Employee Assistance Programs

Employee Assistance Programs have changed since the old programs of the 70s in which companies like CSX Railroad and GM had employees, usually recovering alcoholics, who would talk to other employees with drinking problems to see if they could get them detoxed and into Alcoholics Anonymous. Now EAP is sophisticated, covers all types of problems from marriage strife, depression, anger issues, financial difficulties, etc., and is usually managed by an external contractor staffed with licensed professional counselors.

Some companies contract with managed care providers and give employees an 800 number to call, but these arrangements are mostly concerned with saving health dollars. Companies do better by practicing due diligence when selecting an EAP arrangement. Some EAPs are in-house employees, but it’s hard to gain the trust of troubled employees if they see the EAP as controlled by management. Most people will not utilize an EAP and open up about personal problems if they aren’t convinced it’s confidential and that the EAP will not report the personal problems to management.

Contracting EAP with an external EAP provider with an office away from the work site, staffed with certified employee assistance professionals, has produced the best results. Gaining the trust of employees is vital. Once employees trust and utilize the EAP, the program can have company-changing results. If an employee sees his/her manager as someone who cares about the employee’s welfare, the employee will most likely be more loyal, happy and productive.

Most employees who utilize an EAP have problems that can be resolved or improved by a few short counseling sessions – however, if the problem is more serious, like alcoholism or drug addiction or debilitating depression, the EAP will refer the person to the appropriate treatment. Many large companies with a long history of providing EAP services have performed studies that show a return on investment — in other words, for every dollar spent on EAP the company realizes a greater return in increased productivity, less sick days, less re-work, less training costs because employees are not losing their jobs or quitting as often.

Here’s a WIKI article about EAP. If you want more information about Employee Assistance Programs, call Mike at 912-201-3605.