| ~ Caring Employers ~
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Walking her "employee-oriented" values
EDS pioneered a systematic Employee Assistance Programme
(EAP) in Hong Kong in 1991. Since then, the number of participating
companies, both in the private and public sectors, has been mounting
up. In order for our readers to gain a deeper understanding of
EAP services and its core technology, this year of LEAP has launched
a series of "Caring Employers". We will be visiting
our corporate users, inviting them to share their valuable experience
in using the EAP services and at the same time, taking this opportunity
to applaud their continuous effort in caring for their employees.
We are grateful to Mrs. Dorothy Hung, the Deputy Director of
Human Resources of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU),
for being our first honorable guest for this series. Since its
inception of EAP in 2002, the usage rate and response to EAP at
PolyU have been very satisfactory. What are the reasons for this
encouraging result? What are the particular benefits delivered
by EAP when local universities are being challenged by funding
cuts and education system reforms?
The Birth of EAP at PolyU
PolyU planted the seed of EAP in early 2002 when a set of strategic
exercises were at the implementation stage, including the "voluntary
early-retirement scheme." In order for staff to make appropriate
choice and better prepare for their transition, PolyU had invited
EDS to conduct a one-day training workshop to facilitate HR professionals
with advanced skills to assist the participating staff to have
a smooth transition.
At the same time, during her regular visit to faculties, Mrs.
Hung realized that the demand for EAP services was on the rise.
This growing demand has given a fresh impetus to the introduction
of EAP at PolyU. Mrs. Hung revealed that the prime reason for
her to initiate EAP is, indeed, to echo the values of PolyU itself.
She recounted that Professor Poon Chung-kwong, the President of
PolyU, had once made such a remark as "employees are our
biggest asset". Spurred by this "employee-oriented"
value, PolyU decided to implement EAP and EDS is honored to be
chosen to deliver the services until today.
The Effectiveness of EAP
Mrs. Hung believed that the performance and the psychological
health of employees are interrelated. Because of this, Mrs. Hung
said the major benefit of EAP is to enable staff to achieve a
healthy work-life balance through our tailor-made services. EAP
has also helped staff to stay connected and loyal to the university.
As Mrs. Hung reiterated, the introduction of EAP services is also
a demonstration of PolyU's "employee-oriented" values.
The Challenge of Change
Mrs. Hung admitted that staff are inevitably suffering from
certain level of stress under the recent challenges of education
system reforms and funding cuts. Fortunately, PolyU has always
been visionary. The President and the Human Resources Department
have embarked on the strategic planning exercise five years ago.
This early start has prepared staff well psychologically. Moreover,
because of the "employee-oriented" values, PolyU has
always attended to the welfare and the psychological impact of
the change on her staff. This is also the time when EAP exert
its benefits. Through the confidential counselling service and
regular staff development programs, staff can be assisted to manage
the stress triggered by change effectively.
Promotion of EAP at PolyU
Over the past two years, staff at PolyU have been encouragingly
participative in EAP, both in counselling and staff development
programs. Mrs. Hung pointed out that the secret of success lies
in the adoption of proactive and aggressive promotion strategies.
According to Mrs. Hung, the EAP promotion cannot only rely on
one single and non-directive method, instead, the diversity of
promotional materials and strategies is indispensable. Bookmarks,
posters, magnet labels and articles are few of the examples that
PolyU has used for promotion. Mrs. Hung also emphasized the importance
of regular staff development programs. She said that the staff
development programs provided by EAP consultants not only enhances
understanding of personal and psychological health but also encourage
staff to utilize the counselling service.
Mrs. Hung admitted that the recognition of the service provider
is also crucial, including the proven track record of the service
provider, the experience and quality of the consultants as well
as the comprehensiveness of the service.
Epilogue
Sigmund Freud once asserted that work is one of the three key
bases of social identity. It is palpable that work and personal
health are interconnected where work performance and psychological
health always influences each other. In an "employee-oriented"
organization, not only does an employer care about the productivity
and quality, but also the psychological health and individual
development of her staff. Thank you Mrs. Ho very much for her
precious time to share her experience and the value of "employee
oriented" of PolyU with us. |
