Employee Assistance Programs: What are they?

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are an effective vehicle for addressing poor workplace performance that may stem from an employee’s personal problems, including the abuse of alcohol or other drugs.

EAPs are an excellent benefit to employees and their families and clearly demonstrate employers’ respect for their staff. They also offer an alternative to dismissal and minimize an employer’s legal vulnerability by demonstrating efforts to support employees.

In addition to counseling and referrals, many EAPs offer other related services, such as supervisor training and employee education.

What are the goals of an EAP?

Employers implement EAPs to accomplish a variety of goals:

• Identify employee personal problems at an early stage before there is a serious impact on the job

• Motivate employees to seek help through easy access to assessment and referral

• Direct employees to the best source of help and high-quality providers

• Limit health insurance costs through early intervention

• Reduce workers' compensation claims by encouraging easy access to help

• Decrease employee turnover

• Offer an alternative to firing valuable employees

• Provide employees with support and demonstrate that a company is a caring employer

What are the essential components of an EAP?

An EAP should include these essential components:

• A policy statement that defines how employees access the EAP, the services provided and how confidentiality is protected.

• Consultation and training services for supervisors and managers on how to manage and refer troubled employees to the EAP.

• Promotional activities to ensure the EAP is highly visible and easily accessible to employees.

• Educational programs for employees on relevant issues such as alcohol and drug addiction.

• Problem identification and referral services provided directly to individual employees (and often to family members).

• Identification and maintenance of a current, annotated directory of qualified providers of treatment or assistance to enable prompt referral of employees to appropriate resources.

Some EAPs also offer short-term counseling by licensed professionals.

What services does an EAP offer?

EAPs provide services to a variety of "customers" within the work organization. EAPs provide distinct but complementary services to each customer group--the employer or work organization, the supervisors/managers and the employees.

Organizational services include:

• Assistance in developing alcohol and drug policies

• Consultation regarding legal compliance issues

• Design and selection of health benefit plans

• Evaluation of health care providers

• Compliance with drug-free workplace policies
   

Guidance to managers and supervisors includes:

• How to make supervisor referrals based on declining job performance

• Separating performance issues from behavioral health issues

• Determining the need to intervene with troubled employees

• Following up on an employee's progress
   

Assistance provided directly to individual employees includes:

• General information and referral resources

• Crisis intervention

• Easy access to help

• Timely problem identification

• Short-term problem resolution

• Substance abuse assessments

• Referral for diagnosis and treatment or other kinds of help

• Follow-up contacts or sessions to provide support

• Educational seminars and workshops 

In addition to addressing alcohol and drug addiction problems and at no additional cost, most EAPs also help employees with:

• Marital/relationship problems

• Job stress

• Childcare issues

• Grief

• Financial problems

• Legal concerns

• Elder issues 

How does an EAP help employees?
EAPs target both:

1. Employees whose performance shows a pattern of decline which is not readily explained by job circumstances, and

2. Employees who are aware of personal problems that may or may not be affecting their performance.

Any employee can seek assistance from the EAP to get information or to discuss a personal problem. Approximately four to six percent of employees will contact the EAP on their own every year. In fact, most employees who use the EAP seek these services on their own. However, employees with job performance problems who do not contact the EAP are of most concern to supervisors. When a supervisor refers a troubled employee to the EAP, the supervisor does not have to wait until the problem is job threatening. Having an EAP allows supervisors to combine their offers of assistance with early disciplinary measures to help restore performance.

The EAP systematically and effectively approaches workplace and personal problems. The employee assistance professional meets privately with the employee, discusses the issues with the employee and helps identify the problem. The EAP then explores available options and refers the employee to appropriate resources that may be available in the community or professional services covered under the employee benefit plan.

Most EAPs offer services not only to employees but also to their dependent family members. This proves to be a wise investment because the work performance of an employee can be affected when a parent, spouse or child is abusing alcohol and other drugs.

How does an EAP work?

Employees can directly access the EAP voluntarily or be referred by their supervisor in cases of job-performance problems. When an employee uses EAP services voluntarily, there is no need for involvement on the part of the supervisor. However, when a supervior refers an employee to the EAP because of job performance, the offer of help may be combined with progressive discipline, and the supervisor will need to continue to monitor the employee's performance.

What are the various types of EAPs?

The most common structures for EAPs are:

• Internal Programs - Organizations implement internal EAPs whose staff members are full-time employees of the organizations for which they provide services. Although services may be made available at off-site locations, typically internal programs have on-site offices. This model is most common in large- or medium-sized organizations.
   

• External Vendors - Organizations can contract with an outside EAP vendor. Although services can be provided on site at the customer location, external vendors are more likely to maintain off-site offices used by various customers. External EAP services cost about $15 to $40 per employee annually depending on the size of the firm and services offered. Fees can be assessed on a per capita basis (flat rate based on the number of employees in the organization) or on a fee-for-service basis (charged whenever an employee actually uses the EAP services.) Some states, such as California, regulate per capita EAPs.
   

• Integrated Models - These EAPs combine features of both the internal and external types of EAPs. There is generally a centrally located internal section of the EAP that manages contracts with external vendors from remote locations. Integrated models also may include the integration of EAP services with the managed care behavioral health care benefits. In this model EAP services still should be distinguished and offered separately from ongoing clinical counseling benefits.
   

• Consortia - These arrangements, often sponsored by chambers of commerce, health care coalitions, trade associations, industry groups or multiple employers, provide a way for small business employers to benefit from shared costs. Joining a consortium to purchase EAP services does require that the members be willing to be serviced as one unit.
   

• Peer Assistance - These models utilize coworkers to deliver EAP services and are often organized by labor unions, employee associations or joint labor-management groups. Coworkers (peers) are trained to be available to their coworkers and to provide varying types of assistance. Peers perform various functions depending on the structure of the program and their level of training and supervision. Some peers are highly trained and provide the full range of EAP services, while others work in concert with qualified employee assistance professionals. Because peers are trusted by their coworkers, they can be particularly effective in providing outreach, referral and follow-up/support services for their coworkers. Peers often serve as volunteers, but may be compensated by their union and/or the employer. Many union peer assistance programs are known as Member Assistance Programs.
   

Across the country, more than 10,000 EAPs are in operation under these various types of service arrangements. Any of these types of EAPs may be provided through labor unions, management or labor-management cooperation. Likewise, the services may be paid for by the union or employer or funded through negotiations or joint labor-management health funds.

Extensis provides access to the tools New Jersey businesses need to attract and retain the workforce they need to succeed. We create the  benefit package you need and can afford. HR planning is more than a Health Insurance rate chart, it requires experience and the flexibility that Extensis can provide your business.

For more information, go to www.extensisgroup.com, or call 888-473-6398.