Employee assistance programs

464 Work is a powerful force in our lives. 2. Business and industry are suffer It is one of man's strongest ties to reing significant economic losses because ality. Most adults spend more time at of employees wjth problems. It is es work and in work-related activities timated that a minimum of 10 percent than they do on any other activity, inof the workforce has serious problems eluding sleep. Recent research has beat any time.6 Studies done on employ gun to explore the centrality of the ees who are alcoholics indicate that 25 work experience as well as the indipercent of the salary of such employees vidual and social functions it prois lost owing to sickness, absenteeism, vides.1 It is work, for example, that accidents, poor judgment, and, in gen meets the basic need of economic sureral, deteriorating job performance, vival as well as other human needs If, as some claim, profits are the dom such as satisfaction, social status, and inating force in the world of work, emotional security. Work is such an then business and industry have a stake overwhelming factor that most people in rehabilitating its employees. The still organize their lives around the supposed value conflict between the struggle to make a living. Where we profit-making philosophy of business live, how we live, and whom we see and the helping philosophy of social socially are to a great extent dominated work could thus be merged into a corn by the work we do.2 mon concern to deal with the same Thus work is an important factor in problem. After the largely disappoint the well-being and proper functioning ing and superficial commitment of of the individual. How then has social business to the nation's social problems work integrated or dealt with the naof the sixties, business has now begun ture or function of work? A cursory to focus on the human and financial examination of both the literature and losses of its own employees.7 the field reveals neither a theoretical In turning its attention toward the nor practice framework. Some atwork environment, social work could tempts have been made during the past use an already established framework few years, but there has been no orga—the concept of "person-in-situation" nized effort that would constitute a sig—which relates to the whole human nificant trend in the profession.3 Efbeing within a fluid real-life situation.8 forts to account for social work's lack Looking at the person constantly mov of involvement might be traced to hising between home and work offers a torical developments, lack of leadernew perspective to achieve proper ship, or even value conflicts. Some functioning and equilibrium while fo have seen any attempt to work in an cusing on additional entry points to ef industrial or business setting as a feet change. Problems that show up in direct threat to the profession's values the work environment often have cau and a sellout to the evils of capitalism.4 sal or symptomatic links to the outside Rather than dismissing the work enenvironment. What can be hidden vironment too quickly, it might be within the privacy of the home often worthwhile to look at some critical will show up in a declining or irregu factors which indicate that the work lar job performance. Likewise, prob environment and workers are searchlems not apparent to the existing so ing for assistance in meeting human cial service delivery network manifest needs. themselves in the not-so-private site of 1. Employees and public interest the job. Through intervention in the groups are beginning to insist that buswork environment, social work can re iness and industry recognize and deal alize a new point of entry into people's with more than productivity. A recent lives as well as a new field of action in survey by the American Management which people can be helped to resolve Association in New York City of 2,821 their problems. upperand lower-management perHow then can the social work pro sonnel indicated that 90 percent fession begin to institutionalize its ser thought corporations should be convices in the work environment? This cerned with the total person, not just article examines a growing movement with daily output.5 in the work environment—the em