EAP Employee Assistance Programs

What is an EAP?

An EAP, or employee assistance program, is a confidential, short term, counselling service for employees with personal problems that affect their work performance. EAPs grew out of industrial alcoholism programs of the 1940's. EAPs should be part of a larger company plan to promote wellness that involves written policies, supervisor and employee training, and, where appropriate, an approved drug testing program.

EAPs are usually a program purchased or funded by your employer and provided by an external organization or occasionally by a department within your company.  Ask your manager, Human Resources Department.

To locate service providers in your area use a search engine, such as Google. Key words include "EAP service providers". You may wish to add your location to help narrow the results.

No. If you wish to start your own EAP company and offer EAP services we recommend you contact the Canadian Employee Assistance Program Association (CEAPA)

The EAP offers help with the resolution of problems that are affecting work. These problems, however, do not have to be caused by workplace issues. Employee Assistance Programs are designed to help people understand or overcome their personal problems. While most EAPs offer a wide range of services, they often refer to other professionals or agencies who can offer more or extended care in particular areas.

The range of areas typically managed by an EAP provider include:

• Personal issues.
• Job stress.
• Relationship issues.
• Eldercare, childcare, parenting issues.
• Harassment.
• Substance abuse.
• Separation and loss.
• Balancing work and family.
• Financial or legal.
• Family violence.

Some EAP providers are also able to offer other services including retirement or lay-off assistance, and wellness/health promotion and fitness (such as weight control, nutrition, exercise, or smoking).

Others may offer advice on long-term illnesses, disability issues, counselling for crisis situations (e.g., death at work), or advice specifically for managers/supervisors in dealing with difficult situations.

EAPs are open to all employees and members of their immediate family.

In most cases, an EAP phone number is posted or otherwise distributed to staff members. This number is often to what is known as a referral agent.

A referral agent could be a someone from within the organization such as a health professional in the medical department, a union counsellor or an employee who has received EAP training. If there is no internal referral agent, the employee could be referred to an external EAP resource. Referral agents must be familiar with available community resources which could include social, financial and mental health services, professional counsellors, or ministers. A referral agent defines the specific nature of the problem and refers the person to the appropriate resource for assistance. The actual referral depends on the type of problem, the preference of the person, and the ability of the person to pay for the service (if costs are not otherwise covered by the EAP or insurance program).

When an employee voluntarily contacts an EAP provider, a confidential record is opened. The EAP provider will collect any necessary information and, depending on the severity of the problem and the capabilities of the EAP personnel, will decide if the problem can be handled by the provider or if a referral is needed to an outside resource (such as a particular substance abuse program). Interviews are typically offered to the employee within a set period of time (e.g., interviews will be conducted within 24 or 48 hours) unless the situation is judged to be an emergency.

In an EAP, there are three types of referrals:

1. Self-referral where the employee seeks help on their own.

2. The informal referral where a supervisor, friend or co-worker recommends the EAP.

No record of these two types of referral appears in the employee's personnel file.

3. A formal referral is based on job performance and the supervisor recommends the EAP. This recommendation may or may not appear in the individual's personnel file depending on the situation. Often, no notation is made unless there is a need for formal disciplinary action. What is discussed during the sessions, however, is not reported to the employer in either case.

Several factors make an EAP successful:

•Strict confidentiality.

•Open to employees and their immediate families.

•Recognition and commitment by management, employees and union (if there is one) that an EAP is needed.

•Policies and procedures supported by top management, employees and the union.

•Establishment of both formal and informal referral procedures.

•Promotion of the EAP and encouragement to use the service.

•Managers and employees educated in the workings of the EAP.

•Periodic evaluation of the EAP to be sure the needs of both the employee and the employer are being met.

In addition, the EAP must be monitored and evaluated to ensure continued quality of the referral/assistance and to correct potential trouble situations. An appropriate assessment, referral and follow-up of progress are important for continued success of the EAP.

Hiring professional services, no matter what the service may be, requires some investigation. It is the client's responsibility to find a competent consultant who is qualified by education, knowledge, and experience. The following questions are not meant to be the only questions you may ask, but rather they are a start to your checklist.

1. What is the experience of the provider?

• How many years has the provider been serving these clients?
• Can the provider provide a list of references?

2. Where are the provider's offices located? (A local organization is generally preferred because they are familiar with the community and its resources.)

3. What is the provider's scope of services?

Examples may include:

• Stress management.
• Child care or elder care referral.
• Wellness program.
• Counselling for crisis situations (e.g., death at work).
• Advice specifically for managers/supervisors in dealing with difficult situations.

• Exactly how would the organization provide services to our employees?
• For example, would the provider use an 800 number, referral network, on site service, etc.
• What is the policy on returning calls? How long before a call-back is placed (e.g., within 24 hours, 48 hours)?

4. How does the provider determine to whom the clients are referred?

• How and how often is the list of referral sources updated?

5. What is the provider's availability?

• How many staff members are available in typical and non-typical business hours?
• What services are available in non-typical business hours?
• What is the availability for swing shift employees?

6. How many counselors are provided per employee?

• What are the backgrounds of the counselors, i.e. education, credentials, years of experience, etc.?

7. What type of training is provided?

• (Employee orientation, management/union representative training, on-going education programs for employees)

8. Does the provider have a follow-up or utilization review service?

• If so, how is it done?

9. What kinds of return-to-work, aftercare, or support services are offered?

10. What types of publicity and promotion of EAP services would be offered?

11. What is the fee structure? (E.g., flat fee? Based on average usage statistics and number of employees? Per referral?)

12. What types of reports are produced to the employer? (E.g., number of referrals, what types, etc.)

http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/occup-travail/empl/benefits-avantages-eng.php

Environmental and Workplace Health
Benefits of using the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

If Employee Assistance Services (EAS) is your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) service provider, please call 1-800-268 or 1-800-5803 (for persons with a hearing impairment) to access the program.

In light of ongoing changes within Canada's federal public service and its impact on employees, EAS has made the decision to re-post past newsletters dealing with topics related to coping with change; grief and loss (employment, death); and financial management.

Our intention is that this information will be of use and support to our clients during these times of change.

Kindest Regards,

The EAS Team

• Impact of Change
• Coping with Change
• Grief
• When Panic Strikes - Don't Panic
•  Grief: A Path to Healing and to Honouring Losses •Financial Stress

All of us have experienced, at one time or another, some difficulties which can disrupt our lives and may have an effect on our well-being.

Your EAP can assist in addressing almost every problem that affects professional or personal lives. Here are some examples:

• marital and family problems;
• work-related problems;
• interpersonal conflicts.
• Strictly Confidential

When you call our 24-hour Crisis and Referral Centre at 1-800-2-7708 (or 1-800-565803 for persons with a hearing impairment) for support and assistance, you are assured of the highest standards of confidentiality. Your employer will not know that you have accessed the program and will not have access to any of your private information. In addition, our community-based counsellors are bound by their own professional code of ethics as well as the confidentiality provisions in our contractual agreements that further serve to further guarantee client confidentiality. There is no risk to your future career advancement.

Ease of Access and Bilingual Service

All calls to the EAS Employee Assistance Program are answered by fully trained bilingual (French and English) counsellors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. All counsellors have a minimum of a master's degree in counselling, social work or psychology and are trained in crisis and suicide prevention/intervention.

Because your employer believes in the well-being of its employees, your employer pays for the cost of the program.

Trained and Experienced Counsellors

Our national network of more than 700 highly trained and experienced counsellors include qualified psychologists, social workers and trained educators with a specialization in counselling - all with a minimum of a master's degree and 5 years of counselling experience.

They have a wide range of expertise and specializations and clients are always referred accordingly.

According to our most recent Voluntary Client Satisfaction Survey, 98% of service users will contact us again in the future should they need help and 95% are "totally" or "very satisfied" with the services received.

In e-counselling, the counsellor and client exchange e-mail instead of meeting face-to-face. Typically, e-mails are exchanged once a week for an average period of 3 weeks.

For more information about how your EAP service can work for you, see this excerpt from an EAP information session presentation that is usually delivered face-to-face. Please speak with the EAP contact within your organization to request a face-to-face information session for your organization. EAS also offers information sessions through videoconferencing and teleconferencing.