The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Program
By Deb Walker
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a very credible option to consider in support of employee wellness, both in terms of results as well as in the nominal financial obligations for such a program.
Through the course of my work as a collaborative HR consultant focused on psychological health and wellness in the workplace, many organizations source out alternative or innovative ways to support their staff and add to their employer brand, thereby enriching their corporate culture. Employees are not unique islands where their work or personal persona is checked at the door with no overlap between their different worlds. We have many wonderful human qualities that can work with us (or against us sometimes). Add in a world that may be confusing and frightening, no matter how we plan and strategize to minimize its negative impact on us. Equity in the world, or the all too often lack of it, as well as conflicting communication, social norms and objectives regularly contribute to the noise level we are all coping with on a daily basis and contributes to the reasons that mental health – inside and outside of the organization – is a key concern for leaders.
Many employers are implementing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as a key tool to support their team and its wellness.
In general, an EAP provides support and guidance to employees who are experiencing stress points in their lives – professionally and/or personally. This is a confidential service that is normally available to employees and their families, and can often take away some of the “background noise” in their busy lives. Although EAPs evolved from a need to help employees with their professional stresses, employees who access the resources provided through an EAP are increasingly seeking out assistance on a personal level for issues which can have significant implications and ramifications for the workplace.
One of the ways to think about EAP benefits/tools is how they better allow for a crack to be mended rather than waiting until a fissure that breaks everything apart.
Shifting and increasing pressures on employees can significantly impact productivity and profitability through: increasing sickness absences; greater draws on health benefits such as prescriptions and disability programming; and, increasing potential for errors resulting in financial losses as well as increased labour costs to find and repair those losses – to name just a few.
The positive impacts from an effective EAP can include:
- Decreased absenteeism
- A more engaged workforce
- Favourable impact on the reputation of the organization, leading to an elevated employer brand that can positively impact the ability to recruit
- Increased retention/decreased turnover, which in turn impacts time/money to be allocated to sourcing, training and employee development
- Additional resources from experts and professionals that may not always be readily available to the smaller business entity (e.g. crisis management, training to support someone (and their coworkers) who has been through a physical assault or trauma, harassment training, disaster recovery plan for when we do get that projected earthquake/tsunami in coastal British Columbia, acts of terrorism or acts of god, fired team members, etc.)
- Increased ability on the part of the organization to meet their legal obligations under their regional employment and safety laws.
As you know, employees aren’t just working for the money. Employees of today, and in the future, are seeking organizations and careers that provide them with fulfillment, purpose, recognition and occasional balance in the teeter totter that we call “life”.
Trust has been identified by the World Economic Forum as a key to organizations of the future. Having an unbiased, confidential resource to go to, that doesn’t have an agenda other than to assist the employee in addressing their issues, can be critical to the ongoing engagement and trust an employee has.
Designing and implementing a solid Employee Assistance Program makes good sense – good human sense and good business sense – with the benefits far outweighing the costs.