Are you considering incorporating an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as an additional benefit resource for your employees but not sure of the benefits it offers to your company?
In this blog, we'll discuss what an EAP is, how it helps to assist your employees' lives, and how it affects your organization.
What is an Employee Assistance Program?
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary work-based program offered by employers that provides employees with resources to assist them in both their professional and personal lives.
The services provided for each employee through the program are always confidential and free of charge, with the end goal being to assist employees with getting back on track and improving their job performance.
Employee Well-being
When personal life gets hard, employees tend to suffer on the job as well, resulting in poor performance that may eventually put their position with the company at risk if the proper steps aren't taken to help the employee regain their previous work ethic.
With technology coming more into play in the workforce, many employee assistance programs are now being handled through the convenience of an app that can be accessed 24/7. While not all EAPs are made up of the same services, most offer counseling to assist with personal issues, work-life balance, financial advice, and even provide legal counsel.
The programs are designed to identify the route issue(s) that are causing the negative changes your employee is going through and develop a plan for recuperation and better work habits; saving your employee's job and your cost to hire.
Employer Well-being
It is always in the best interest of the employer to ensure that employees are mentally and physically well so they can work to produce products and services to the very best of their ability. When employees are not able to work to their best potential, they are often let go from the company and swiftly replaced. It may seem as though this has no effect on you as the employer; however, outside of being a decent boss as reasoning, we urge you to consider the fact that recruiting and onboarding constantly costs a great deal more than investing in established employees who have already given so much into the company.
In 2018, the Federal Occupational Health (FOH) found that companies with EAPs in place experienced a 69.2% decrease in absenteeism. On another note, enhancing your company's benefits with an EAP will rank your organization even higher on lists of those that are considered to be sought-after-talent.
EAP Options
While we at Elevated HR do not endorse any one EAP program, we have found several that may work for small businesses:
Thrive is modeled for small businesses and covers a variety of areas including personal issues, legal issues, and work-life balance. https://thrivewithbalance.com/Â Â
Headspace has awesome evidence-based outcomes.
3. Talkspace is easy to set up and has start-up rates of just $20 per month per employee.
Whatever program you choose, be sure to educate employees on how to access benefits and who to contact for questions or concerns.
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