Managing Employee Assistance Programmes Available to Purchase

An in‐depth, qualitative study of managers and accountants in a large Australian metropolitan banking organisation investigated the problems experienced by those responsible for the implementation of their organisation′s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) guidelines. Two major elements were found to work against the EAP′s comfortable integration, and hence its utilisation, in the organisation. These related to the supervisor′s role in the diagnosis of alcohol‐related poor performance and the early intervention objective of the EAP. Findings are discussed in relation to their implications for successful implementation of EAPs, notably the need for the tailoring of EAP guidelines to make them compatible with existing organisational systems (e.g. formal and informal performance appraisal procedures) as well as with managerial practices normal to the organisation′s culture.