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The following material is found in Ceridian's HR Compliance Reference System:

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS (EAPs)

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 added benefit to employees and their families and clearly communicate employers’ respect and concern 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. 

OVERVIEW

Goals of an EAP

Employers implement EAPs to accomplish a variety of goals, including, but not limited to, the following:

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

·       Motivate employees to seek informal referral through easy access to assessment and referral.

·       Direct employees to the best source of aide and high-quality service providers.

·       Limit health insurance costs through early intervention.

·       Reduce workers’ compensation claims by encouraging easy access to assistance.

·       Decrease employee turnover.

·       Offer an alternative to terminating valuable employees.

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

Essential Components of an EAP

An EAP should include the following 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. 

·       Be available for all employees free of charge.

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

EAP Services

EAPs provide services to a variety of customers that exist 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 the following:

·       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 the following:

·       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 the following:

·       General information and referral resources.

·       Crisis intervention.

·       Easy access to assistance.

·       Timely problem identification.

·       Short-term problem resolution.

·       Substance abuse assessments.

·       Referral for diagnosis and treatment or other aide.

·       Follow-up contacts or sessions to provide support.

·       Educational seminars and workshops.

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

·       Marital or relationship problems.

·       Job stress.

·       Child care issues

·       Health issues.

·       Grief.

·       Financial problems.

·       Legal concerns.

·       Elder issues.

How an EAP Benefits Employees

EAPs target both of the following:

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

·       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 4 to 6 percent of employees will contact the EAP on their own each 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.  Moreover, when a supervisor refers a troubled employee to the EAP, the supervisor does not have to wait until the problem is job threatening.  Thus, having an EAP allows supervisors to combine their offers of assistance with early resolution and/or disciplinary measures to help restore performance. 

An EAP systematically and effectively approaches workplace and personal problems.  The employee assistance professional will complete the following:

·       Meet privately with the employee.

·       Discuss the issues with the employee.

·       Help identify the problem. 

The EAP then explores available options and refers the employee to appropriate resources that may be available in the community or to professional services covered under the employee’s 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 may be affected when a parent, spouse, or child is suffering with a problem, such as abusing alcohol and other drugs.

How EAPs Work

As previously mentioned, 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 supervisor refers an employee to the EAP because of job performance, the assistance may be combined with progressive discipline, and the supervisor will need to continue to monitor the employee’s performance.

Various Types of EAPs

The most common structures for EAPs are the following:

·       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 an average of $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 may also 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.  However, joining a consortium to purchase EAP services requires that the members are willing to be serviced as one unit. 

·       Peer Assistance.  These models utilize co-workers to deliver EAP services and are often organized by labor unions, employee associations, or joint labor-management groups.  Co-workers (peers) are trained to be available to their co-workers 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 co-workers, they can be particularly effective in providing outreach, referral, and follow-up/support services for their co-workers.  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.