Be proactive, not reactive.

Since their advent as occupational alcoholism programs, EAPs gradually have expanded their repertoire of services. From providing coaching and mentoring assistance to supervisors and executives to partnering with wellness and work-life providers, EAPs have sought to improve the health and performance of the workforce and add value to organizations they serve.

Responding to market trends and employer preferences in this way is effective and necessary for EAPs to stay viable. This "reactive" approach, however, risks positioning EAPs as nothing more than service centers peddling the latest health or productivity initiative to workers. It tends to tie us to remedial aspects of performance management, to the exclusion of facilitating the growth of performance potential. To tap into this growth and developmental arena, EA professionals must interface with employers at the strategic level, helping them analyze risks and strengths, develop plans, and maximize opportunities.

This is especially true of workplace trauma response, an EAP service that employers value highly. The public's perception of workplace trauma--and that of many business leaders--is of mass disasters such as the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The underlying reality is that many traumatic incidents are of a much more intimate nature, such as robberies and workplace accidents. But planning for these is no less important than planning for larger-scale disasters.

As the theme articles in this issue of the Journal make clear, managing the response to a traumatic workplace event requires planning and coordination. EA professionals are most effective when they have a seat at the corporate table so they can help employers with the myriad details of trauma planning and response, such as--

* Assessing the organization for likely trauma scenarios;

* Analyzing safety, risk, and communications policies to ensure they address the needs of the business and its workers;

* Reviewing existing response plans and recommending changes;

* Considering "preventive" measures, such as developing a culture of caring and offering classes in emotional resiliency and stress management to employees; and

* Identifying after-effects of traumatic incidents (e.g., substance abuse and depression) and determining whether sufficient resources are in place to address them.

* In addition to ensuring that our corporate clients are prepared to respond to a traumatic incident, it is important to take steps to prepare ourselves. We can practice self-care, stay current with the latest research, get trained, and familiarize ourselves with easily accessible resources. This allows us to provide effective response management as we determine which services are justified by the situation and who would be best served by them.

Staying current with research and training, participating in planning and strategy development, and identifying resources to assist workers are best practices that are particularly critical to managing workplace trauma. They also are integral to creating a pregnancy- and parent-friendly work environment and helping employers devise and implement smoking policies, the topics of the two feature articles in this issue.

For example, smoking has long been "tolerated" by many employers, but some are now taking a harder line. They are imposing higher insurance premiums on smokers, refusing to hire smokers, and even telling them to stop smoking altogether (not just at work) or risk losing their jobs. EAPs, as strategic partners, can help employers think through the many implications of such policies and encourage them to adopt programs that demonstrate their support of workers affected by the new policies.

Being part of a strategic team will lead EAPs toward many opportunities employers value. The best assistance we can provide employers and employees is to be proactive, not reactive. *

Maria Hartley, LEAP