Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Through Employee Assistance Programs in it & It-Bpm Companies

Most research on Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) has been conducted in a Western context and there is limited research on EAPs in India. The progress assessment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2024 shows that only 17% of the assessable targets display progress. To fill this gap, this study investigates whether the companies ranked as India’s Best Places to Work provide EAPs for their employees and whether the EAPs can help to achieve the United Nations SDGs. The study adopted an exploratory research approach with a qualitative research design. The data was taken from the companies ranked in India’s best workplaces in 2023. The researchers then categorized the Employee Assistance programs into physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The researchers studied the intention behind providing the EAPs by the companies with the targets of the United Nations SDGs. The study found that all the top 20 IT & IT-BPM companies provide EAPs to help their employees and families cope with physical, mental, and emotional needs. The EAPs categorized as physical, mental, and emotional well-being needs align with some of the targets set for the United Nations SDGs. The findings of the study will encourage more companies to provide EAPs for the well-being of their employees. By giving the EAPs the businesses can also play an important part in achieving the United Nations SDGs in the long run. The study may be seen as one of the rare attempts to associate the EAPs with the targets of the United Nations SDGs. The findings will have implications for further empirical research on the topic.