An employee assistance program is a service where employers help employees deal with personal problems. Here are 4 employee assistance program benefits.
There are many different aspects of your life that can be tugging at you, demanding more attention over the other parts of your life.
For example, while you might have a huge project that you’re working on at work, tragic death in your family might leave you struggling to make ends meet.
Maybe you’re not motivated until you regain perspective, perhaps you need a bit more time to grieve over your loss. No matter the need, an Employee Assistance Program can help.
Here is a list of the many Employee Assistance Program benefits along with a description of what the EAP is.
What is an Employee Assistance Program?
Anyone who’s been in the workforce at one time or another can tell you of a situation where they needed moral support.
However, there are more serious times where you might be dealing with intense life struggles such as addiction, depression, or immense financial issues.
In those times, it can be hard for an employee to rise to the occasion of what’s inspected of them in their job duties. More importantly, the focus then becomes making sure the employee receives the help that they need.
Employee Assistance Programs, or EAPs for short, are services that employers invest in and provide to their employees for such serious and dire situations.
It gives the worker a place where they can be helped with any number of issues they’re dealing with. Those issues might be a workplace conflict, marriage struggles, or just stress that’s inhibiting them from having the confidence to perform their job.
If you’re interested in equipping your company with a helpful EAP service, then be sure to read more on this program here.
The Many Employee Assistance Program Benefits
Now that you understand what an Employee Assistance Program can provide for you, it is time to consider all the perks that come with it.
See below for several reasons why employers are making EAPs such a high priority for today’s workforce.
1. A More Present Staff
Not only is it important for you to show care and appreciation for your staff, but you must also do your part to ensure their well-being.
If you don’t make this a priority then your employees will do one of three things:1) try to skip work, 2) look for another place to work at or 3) do both. That means that your salaried employees are missing out on work that you’re paying them for.
More importantly, the more your employees skip out on work, the more alone that they will feel.
An EAP will help those employees receive the help that they need and build up their self-confidence and self-worth. They’ll feel the support that your company has given them by providing them an EAP and will try to return the favor by reporting on time.
2. 24/7 Counseling
If your employee comes to you admitting that they need help, then you shouldn’t wait any longer to give them the help that they need.
Of course, you’re always an open ear, but it takes specialized professionals to help your employees progress.
Having an Employee Assistance Program in place will give your entire staff access to specialized counseling whenever and wherever they need it most.
Be sure to commit your company to an EAP service that offers 24/7 access to counseling. Anything less will mean less ROI for your company on its EAP investment.
3. Confidentiality
There’s one main reason why employees don’t often go to their coworkers, employers, or even their friends with the struggles they’re having. They are afraid that the word will spread.
Confidentiality isn’t something that can be promised when you tell a friend of the troubles you’re facing.
However, with an Employee Assistance Program, confidentiality is formally agreed upon by all sides. In fact, there are written policies that the employer, employees, and EAP service must sign off on before the service can begin.
The confidential part of an EAP is important because it gives your employees a sense of security. They can feel more at peace with being open about the feelings or struggles they’re experiencing.
Without proper support for your staff, the entire office environment of your company can become alarmingly negative.
Negative workplaces have employees that are always on edge, never arrive on time, are insubordinate with their managers, and many other tell-tale signs.
While you may not have encouraged that kind of behavior, you’re certainly not trying to stop it unless you install other practices.
using services such as an Employee Assistance Program shows how much your brand strives for a positive work environment. Your staff will follow-suit, looking for different ways that they can carry the torch towards a positive workforce as well.
More importantly, it shows that your office embraces the adversities of life. You don’t run from life issues, you seek out help towards solving them.
That helps you and your staff to avoid compartmentalizing different struggles. Instead, you work through those issues to come out the other side happier than you were before.
Gain Access to These Employee Assistance Program Benefits Today!
Now that you’ve seen several examples of Employee Assistance Program benefits, it’s time to equip your entire staff with these perks.
After teaming up with an EAP service, you’ll notice that your entire workforce has a new spark under them to work hard and support your brand.
