Preparing for the Challenges of Research: While Nearly All Employee Assistance Professionals Agree on the Need for More Research, Proving the Business Value of Eaps will Pose Fundamental Challenges for Our Industry

Much fanfare surrounded the inaugural meeting of the Employee Assistance Research Foundation (EARF) at the 2007 EAPA Conference in October. The naming of Paul Roman, distinguished professor of sociology at the University of Georgia, as senior advisor to the EARF board of directors and a pledge of matching financial support from the Carl Tisone Family Foundation formalized the presence of this organization within the EAP world. The event was a true milestone for the EAP field, and Carl Tisone deserves our recognition for organizing this initiative. Although congratulations are certainly in order, Tisone's call to action (excerpted in the 1st quarter 2008 issue of the Journal) should be viewed as a wake-up call. While we have been busy doing our good work, the world of employee assistance has moved, without guidance, from under our feet--and in the wrong direction.