How EAPA Core Technology defines the consulting role:

Consultation with, training of, and assistance to work organization leadership (managers, supervisors, and union stewards) seeking to:

• manage the troubled employee,
• enhance the work environment, and
• improve employee job performance; and
• outreach/education of employees/ dependents about availability of EA services

How our "experts" define the consulting role:

1. Works within a multi-client model
2. Works within a defined role
3. Is a specialist in the human side of business
4. Provides support tailored for the manager
5. Most common requests for consultation
6. Differences Between EAP Delivery Models

The EAPC works within a multi-client model

• Solutions must benefit all parties
• Neither adversarial nor advocating

The EAPC works within a defined role

• Subscribes to EAPA core technology
• Consistent with the suite of EAP services
• "Stay in the box"

The EAPC is a specialist in the human side of business

• Expert in human behavior and communication
• Utilizes clinical & organizational knowledge to enhance the customer organization
• The EAP is a place where managers come to figure out human behavior, which may appear random and unpredictable

Provides tailored support for the manager

• Clarifies the manager's role and responsibilities
• Encourages the manager to remain in the management role
• Develops the manager's insight into employee motivation, skills and perspectives
• Develops manager's tolerance for diversity of work style
• Builds manager's skills in performance management
• Keeps the manager's focus upon employee behavior
• EAP may be only resource to frontline supervisors who don't have access to management training
• Reconnects manager with known toolkit [managers want tools... things they can use]
  • Policies and procedures Human resources
  • Progressive discipline; review the performance management steps with the manager
  • Training resources available
  • Other suggested resources within the organization
  • Suggest mentors

Most Common Requests for Consulation

• The "client dump"
  • Manager is conflict avoidant
  • Manager is overwhelmed, frustrated, intolerant
  • Manager lacks management skills relevant for solving the problem
  • Many managers don't like the non-linear challenges of people management
  • Challenging employees should be regarded as a normal part of the workplace and a common part of the manager's role
• Job Performance Referral
  • when manager is unclear why this is happening or how to solve it
• Problems of employee conduct
  • Employee behaviors that manager cannot handle
  • Heightened concern about intensity of employee's conduct
  • Breach of Employee Code of Conduct
• Reasonable Suspicion of Substance Abuse
• Employee health
  • Manager concerned about deterioration of employee's conduct or emotional health
  • Assist manager, employee and coworkers with re-integration of employee who is RTW
  • Helping manager influence employee's utilization of healthcare
• Threat of aggression or violence
  • Possible membership on the threat assessment team
  • Possibility of fitness for duty
• Conflict between coworkers
• Training request that masks a behavioral problem
  • Ask the manager what is the need that lead to the training request
• Assistance with Change Management
  • Planning for a Reduction-In-Force (RIF)
  • Merger/Acquisition/Divestiture
  • Change in management
• Workplace tragedy or trauma
  • For more on the topic of management consulting during a crisis, visit my online archive at the Los Angeles Chapter of EAPA for my presentation titled "Critical Incident Consulting to Management", first presented to the EAPA conference in NYC 2000
• Policy consultation - usually proactively initiated by the EAPC
  • Drug & Alcohol
  • Violence or threats
  • ADA

Differences Between EAP Delivery Models

• Internal Model
  • Greater credibility
  • May be perceived as "too familiar"
• External Model
  • Benefits from imposed boundary
  • Not familiar with nuances and micro-cultures
  • Challenging to establish trust with managers
• Mixternal or Embedded model
  • Benefits from imposed boundary
  • On-site improves access and familiarity with customer