Whether is a critical incident resulting in an injury in the workplace, a death in the family or any other event that affects your employees, the fact is that it will have an effect on them and your colleagues.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are designed to provide support for employees that are navigating life issues that may impact their ability to come to work and be productive in the workplace.
EAP’s are usually offered to employees at no cost and provide confidential access to professional assistance with a variety of problems effecting employees. It may include help with confronting personal problems such as alcohol and other substance abuse or depression, marital and family difficulties, and financial or legal troubles.
Research has shown that when employees do use EAP services, there are much better results in stress management, anxiety management and other mental health issues that can impact a workers performance and productivity.
An effective EAP can also help to combat absenteeism and maintain productivity. Some of these benefits include:
- Minimising loss in productivity due to extended absences from work
- Reduce the cost of having to engage replacement workers who are not familiar with the role they are filling,
- Putting strain on other workers who are less productive on their “regular” work because they are filling in for an absent employee, and
- Taking away the stress of supervisors who must spend time dealing with employee absences (e.g., adjusting workflow and obtaining replacements) all contribute to a loss in productivity.
Having a resource such as an EAP to support employees in times of need establishes that an employer cares about the health of its workforce and is willing to make investments in support of their wellbeing. EAP’s can offer a mix of telephonic and face to face services.