' reasons. We conclude with a discussion of how practitioners can modify communication around the program to deconstruct barriers to its use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed retrospective data from clients who utilized a workforce mental health benefit (WMHB) to understand how changes in anxiety and depression symptoms may predict changes in presenteeism (n = 704). Results indicated that presenteeism improved during WMHB care episodes and the effect varied based on the diagnostic symptom category and degree of symptom improvement. Analyses of mutually exclusive client groups showed that the reduction between the baseline and the follow-up presenteeism score (WLQ-8) ranged from 27% for clients with clinical symptom severity at baseline on measures of both anxiety and depressive symptoms (n = 225) to 15% for clients who showed subclinical symptoms at baseline on measures of both anxiety and depression (n = 300). For clients with clinical levels of anxiety (n = 129) or depressive symptoms (n = 50) at baseline, significant reduction of presenteeism occurred when both reliable improvement and recovery was achieved on a respective measure of clinical symptoms. Findings suggest WMHBs can mitigate presenteeism by alleviating mental health symptoms but clients with certain symptom profiles may require greater symptom improvement to yield significant reduction of presenteeism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The implications of work-related stress among manufacturing workers were often unrecognised. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the workplace health promotion (WHP) program in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress levels, as well as improving the overall quality of life among Malaysian manufacturing workers. Methods: The study used a randomised controlled trial (RCT) design and included 88 employees from a food and beverage manufacturing factory in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The intervention group received a comprehensive WHP program based on organisational and individual stress management programs that included (i) healthy mental health module, (ii) anxiety management technique, (iii) mindfulness for stress and (iv) stress at work. The module was delivered through the Occupational Stress Management Course and Employee Assistance Program. The control group received no further intervention other than a general brochure on stress. The study period consisted of an intervention period of 3 months followed by a post-intervention period of 3 months. Measurements were recorded at baseline and at 3 month post-intervention. Outcome measures included the self-perceived depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21), participant's quality of life (WHOQOL), coping skills (COPE-28) and job characteristics (JCQ). Results: The intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in self-perceived stress, anxiety, and depression scores three months post intervention (p ≤ 0.001). All domains of health-related quality of life and coping skills related to social support and problem-solving were significantly improved in the intervention group following the intervention (p < 0.001). In the control group, no significant changes were observed in all the parameters. Conclusion: WHP program shows promising results in improving mental health status, quality of life and coping skills among the manufacturing workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: Despite the importance of the role of occupational social work, this important issue in Iran is not defined professionally. the present study aims to improve the level of knowledge of the occupational social work interventions and is an attempt to enrich the specialized literature of this profession.Method: This research has been done by review literature method. To search for the keywords employee assistance program, industrial social work, occupational social work intervention, without time limit, until 2021 in different databases were used. 4 books and 19 articles were selected for further review and analysis.Results: Occupational social work interventions are performed at four levels: micro, meso, macro and exo based on the theory of ecological systems. At the micro level, addressing individual issues and problems, at the meso level, paying attention to individuals in different groups, and at the macro level, policies and planning for the organization and society and at the external level, the pathology of the work environment are important.Conclusion: Welfare in any country depends on relying on skilled and efficient employees to benefit more and better from the capital, resources and facilities of society. Thus, the necessity and professional importance of occupational social work arise. On the other hand, the complexity of individual relationships in organizations and societies, human beings need an expert in this field to increase their adaptation in the work environment, occupational social work in both prevention and treatment addresses this need.

Mental illness is a highly prevalent problem that affects millions of individuals. Like many other previous natural disasters and terrorist attacks, the recent Covid-19 pandemic has placed an enormous stress on the world and its workforce. In many ways the pandemic revealed gaps in the quality and availability of mental health resources, and, by magnifying the intense demand, it also spurred innovation. Telemedicine and virtual trauma-related services became examples of ways in which evaluation, treatment and counselling services could be delivered directly and efficiently to people who were confined to their dwellings and hospital beds. For many, the workplace has been a source of stress but also a vital component of one's self-worth, day-to-day purpose, and a resource for wellness programs and brief counselling services, not to mention, at least in many countries like the United States, a source for health insurance. The employee assistance program (EAP) is an example of a workplace-counselling and triage service that has enormous potential to meet the growing needs of individuals both in 'normal' times and during disasters. By better understanding the EAP's current structure alongside the advent of new technologies, it may be possible to develop a new and improved EAP model to meet a changing global landscape. For EAP to succeed and ultimately be scalable in an increasingly competitive and value-conscious marketplace, its processes of care will first require a bottom-up review with meaningful outcomes data. This will be necessary to drive continuous quality improvement and to demonstrate EAP 2.0's value to both employer and employee alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leidos, Inc. is a large government science and technology company. When a Leidos employee lost his son to an opioid overdose, he wrote an impassioned email to the CEO, asking him to take action related to the growing societal problem of opioid use disorders. The CEO understood and accepted this important call to action. Leidos' subsequent efforts included supporting employees and families, as well as community outreach, eventually broadening to include mental health and well-being. This paper outlines the company's efforts to combat opioid use disorders, understanding that they sit within a larger total worker health umbrella inclusive of mental health and well-being. The hope is that this ongoing journey and its exemplars are helpful for other organizations seeking to make an impact for their employees and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, medical workers are under immense psychological pressure. As such, the East Campus of Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital actively adopted the Symptoms Checklist 90 (SCL-90) to evaluate the mental health of hospital staff before and after the psychological intervention from the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).Methods: Medical workers from the East Campus of Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital were recruited for this study. Psychological evaluations were conducted using the SCL-90, with a score of >160 regarded as a positive result, or in other words, an indication of abnormal psychological symptoms. The EAP adopted different forms of psychological interventions for healthcare professionals, and participation in these measures was entirely voluntary. Medical workers completed the SCL-90 again after participating in the psychological intervention, and we analyzed the changes between their two assessments.Results: Of the 1,198 total medical staff present at the hospital, 844 participated in the initial survey, while only 652 completed the survey a second time (i.e., post-psychological intervention). Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that the psychological status of hospital staff was correlated with gender, education background, and fertility status (P < 0.05). The results showed that, compared with women, men's mental health status was better, with an OR value of 0.598 (0.372–0.962). Groups with high school, junior high school, and below education levels were at higher risk of psychological problems, with OR values of 23.655 (2.815–198.784) and 9.09 (2.601–31.801), respectively. Administrative occupations and having two or more children were protective factors for mental health, and the OR values were 0.400 (0.175–0.912) and 0.327 (0.152–0.703), respectively.Following the psychological intervention, we found that the mental health of hospital workers improved, as indicated by their second SCL-90 evaluations, although the proportion of medical staff willing to participate in the second evaluation was lower than the initial assessment. There were differences in the SCL-90 scores among different occupations, and there were also differences in the scores of employees of different occupations who had participated in the two evaluations. The employees of different positions who participated in the two evaluations were matched and analyzed and found that the depression and anxiety of the doctor group were significantly reduced. In the nursing group, the total score, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and anxiety were significantly reduced. In the medical technician group, depression, anxiety, and paranoia were reduced considerably. Among office staff, no significant differences were found. Among workers, the total score, depression, and anxiety were significantly reduced.Conclusion: Hospitals have the potential to alleviate and reduce the psychological pressure placed on medical staff members through the EAP, which can actively adopt intervention and guidance measures. The findings of this study have important implications, as reducing abnormal psychological symptoms of healthcare professionals can be helpful in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.

Five electronic databases were searched using the key words "Employee Assistance." "research" and "evaluation" for articles published from 2010 to 2019 along with a manual search of the two prominent journals in the Employee Assistance field. Twenty-six evaluations were found which were categorized using Macdonald's evaluation typology into four groups: needs assessments (n = 1), program development [case study] (n = 3), outcome (n = 15) and process (n = 7). There were as many international as American studies (n = 13). While most evaluations were conducted by organizations with internal models (n = 9) they were not the majority as there were eight evaluations examining external EAPs and five that examined hybrid internal/external models. A broad range of methodologies were employed that demonstrated that the EAPs that were reviewed produced positive outcomes including both saving organizations money as well as in producing positive changes. What was also witnessed during this time period was a greater use of standardized tests to collect data led by a new instrument developed during the decade, the Workplace Outcome Suite, though several studies still did not use any type of standardized assessment tool in their evaluation process. The article concludes by comparing changes that have occurred with reported peer-reviewed EAP evaluation over the past 40 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief report discusses the implementation and evolution of suicide prevention strategies at Taoyuan Psychiatric Center in Taiwan. These strategies are inspired by the nursing interventions presented in an "Umbrella review of nursing interventions NIC for the treatment and prevention of suicidal behavior." The interventions are a part of an employee assistance program (EAP) designed to support the mental health of the nursing staff and other employees, with a particular focus on preventing and managing suicidal behaviors. The EAP involves multi‐tiered primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention measures, offering different levels of psychological interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which is designed to facilitate employee well-being by managing their personal work-related issues, plays an important role in human resource management. Yet, the development of EAP has encountered difficulties in the recent decades and one of the key reasons is the lack of a valid instrument to assess its effectiveness. The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable instrument for organizations to evaluate their EAP performance. Drawing on the IPOO (input-process-output-outcome) performance evaluation model, we generate the scale dimensions and items through a multi-method data collection approach, including literature review, panel discussion and a series of qualitative interviews with program practitioners. Then, by surveying EAP practitioners from 135 government units in Taiwan, we confirmed the reliability, content and predictive validity of the instrument which consists of 27 items. There are five dimensions in the instrument, namely resource allocation, management support, plan making, program introduction, and service provision. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both workplace mental health and gender equity issues are in the spotlight in Canada as they are internationally. Accordingly, it is timely for Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to systematically consider sex, gender, and intersecting identities. Four cross-cutting priorities emerged from a focused analysis of the literature: (1) targeted outreach to men and other priority populations, (2) enhanced gender and diversity training for EAP counselors, (3) digital EAP services to meet preferences beyond face-to-face counseling, and (4) performance and quality improvement of both the EAP process and outcomes. The implications of these are considered using a Canadian case example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Such psychological sub-health problems as interpersonal communication disorder, new employee’s poor adaptability and high occupational stress of 300 employee in enterprises in Dandong were investigated by questionnaires and mental health test scales( SCL-90). To address these problems, an EAP program including measures such as strengthening the psychological soft environment construction, applying the Hawthorne effect, introducing emotional design, emphasizing enterprise training, improving psychological capital and tracking evaluation was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Australia Department for Education employs approximately 30,000 people (40.2% outside the major city, Adelaide). This study conducted a cost-benefit analysis of its employee assistance program from the Department's perspective, focusing on remoteness. The employee assistance program utilization rate outside the major city was 13% below that in the major city. Based on improved absenteeism and presenteeism, measured fiscal benefits per user (1,365.79 Australian dollars [AUD] or 1,021.48 US dollars [USD]) were 3.34 times the costs (409.27 AUD or 306.09 USD), indicating a highly favorable return. Our sensitivity analysis found that if the increase in student lifetime earnings, worth about 76,000 AUD (57,000 USD) yearly, had been included, it would have increased the total benefits by 5.3% and raised the benefit-cost ratio to 3.51. Although telephone sessions were available, the average number of sessions per participant was 49% higher for the in-person only modality (2.82) compared to the telephone-only modality (1.89). This apparent preference for in-person sessions indicates a challenge for regional and remote areas, where access is difficult. The study recommends proactive measures to increase utilization outside its major city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, a quasi-experimental prospective evaluation employing a pretest–posttest control group design with propensity score matching estimated the causal impacts of a Canadian Employee Assistance Program (EAP) on mental health, workplace functioning, and life satisfaction. Participants (N = 304) were employees working at different organizations across Canada. EAP users had access to up to 12 counseling hours per year. Outcomes were compared between groups of EAP (n = 152) and non-EAP (n = 152) users matched on numerous baseline variables including demographic, occupational, mental health, workplace functioning, and other characteristics and measures. At 6 month follow-up, EAP users had significantly reduced psychological distress, including reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to non-EAP users. EAP users also had significantly reduced work presenteeism and work distress, and increased work engagement. Finally, they reported greater life satisfaction at follow-up relative to non-EAP users. The largest effect sizes of EAP counseling were observed on mental health outcomes. Mediation analyses revealed that EAP treatment effects on workplace functioning were mediated by changes in (their positive impacts on) mental health. This is the first known quasi-experimental study conducted with an external EAP, with evidence supporting a causal link between use of a Canadian assistance program and a number of positive clinical and workplace outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]