Evaluation of employee assistance programs: A study of preferences based on the multiple constituency approach
Stollak, Matthew Joseph
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/23246
Description
Title
Evaluation of employee assistance programs: A study of preferences based on the multiple constituency approach
Author(s)
Stollak, Matthew Joseph
Issue Date
1994
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Martocchio, Joseph J.
Department of Study
Labor and Industrial Relations
Discipline
Labor and Industrial Relations
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Sociology, Industrial and Labor Relations
Language
eng
Abstract
Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are mechanisms that provide the workplace with systematic means for dealing with personal problems that affect employees' job performance. Numerous studies have focused on the structure and functions of EAPs to gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of operation primarily from a senior management perspective. While EAP adoption within organizations continues unabated, strong empirical support regarding the efficacy of EAPs is lacking. Researchers have failed to adequately apply rigorous research methods to the evaluation of EAPs. The result has been that the effectiveness of EAPs is poorly understood. This study purports to investigate the effectiveness of EAPs using a multiple constituency approach to evaluation. Effectiveness using this approach is defined from the perspectives of the constituents, who also define the activities and evaluation criteria of EAPs.
Results of multivariate analyses of covariance using survey data from a field study of three Midwestern organizations suggests that significant differences in preferences for EAP activities and criteria exist based on job position in an organization and experience with the EAP. Blue collar workers (clerical and labor) rated those EAP activities related to career development, linkages to the union and the organization, program monitoring, and EAP special assistance significantly higher than white collar workers (managers, supervisors, professional/technical workers). Managers and supervisors rated general manager and supervisor training significantly higher than other constituent groups. EAP users preferred activities related to EAP counseling while nonusers preferred activities related to career development, program monitoring and linkages to the union and the organization. The significance and implications of these results for theory and practice, as well as future research directions, are discussed.
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