Tying EAPs to the big picture: EAP providers must communicate to key decision-makers the message that their programs can help further the overarching goals of the organization, not just those of individual workers or departments.

As individuals, work organizations, and society itself grow increasingly complex--from the strain of life in a 24/7 culture to increasing demands on businesses to boost profit margins to looming terrorist threats--it is not surprising that employee assistance programs continue to evolve in response. In their infancy, EAPs offered short-term, focused solutions to alcohol abuse and related employee behaviors that affected work performance. Over time, however, EAPs have adapted to meet new challenges, expanding not only in reach (as more organizations make some form of EAP available as part of their standard benefits package) but also in service offerings and delivery modes. EAP innovators have replaced the standardized "one-size-fits-all" model with customized programs and modes of delivery tailored to the specific needs of individual client organizations.

Though these developments have done much to advance the industry as a whole, an ongoing challenge for EA professionals is to communicate how these innovations fit into a particular company's overarching objectives. While the benefits and insurance fields have become adept at taking an organization al approach to client needs and sales, aligning their products and services with the needs of client organizations, the EAP industry continues to struggle to make this connection and too often acquiesces in being categorized as simply another human resources initiative.

If we are to continue to thrive as an industry, EAP providers must stop acquiescing and start renovating. Specifically, we must broaden our horizons by taking three basic steps in our sales and account management strategy: (1) educate and be educated, (2) influence key decision-makers, and (3) customize, customize, customize.

EDUCATE AND BE EDUCATED

Every sale is about building relationships, understanding needs, and devising solutions that adequately address these needs. For those in EAP business development and account management, the relationship is frequently even more complex than this. The key contact, often a human resources representative, may well be focused on his or her own area of interest and expertise rather than the bigger picture. EAP selection, in this situation, can quickly become a matter of choosing a program offering services that meet the needs of one department rather than the complete organization.

The limits of this approach are obvious. From the outset, the objectives for the EAP will be developed solely on the basis of what is perceived to be an employee or departmental need without conscious alignment to organizational goals and objectives. EAP development will be stunted, not only in scope but in demonstrated value to the organization.

This is not to say that EAP decision makers are oblivious to strategic objectives; on the contrary, many are champions of their organization's vision and goals. Because the notion of linking the EAP to the organization's corporate strategy is a relatively new one, however, it is vital that EAP providers take the time to conduct research--through conversations with the key contact and with similar clients in similar industries, and through further investigation in the field--to show how an EAP can be focused to dovetail with these overarching objectives.

In aligning your services with a work organization's corporate strategy, ask a lot of questions and listen carefully to the responses. Gather any insights you can on the goals, concerns, problems, and successes of the organization.

If your contact at the organization has difficulty making the organizational link, or if you suspect you are not talking to the key decision-maker, it may be time to seek out an additional contact who can provide a broader perspective. The early stages of building relationships are about empowering the key contact with information and insights so s/he not only understands the EAP advantage, but can skillfully and compellingly deliver the benefits of a strategic EAP to the organization's executive.

INFLUENCE KEY DECISION-MAKERS

Once the prospective EAP provider and key contact have gathered enough information to move forward to the next stage, a meeting with the members of the client's leadership team is crucial. This meeting will help establish a rapport that can actively demonstrate to those in charge of forging the vision and goals of the company how an EAP can be effectively positioned to achieve them.

This meeting is also vital because it offers these key stakeholders the opportunity to make what may be perceived as intangible, tangible. While measuring EAP effectiveness is sometimes perceived as an elusive goal, this is the provider's chance to show the executive how an EAP can have a meaningful and lasting impact on the organization by--

* Containing benefits costs;

* Influencing profitability;

* Improving employee retention;

* Boosting productivity;

* Improving the organization's status as an employer of choice; and

* Attracting and retaining the best and brightest employees.

Though these advantages are easily rhymed off during a sales pitch, it is imperative to combine them with meaningful insights based on direct experience. Offering specific examples that are pertinent to the work organization's cause builds a fortified business case and actively demonstrates how EAP products and services connect to the bigger organizational picture.

For example, a company with an older workforce will have concerns related to employee health issues. Services that effectively address matters pertaining to aging--such as nutritional information on the prevention and/or management of diabetes, osteoporosis, and obesity--not only help workers feel supported but also work to reduce rates of absenteeism and presenteeism. This, in turn, boosts productivity and ultimately affects the bottom line.

Organizations in which the employee base consists mainly of younger adults may be similarly uneasy about absenteeism and presenteeism, but the root cause of the problem may center around childcare and work/life balance issues, especially for those who are part of the "sandwich generation" and are struggling to care for young children and ailing parents while working full-time jobs. A focus on services that provide much-needed support and information on work/life issues can help ease employees' stress, improve their work performance, and have a considerable impact on employee retention.

These targeted, real-world examples of the strategic utilization of an EAP and its corresponding organizational effects can generate an epiphany of sorts among key decision-makers. This approach to marketing an EAP can shine a spotlight on concrete, practical solutions that matter to workers and, thus, to employers.

CUSTOMIZE, CUSTOMIZE, CUSTOMIZE.

Central to the discussion with the prospective client and its leadership team is the need to demonstrate how an EAP can be channeled to meet the pressing needs of specific employee groups within the organization. Essential to the implementation of this step is to not only "talk the talk" of EAP benefits but to walk it as well by providing real-world examples of EAP customization.

A vice president of information technology, for example, will pay greater attention to a presentation that discusses the ways in which an EAP can be customized to provide additional services online. He or she will also likely be interested to know that, in general, those in the high-tech field are often far more apt to utilize online services than other workers. A director of retail sales, on the other hand, may be intrigued to learn more about how seminars that address handling difficult people or resolving conflict can not only boost employees' confidence in dealing with such situations but can also improve customer satisfaction levels overall.

Though every leadership team is different, each comprises individuals who respond positively when their organizational and departmental needs are addressed. By outlining how service delivery options, communications, promotions, and program branding can be customized to meet unique needs at both the organizational and departmental levels, EAP providers will help demonstrate the impact and value of their programs. Incorporating real examples into the presentation will show decision-makers that the EAP provider understands the organization's needs on several levels and that the EAP offers viable, cost-effective solutions to relevant business issues.

RELEVANT TO THE BIG PICTURE

If the EAP field is to grow and flourish, it must demonstrate that it can further work organizations' overarching objectives. It must move from its traditional position as an isolated human resources initiative to one that understands and responds to the goals and needs of corporate strategists and executives as well as managers and front-line workers. EAPs must speak effectively to the objectives and challenges faced by business leaders across the company.

The challenge facing our industry is to demonstrate to decision-makers that our programs and services are relevant in relation to the "big picture." Only in this way can EAPs earn the position they rightly deserve--as an integral component of a progressive and effective organizational strategy.

Rod Phillips is President and CEO of WarrenShepell, a Toronto-based provider of EAPs and organizational health services. He also serves as vice chair of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health. He can be reached by calling 1-800-461-9722 or sending an e-mail to [e-mail].