Employee assistance programmes and their place within universities

In recent years British universities have been subject to demands for increased efficiency, greater accountability and cost effectiveness, without a corresponding increase in the resources available to them. As more university employees find it difficult to cope with these new pressures, there is an increasing need for universities to provide enhanced support for employees in the workplace. The response in British universities to the 'troubled employee' is considered, and contrasted with the development of Employee Assistance Programmes in North American universities. Different types of EAP are discussed, and it is argued that British universities might benefit from introducing such programmes.