May 17, 2009

Workforce Management

2009 Employee Assistance Program Providers

When the economy is in crisis and people are losing not only jobs but sometimes homes as well, workplaces reverberate with that tension. In a March poll conducted by EAP provider ComPsych Corp., more than half of U.S. workers said their work atmosphere felt worried due to the economy. Of respondents, 16 percent described their workplaces as "panicky."

ComPsych chairman and CEO Dr. Richard Chaifetz says his organization has had "a record number of calls for on-site counselors due to layoffs, as well as requests for ongoing stress management counseling." Other respondents to the survey described their work atmospheres as "somewhat worried" (39 percent); "business as usual" (23 percent); "cautiously optimistic" (14 percent); and "very hopeful" (8 percent).