What Is An Employee Assistance Program?

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Life brings a variety of ups and downs. Sometimes negative experiences can fuel an employee’s unhappiness which can carry over to their workplace performance. When employees aren’t thriving, companies can’t, either. If a number of your employees are feeling unmotivated or unhappy, performance and productivity can slip even further.

That’s why it’s important to have tools and resources for employees, such as an employee assistance program (EAP). They are a great way for companies to support the well-being of their staff members. EAPs can contribute to employee productivity, personal wellness, and organizational success.

Key Takeaways

• An employee assistance program (EAP) is a service offered in the workplace to help employees and their families navigate a crisis or stress-related situation.

• EAPs are evolving to become holistic well-being programs rather than programs that deal with individual stressors.

• EAPs will most commonly cover all employees as well as any eligible household members, including the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, children, or any other dependents.

• EAPs typically have a network of providers and partners that can meet a wide range of needs, like legal firms, childcare resources, elder care professionals, nutritionists, fitness professionals, and others.

What Is an EAP?

An employee assistance program (EAP) is a service offered in the workplace to help employees and their families navigate a crisis or stress-related situation. This benefits program allows employees to address personal issues before it impacts their work performance.

An EAP is a confidential source employees can use to find support and resources regarding the challenge they face. It is typically something provided in a benefits package that helps employees connect with assessments, counseling, referrals, and any other follow-up services that may be relevant to their personal situation.

What Does an EAP Cover for Employees?

Depending on your employer, the offering for an EAP can vary drastically. As these programs evolve, they are more often becoming holistic well-being programs rather than programs that deal with individual stressors. Most programs cover and offer assistance for the following situations:

• Addiction. EAPs typically offer assistance when dealing with recovery from chemical dependency, addiction, alcoholism, gambling, and crisis intervention. Employees can contact a qualified professional through the EAP to begin getting help and treatment.

• Mental health. Mental health is a common struggle for many, including those that struggle with anxiety, depression, grief, crisis intervention, and behavioral health issues, all of which are typically covered by an EAP.

• Caregiving. Many employees may be faced with the challenge of caring for a loved one. EAPs can assist employees in finding eldercare or daycare services, assisted living, or even finding an out-of-state professional for a child who may be attending school elsewhere.

• Family services. Employees may experience family troubles, and EAPs typically provide assistance with marriage counseling, family planning, child safety, physical or emotional abuse, and other resources.

• Financial services. If an employee is having trouble or is looking to improve their financial wellness, EAP services typically can point employees with budgeting advice, better spending habits, loan consolidation, debt repayment services, and more.

• Career concerns. At some point, employees may be interested in navigating a career change or looking to get a promotion. EAPs can help connect them with resources to help this process or simply manage workplace stress, make travel plans, or manage relationships with co-workers.

How Do EAPs Work?

As mentioned above, employee assistance programs will vary based on what you choose to provide your employees. However, the EAP will most commonly cover all employees as well as any eligible household members, including the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, children, or any other dependents.

EAPs typically have a network of providers and partners that can meet a wide range of needs, like legal firms, childcare resources, elder care professionals, nutritionists, fitness professionals, and others. This gives your employees access to a wide variety of specialists, depending on their needs.

These resources may be actual on-call counselors that may visit the office occasionally or be available as needed or local resources that can help individuals solve challenges. They also typically include some kind of digital library of resources and self-help tools. It is important to note that all communication and access should remain confidential.

EAPs are not part of your insurance program, but they usually operate the same way. As the employer, you’ll want to do your research into the different providers and plans. The most common plans are fixed-fee contracts, where the employer pays a set amount per employee, or fee-for-service contracts, where the employer pays only when the service is utilized.

Benefits of Implementing an EAP in the Workplace

When your employees are happy and content in their lives, they are more likely to perform better at work. Having immediate and adequate support to navigate difficult life situations can help your employees solve problems more easily, which may reduce any negative impact the company feels. Here are some benefits of having an EAP.

• Better stress management. Many employees feel stressed at work, especially coupled with the uncertainty of the world today. Allowing your employees to access an EAP that can help them find ways to reduce stress is a great resource to improve their overall well-being inside and outside the workplace.

• Lower absenteeism rate. Stress can impact attendance, especially in regard to things like childcare or caregiving. EAPs offer important resources for employees to save time while finding reliable professionals to help with these needs so that they can attend work and feel secure that their loved ones are being taken care of.

• Higher employee retention rates. It’s no secret that employees who are happy at their jobs will stay longer than those who aren’t. Access to an EAP allows employees to live happier and less stressful lives but also demonstrates that the company cares about their well-being.

• Affordable resources. There are many instances where employees will not seek help or assistance for a problem simply because of the cost. Providing an EAP is a great way to show you care while giving your employees long-term support to be physically and mentally healthier while efficiently managing their health care expenses.

Employee Assistance Program FAQ

1. What is the purpose of an employee assistance program?

   The purpose of an employee assistance program is to provide employees with resources to help with personal problems that may affect their job performance.

2. What is an example of an employee assistance program?

   An example of an employee assistance program is when a company provides their employees with resources to help them overcome personal issues that may affect their work performance and work-related issues and help prevent or overcome existing burnout.

3. What services are commonly provided through an employee assistance program?

   The services that are commonly provided through an employee assistance program include substance abuse, mental health, relationship difficulties, eldercare, childcare, separation and loss, work-life balance, financial services, and more.

Author

Caitlin Mazur

Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia where she has written 140+ articles that have reached over 1 mil viewers as of June 2023. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research.