EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FROM PAST TO PRESENT: AN OVERVIEW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES
Keywords:
Employee Assistance Programs, Occupational Social Work, Psychosocial Support ServicesAbstract
Personal, psychological and professional problems of workers affect their work and family life. With the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, floods and earthquakes have increased the risk of psychological problems among workers, making interventions to improve workers’ well-being at work even more important. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) play a key role in these interventions. However, EAPs in Turkey do not include social workers and interventions are not implemented systematically. This study aims to explain the development of EAPs from past to the present and their place in workplace social work practice. The current status of EAPs in Turkey is discussed and their importance to psychosocial support services is explained from a social work perspective. The study shows that it is crucial for social workers to plan and disseminate internal, external, combined and consortium EAPs in the workplace by considering the psychosocial needs of workers. Providing psychosocial support services in EAPs with the participation of social workers and establishing a workplace monitoring system with the participation of social welfare specialists are essential investment in human capital.
