Organizations use a variety of activities and programs to help ensure the emotional and physical health of their employees. These activities range from health-risk appraisals to on-site counseling and stress reduction workshops, as well as other ways to promote employee health. While employee counseling programs vary in terms of problems addressed and specific techniques used, six activities are typical of such programs: problem identification, education, referral, counseling, treatment, and follow-up.

An organization may offer a counseling program in-house or contract it out. At a minimum, counseling involves a person with whom employees can discuss difficulties and/or seek further help. The type of counseling can vary from a frank discussion with a supervisor about performance problems to meeting with a mental health professional skilled in diagnosing and treating problems such as depression or substance abuse. Communicating a program’s services to managers, supervisors, and employees, and following up with them, is critical in getting organizational members to use it.

It is also important that managers and supervisors receive training in identifying problems and in how to counsel or refer employees to seek treatment when needed. The supervisor’s role in helping the employee seek treatment and supporting the treatment effort is critical to success.