Disability Management Programs and EAPs: Although They May Not Work Together or Even Know Each Other, Disability Management and EA Professionals Share a Common Goal of Reducing Worker Absences

Brunelle, An, Lui, John, The Journal of Employee Assistance

Disability management and employee assistance programs share important common ground: Both are worksite-based programs that address productivity issues and serve employee clients. From this platform, disability managers and EA professionals can find ways to increase their communication and cooperation and work together to better serve employees and employers to achieve the overall goal of absence management.

For communication and cooperation to increase, professionals from both fields must acknowledge that, while their approaches and areas of expertise are different, they are dedicated to helping employees return to work, remain at work, and work productively. This is the essence of absence management, which seeks to reduce unplanned worker absences whether due to illness, injury (work-related or not), personal problems, emotional or psychological issues, or other concerns.

There are, of course, clear distinctions between both fields of practice that must be understood and appreciated. The focus of the disability manager is on providing medical case management, job analysis, job accommodation, and other vocational and rehabilitative services to ill or injured employees. Through job accommodation, for example, an employee may be eased back into the workplace with modified duties or through a temporary, alternative job as part of the …

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Publication information: Article title: Disability Management Programs and EAPs: Although They May Not Work Together or Even Know Each Other, Disability Management and EA Professionals Share a Common Goal of Reducing Worker Absences. Contributors: Brunelle, An - Author, Lui, John - Author. Magazine title: The Journal of Employee Assistance. Volume: 33. Issue: 2 Publication date: June 2003. Page number: 7+. © 2009 Employee Assistance Professionals. COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group.

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