Question

What are employee assistance programs? Search on the web and identify an example of one—describe its structure and what is offered.

please write 200 words please

Answer 1

ANSWER

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal and/or work-related problems.

There is no federal law that prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to use an employee assistance program.

Employee-assistance programs are incredibly effective in providing employees who have personal or professional issues in the workplace with an opportunity to improve their performance.

Types of Services Provided by EAPs

Normally, what happens when you offer an EAP is that an employee who feels the need can call the EAP toll-free phone number (or can visit the EAP website) to get immediate help from a professional counselor on topics like:

• Workplace personality conflicts: Advice and suggestions on how to work with a difficult manager or co-workers.
• Drug addiction: Advice on how to deal with the employee’s addiction, or how to deal with a family member’s addiction, including teen drug use prevention.
• Mental health issues: Depression, anxiety, anger management, or other needs an employee or their family members may be dealing with.
• Health and caregiving issues: How best to manage return to work issues after a worker’s comp claim, or how to manage a disability or medical issue at work, or how to obtain help for an ill or elderly loved one.
• Legal and family advice: Marriage counseling, divorce, or child custody issues.
• Financial counseling: How to avoid bankruptcy, or how to pay down credit card debt, or create a budget.
• Grief assistance: Support for employees who have lost a loved one as well as for employees experiencing the loss of a co-worker or a significant event such as a shooting at work.

Examples of Employee-assistance programs (EAP) include:

• · Stress management.
• · Child care or elder care referral.
• · Wellness program.
• · Counselling for crisis situations (e.g., death at work).
• · Advice specifically for managers/supervisors in dealing with difficult situations.

The range of areas typically managed by an EAP provider include:

• Personal difficulties.
• Job stress.
• Relationship difficulties.
• Eldercare, childcare, parenting difficulties.
• Harassment.
• Substance abuse.
• Separation and loss.
• Balancing work and family.
• Financial or legal.
• Family violence.

Some EAP providers are also able to offer other services including retirement or lay-off assistance, and wellness/health promotion and fitness (such as weight control, nutrition, exercise, or smoking). Others may offer advice on long-term illnesses, disability challenges, counselling for crisis situations (e.g., death at work), or advice specifically for managers/supervisors in dealing with difficult situations.

STRUCTURE OF EAP

"Employee assistance program core technology" or "EAP core technology" represents the essential components of the employee assistance (EA) profession. These components combine to create a unique approach to addressing work-organization productivity issues and "employee client" personal concerns affecting job performance. EAP core technology is:

1. Consultation with, training of, and assistance to work organization leadership (managers, supervisors, and union officials) seeking to manage troubled employees, enhance the work environment, and improve employee job performance;

2. Active promotion of the availability of EA services to employees, their family members, and the work organization.

3. Confidential and timely problem identification/assessment services for employee clients with personal concerns that may affect job performance;

4. Use of constructive confrontation, motivation, and short-term intervention with employee clients to address problems that affect job performance;

5. Referral of employee clients for diagnosis, treatment, and assistance, as well as case monitoring and follow-up services;

6. Assisting work organizations in establishing and maintaining effective relations with treatment and other service providers, and in managing provider contracts;

7. Consultation to work organizations to encourage availability of and employee access to health benefits covering medical and behavioral problems including, but not limited to, alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental and emotional disorders; and

8. Evaluation of the effects of EA services on work organizations and individual job performance.

STEPS INVOLVED IN EAP

Analysis

The first component of an employee assistance program is an organizational analysis. During this process, an employer, often working with an external vendor, performs a needs analysis for the purpose of identifying the appropriate areas to provide support to employers. This component can be carried out in a number of ways. A simple method for conducting an analysis is the implementation of surveys in which employees anonymously answer questions regarding their biophysical health. Alternatively, employers can host focus groups. During these meetings an assembly of workers comes together to discuss their issues and provide input regarding ways they may be helped. Quite often, key team members, such as department managers, are interviewed about the potential needs of their respective teams. Feedback is used to develop a comprehensive employee assistance program.

Orientation

Once an employee assistance program has been designed, it must be introduced to the population through an orientation process. Delivered individually or in a group setting, this training educates the staff on all aspects of the initiative. In addition to explaining the programs and features available to them, the orientation also schools them on the policies and procedures that regulate how the program is accessed.

Case Management

In most environments, there is an employee assistance counselor or specialist who serves as the employees’ liaison to the program. This individual creates a case file, which highlights each of the employee’s issues as well as a detailed treatment or action plan to resolve them.

Depending on the credentials of the counselor, he may treat the employee himself. Often, however, he procures the services of external specialists such as psychiatrists, social workers and drug treatment specialists. Throughout the course of the action plan, the employee assistance counselor monitors the worker’s progress. This is done through interviews with the employee as well as regular contact with the external vendor. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that the issue is properly resolved and handled in a manner that aligns with company regulations.

WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYEE ASSISTANT PROGRAMME OFFER

Ensuring employees are happy at work is one of the most important jobs for any employer.

Happy employees create positive and productive work environments, allowing everyone to thrive while working together toward a common goal.

• Unfortunately, there are times when personal problems prevent employees from doing their best work. This may lead to a sharp reduction in productivity and focus, and can negatively impact the rest of the team.
• To address this, many employers have recognized the benefits of Employee Assistance Programs in helping keep their teams healthy and happy.
• An EAP is designed to boost employees' performance by proactively helping them resolve personal issues. This program offers confidential and short-term support that assists with a variety of issues, including financial, legal, physical, and mental health.
• Although EAPs are often used for mental health counselling, they can also support your employees in a variety of other ways, such as helping them with:
• childcare
• elder care
• pet sitting
• buying a home for the first time

These benefits and services are also often available for each employee's dependents, spouse, and extended family.

The Importance of Employee Assistance Programs for Today’s Workplaces

Studies on workplaces have shown that job stress is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the Statistics Canada General Social Survey (GSS), 25% of working Canadians are affected by stress, while 60% of workers attribute their main source of stress to their job.

Ongoing stress leads to exhaustion and apathy, often resulting in a lack of productivity and psychological burnout. EAPs can help prevent this, by providing employees critical support before their stress snowballs into a crisis.

5 Essential Benefits of Workplace EAPs

1. Lead to Increased Productivity

When employees are distracted by personal problems, they become less motivated and creative at work. They may also start to use more sick days in an effort to cope. Needless to say, these absences can have serious consequences.

Statistics show that after an EAP is introduced, productivity increases and that EAPs reduce sick leave usage by 33%, lost time by 40%, and work-related accidents by 65%.

2. Affordable for Employers to Implement

One of the major benefits of employee assistance programs is that they are surprisingly affordable, ranging from 42 to 60 dollars per employee per year. This is less than 1% of what the average employer pays annually for employee health insurance!

It’s important to keep communicating the availability of the program to keep it top of mind for employees. If you don’t, the likelihood that they will use it decreases significantly.

3. Help Businesses Save Money

According to Statistics Canada, mental health issues cost employers a staggering $20 billion per year and account for 75% of short-term disability claims in Canada. If you’re not addressing mental health in the workplace, it may cost you dearly.

EAPs give employers an excellent return on investment: for every $1 you invest, the return is 8 times greater!

Investing in an EAP leads to reduced healthcare costs, lower medical insurance usage, fewer disability claims, and fewer absences.

4. Encourage a positive work environment

Stress-caused issues such as absenteeism, decreased performance, and health problems affect not only one person but the overall work force.

Additionally, if someone is experiencing a high level of stress, they may become more defensive, argumentative, and a less communicative at work.

An EAP can help a troubled employee by providing support as well as an outlet to discuss their issues. As a result, the employee experiences an improvement in stress-levels, which will positively affect co-workers.

5. Lead to Increased Employee Retention

A positive work environment is a key factor in retaining talented employees.

A survey by the American Health Association found that 51% of employees stay at their job because of good relationships with coworkers. An EAP helps keep employees productive, present, and happier while on the job.

Furthermore, this program is especially useful in attracting and retaining millennial employees.

In general, millennials are less hesitant to reach out for help regarding mental health issues, and are therefore more likely to appreciate and make use of an employee assistance program.

The psychological and financial costs of stress and mental health issues are taking a toll on Canadian businesses. Now, more than ever, employers have a responsibility to support employees and contribute to their wellbeing.

EAP costs little to implement, and provides significant gains for employees while helping to boost their bottom line. This vital program can go a long way in creating a happy, strong, and productive team.

................................