The effectiveness of an employee assistance programme in addressing occupational stress

Abstract: The main purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) as a management intervention tool to address occupational stress. Special focus was on employees who suffered from occupational stress to find out their perceptions of, and experiences with, the EAP. This is important because occupational stress affects employee-employer relations. How organisations deal with occupational stress, and the contributions that EAPs make to foster employer-employee relations, make knowledge of such phenomena valuable in the people relations field of study. Understanding the causes of occupational stress would make it possible to establish the impact of EAP to address occupational stress. Evidence gathered may be used to extend, revise, and test the effectiveness of EAP in addressing occupational stress. Hence, more will be learned by examining cases that could enlighten the reader on the effects of the EAP, thereby enhancing knowledge about EAP in organisations. As social scientists learn more, scientific knowledge increases, generally, and it becomes possible to systematise knowledge, and make connections that might otherwise not be made. In addition, scientific arguments have been established based on empirical data about the capabilities of the programme to relieve symptoms of stress, and improve the psychological well-being of employees. This should achieve a better understanding of the effectiveness of the EAP. Thus, organisations will gain early recognition of occupational stress, allowing employers to allocate more resources for stress management in the workplace.M.Phil. (Employee Relations