When the average employee hears the words "employee assistance programs", he may immediately think of medical benefits. Another employee may think of Workers Compensation. Yet another may think of further training for possible advancement. Although all of their conceptions are true, they are not all inclusive. There are several parts to the vehicle called Employee Assistance Programs, or EAPs. Employee Assistance Programs are defined by Myers as "structured programs that utilize technical, administrative, and professional human services and personnel people, on either a contractual or employment basis, to meet the needs of troubled employees" (4). EAPs are needed so that the work environment is safe and productivity is as high as possible. This benefits the employees as well as the employers. The process of creating and implementing EAPs will be discussed.

It is important to define who the troubled employee is, how the EAPs are to be structured, and how it is that the troubled employee is helped through the structured programs. As those three areas are discussed, some of the statistics that make these EAPs necessary, or at the very least, helpful, will be looke

The employee becomes the client when a clear need for assistance has been found. According to Shane, Suurvali, & Boutilier, EAPs are meant to deal with alcohol and drug problems, domestic issues, mental health issues, legal problems, financial problems, housing problems, daycare problems, and other work-related issues (78). The client should be serviced in an efficient manner and should be followed by the EAP from assessment to aftercare, as described next by Myers (72).

Employer At best, these can be described as programs created, housed and manned by the employer.

Case evaluation - the services are evaluated for effectiveness.

They use more sick days, are more likely to file workers' compensation claims and are 1/3 less productive than other workers (Cascio 588). In Sharon's case, the cost can run higher simply because of the nature of her position. If Sharon transposed numbers on checks, forgot to write a check or forgot to log a check into the bookkeeping system, she could end up costing her company much more than time.

How to Help Gus and Sharon and Other Employees:

There may be personal reasons behind why an employee would steal from his employer. Gus could be having financial problems resulting from his excessive drinking. He may be inclined to take work materials from his job in order to do some things on the side, or even sell the merchandise he stole for extra money. If Sharon is having problems with child care or home responsibilities, her work performance may be significantly affected. Studies show that this type of stress on a woman in the workforce contribute to the high rate of alcoholism among working women (Myers 7). It is suspected that this stress contributes to higher rates of drug use as well.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2710
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)