MANAGEMENT
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW
38
Originally established in North America,
Employee Assistance and Counselling
Programmes (EAPs) are being increasingly used
in the UK, with several companies now providing
these services. Stephen King reports on
counselling needs, along with one form of EAP
provision.
Authoritative surveys repeatedly confirm that
there is substantially increased pressure and stress
at work, for managers and employees alike, as a
result of job problems, legal and financial issues,
substance abuse, relationships, personal anxieties
and, importantly, future employment prospects.
Small wonder that counselling services are
booming, along with in-house counselling needs,
often met by equally hard-pressed HR and
personnel staff.
The Institute of Management (IM) survey of
989 respondent members, Managers Under
Stress[1] made telling observations. Three-
quarters said that workloads had increased, with
35 per cent claiming they had mounted by at least
one-third; seven in 10 managers claimed work
was a source of stress with a source of worry
being cited by over half; 81 per cent experienced
personal anxieties about the conflicting demands
of work, and three-quarters said they were
concerned about the effects of work on family
relationships.
The survey also gave pointers to other forms of
personal anxiety, from 69 per cent worried about
money shortages to 79 per cent being concerned
about not spending enough time with their
partners and 80 per cent not finding enough time
to relax.
The impact of stress levels is far reaching, the
survey found. Three-quarters of respondents said
it affects morale, personal effectiveness at work
and partner relationships. Seven in 10 believed
their overall health was affected, with two-thirds
suffering disturbed sleep patterns.
These pressures are not only experienced in
management. As one source found, the first
findings of the national 1993 Employment in
Britain Survey[2] which focused on trends in
employee commitment and skills development, 31
per cent of employee respondent