Employee Assistance Programs: what they are and what services they offer

The idea that all companies need to provide workers with is an income stream is completely outdated today.

And it is not a simple question of fashion, or of pure corporate image: it is known that the organizations in which day-to-day work have significant potential to improve the well-being of employees, beyond what is monetary. And that, furthermore, if applied correctly, this potential is profitable and has a positive impact on the performance of the entire company.

That is why more and more organizations take an active role in this matter and include in their operation the so-called Employee Assistance Programs, a type of initiative in which psychologists have a fundamental importance and that are not only in the largest and most innovative multinationals, but is consolidating in the business fabric national.

• Related article: "Psychology of work and organizations: a profession with a future"

What are the Employee Assistance Programs?

The Employee Assistance Programs (PAE) are a set of free services and protocols designed to offer help to workers

, within the scope of the company, to address problems that do not have to be limited to the context of the organization and that nevertheless affect the behavior of the worker at work. It is also about free and confidential services, so that each worker can talk about their personal problems without fear of being vulnerable in a competitive environment.

On the other hand, this kind of aid of different types does not only include physical or psychological health. For example, you can include the option of looking for alternative hours to have more time to care for a family member sick, or legal consulting services, management of communication problems between the employee and another co-worker, etc

However, it is clear that many of the needs of workers have to do with psychological discomfort. In this last category there are several frequent problems that we will see below.

The role of the psychologist in the PAE

What do psychology professionals do to cover the flank of Employee Assistance Programs that have to do with mental health or psychological well-being? Next we will see what are some of the functions that workers usually resort to the most.

1. Help in managing stress or burnout

In many work environments, there are workers who for one reason or another experience too much stress and anxiety. On occasions, this discomfort reaches the point of becoming burnout syndrome, in which the employee, in addition to experiencing a buildup of anxiety, you feel emotionally disconnected from his work and only see it as a means to keep from running out salary.

Sometimes, a good part of the problem is in the place where you work, the offices; in others, the root is in the family home. But what is clear is that this discomfort affects work performance. making the person feel even worse for not being able to reach their goals.

In any case, psychologists are trained to help a lot in this, as agents of change (for the better) who are between the limit of the work context and the personal context. We can train workers in stress reduction techniques and, if necessary, contact the appropriate section of Human Resources to discuss adapt the working conditions of that person, directing them towards a way of working more optimal.

• You may be interested in: "Burnout (Burn Syndrome): how to detect it and take action"

2. Professional bereavement support

The death of loved ones It is one more example that the line that divides personal life, on the one hand, and work life, on the other, is nothing more than an illusion, or at least a social convention. We may compartmentalize our portrayal of who we are to adapt to different contexts, but the Emotions do not understand compartments, and a worker who feels bad at home will also feel bad at the office, which will be reflected in his job.

3. conflicts

The very nature of most workspaces is prone to fuel conflicts between people if one is not capable of mediating and carrying out regulatory psychological interventions emotional.

For this reason, psychologists can also adopt a broader vision of the groups that make up the organization, going beyond the individual patient, and promote good management of these misunderstandings or clashes of interests. The fact that a company has a philosophy based on a competitive spirit does not necessarily imply that poor anger management or the normalization of hostility prevail.

4. time management issues

In some Spanish companies, especially those in which there is no clearly set schedule for many of the sections of the organizational chart, there are cases of people who without knowing very well how, spend the day in the office, despite knowing that they could be much more efficient. Psychologists can help in these cases, helping these people adopt more structured work habits with fewer distractions.

5. Integration of foreign workers

People who are going to live and work in other countries may have problems due to the culture shock of moving to being surrounded 24 hours a day by ways of thinking and behaving significantly different from those to which one has been accustomed used to. This can make work unpleasant by simple association of experiences.: If you don't like living in another country, you will hardly like the work space inserted in that country.

Therefore, having psychologists involved in Employee Assistance Programs is a good way to offer assistance in situ, so that the adaptation to this new environment is carried out in the fastest and most harmonious way possible.

Bibliographic references:

• Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W.B. and Leiter, M.P. (2001) Job Burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397.422.
• Rodriguez Fernandez, A. (2004). Psychology of organizations. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.