Helping Troubled Employees

Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner

This dissertation aims to expand present state of knowledge regarding employee assistance programs (EAPs). The first phase of study consisted of identification of the universe of EAPs operational by June, 1982 in the New York City Metropolitan Area utilizing a typology comprised of program auspice (management or union); program sponsorship (individual or consortium); program model (in-house or contractual); and sector (public or private) of the company with EAP. A total of 125 EAPs were found in an area with over five and one-half million employees. Thus, despite their growth, EAPs are available to only a miniscule portion of the workforce. The second phase of study analyzed 23 private sector EAPs under management auspices selected on the basis of non-probability quota sampling technique stratified according to program model (in house or contractual), type of industry...