| Your
role in an Employee Assistance Program
Your company Employee Assistance
Program (E.A.P.) can help you reduce lost-time injuries
Many companies operate a formal Employee Assistance Program (E.A.P.).
Even in those that do not, team leaders or supervisors are generally
able to refer team members with problems to their human resource
departments. It is also useful to know the names and addresses of
helping agencies within your community.
Effective use of an E.A.P. rests heavily on team leaders' and supervisors'
shoulders. Especially in programs having a mandatory aspect, it
is these people in the organization who identify, motivate and refer
employees needing help. If the E.A.P. helps the employee, it helps
his or her team leader or immediate supervisor too.
We have all had to cope with problems at some time in our lives.
Crises such as a fire or automobile accident, a serious injury,
a family member abusing drugs or alcohol, marital difficulties within
the family, financial difficulties, a frail elderly family member,
beset us all at some time or other.
Most of the time, we call it Life, and we just get on and manage
as best we can. But we are not always able to cope on our own, and
it is not a sign of personal weakness when a worker is overwhelmed
by a crisis. Employers understand that personal problems can sometimes
get in the way of work, even affect it to the point that if something
is not done about it, a person's job may be in jeopardy, and the
organization will lose an otherwise good employee.
Often a helping hand at a critical point is all it takes for the
worker to reset his or her equilibrium. Enter an E.A.P.
Many people regard an E.A.P. as the program to turn to when an employee
has a drug or alcohol problem. While this is an important function
of the program, most E.A.P.s offer a full range of other services
too. Sometimes, a person can solve his or her problem with a little
advice from the right expert.
The E.A.P. protects your associate's privacy
Employees often need assurance that engagement with the E.A.P. will
not affect their job.
Problems discussed and action taken is between the E.A.P. and the
employee. Most E.A.P.s are not even permitted
to disclose to anyone in the company that an employee has voluntarily
approached it.
Other E.A.P.s include a mandatory aspect, so that a supervisor or
team leader can insist that an employee approaches it as a condition
to avoiding a reprimand or discharge.
If an employee is referred to the E.A.P. by someone in authority,
the same confidentiality considerations apply. The main difference
is that the supervisor or team leader must know (by receiving confirmation
from the E.A.P.) that the person has sought counselling through
the E.A.P., or that he or she is no longer making use of the E.A.P.
That is all. No other communications will pass between the E.A.P.
and anyone else within the organization. The employee's performance
is still measured through traditional job measurement criteria.
If your company operates an E.A.P., learn about the facilities it
offers, its policies, rules and procedures, including those that
relate to employee confidentiality. Knowing in advance what the
program can accomplish, and how comfortable your team members are
likely to feel when using it, can help you to recommend it to team
members with confidence.
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