Employee Assistance Programs in Context: An Application of the Constructive Broker Role

Abstract

This article describes how practitioners in employee assistance programs (EAPs) can adopt the role of constructive broker to achieve the goal of providing humane treatment to troubled workers. The context in which EAPs operate is discussed in terms of the labor process model, which holds that inherent ideological conflicts between management and labor make the work place a contentious environment. The author presents strategies constructive brokers employ for enacting the role, and issues related to cost containment, role definition, and professionalism that affect EAPs today. Effective constructive brokers must constantly remain aware of the role they play, their status relative to others in the network, and their original goals. The author concludes that if employee assistance practitioners do not adopt the constructive broker role, their EAPs will likely become absorbed into other organization units, which would make them less capable of fulfilling their humanitarian ideals.