Max Heirich Ph.D.Patricia A. Herlihy Ph.D, R.N.

Roland Zullo Ph.D.

Changes Over the Years in EAP, Work/Life, and Wellness Services

EAPA’s Annual World ConferenceNashville, Tennessee

October 7, 2006

Thank You To Our Sponsors

Where We have Been?

• National Survey of EAP & W/F Programs (1994)

• International Survey of EAP & Work/Life Professionals (2000)

• International Survey of EAP, W/L and Wellness Vendors (2002)

Where We are Going?

1) Replication of 1994 Study ● Qualitative based inquiry via phone interviews of

100 EAP, Work/Life & Wellness Professionals in Family Friendly Workplaces

2) Application for Grant Monies for Cost Benefit● Analysis of Different Models of Service Delivery: specific questions at the end of this presentation

Current Factors influencing the Development and Continuance of EAP, W/L & Wellness

The Ever Changing Business Environment

• Mergers

• Acquisitions

• Globalization

• Increase in Skill Level

• Retention of Talented Employees

• Growth of Company

Societal Factors affecting the development or continuance of EAP, W/L and Wellness

• Changes within the business industry

• Changes in demographics of available employee population (the aging boomers)

• Crises

– World Trade Center 9/11

– Tsunami 2004

– Hurricane Katrina 2005

Internal Organizational Factors Influencing Development of EAP, W/L & Wellness Programs

• Leadership Turnover - CEO or VP level changes• Managerial philosophy of current leadership• Corporate culture

– “Military command structure” vs “team approach”– “Bottom line” vs “employee focus” for decisions

• Influence of unions and other stakeholders• Involvement of staff in professional associations

Current Trends in EAP Focus

• Crisis help for large numbers of employees• Work related psychological stress and mental

health problems• Family related psychological stress and mental

health problems• Substance abuse issues• Management Consultation

Models of Service Delivery

• Internal vs External Delivery of Services

• Integrated vs Stand Alone

• Pro-active outreach vs Employee initiated

• Personalized vs Generalized Services

Current Major driver for development of EAP, Work/Life, and Wellness:

Spiraling Health Care Costs

• Wellness

– a potential key cost-container that can reinforce what other programs are currently doing

– but, no common understanding of “Wellness” as yet among corporations or professionals

Current Outsourcing Trends

• Many companies try more than one vendor before they find a satisfactory “fit”

• It is difficult to integrate services unless a single vendor used

• Internationalization of a company brings new challenges

• Demand for culturally-specific (differentiated) programs increasing

Definitions• Employee Assistance Program

– Work-site based program designed to assist in the identification and resolution of productivity problems

• Work/Life Program– Organizational change strategies that involve a mix of policies,

programs and practices aimed at facilitating integration of work, family and personal life roles

• Wellness– Health Promotion is the science & art of helping people change

their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health.

What is WELLNESS?

• Wellness focuses on building a healthy lifestyle

• It mobilizes the individual’s potential for self-healing (even during treatment for disease)

• It mobilizes social support for health improvement

• “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being And not simply the absence of disease or infirmity.” (UN Charter)

• Quality of the state of collaboration that exists among departments required to achieve unity of effort by the demands of the environment (Lawrence and Lorsch, 1967)

• Bringing together, in a synergistic way, the specialized knowledge and trained expertise of professionals in different but related fields in order to better serve the organization and its employee (Swihart & Thompson, 2002)

* Concept of Integration Continuum – Stand Alones to One Stop Shopping Models

(Herlihy, 1996)

Integration Definitions

Changes in Integration over Time

Potential Research Questions

• How to create an effective measurement tool to evaluate both the ROI AND the Effectiveness of Programs for the employee

• How to capture the business climate change and managerial changes and their effects on these programs: including differences from senior to lower management

• Stakeholders: (Who are they) and what involvement do they have with program development

• Advantages and Disadvantages to an Integrated Model of Service Delivery

How can you help move the fields into a better future?

• Finding EAP Directors from 1993

• Examine your own corporate culture

• Consider what Integration means in your Company/culture

• Submit Research Question re: Integration

• Explore various models of Integration