Your Company’s Employee Assistance Program is the Hidden Gem in Your Employee Benefits Package
I landed my first real job when I was nineteen years old. “Real” to the nineteen-year-old me meant 9-to-5, salaried, and with benefits. Reviewing the benefits package with the Human Resources Department, I learned I had an additional benefit beyond health and life insurance. It was something I had never heard of but a benefit I would use often. The benefit was an EAP.
An EAP or Employee Assistance Program is not a traditional employee benefit. When most people contemplate a new job, they rarely if ever will ask about the availability of an EAP. Health insurance, life insurance, 401K, and vacation are considered the cream of the benefits crop. The employee contribution is a big factor when deciding on what benefits are most important. And while I understand this position, because it has been mine as well, new employees should consider the importance of having access to an EAP.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management defines an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as “a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal and/or work-related problems” (OPM, What is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?). A robust EAP will offer services that employees need and want but forget they have access. When an employee is stressed, the last thing on their mind is that the help they need is at their fingertips.
I have used my EAPs as often as I have needed. One time that stands out is when I was going through a separation and subsequent divorce. At the time, I suffered depression and grief like I had never experienced before in my life. Calling my employer’s EAP provider gave me access to psychologists who helped me through my divorce and with some issues that had been unresolved since my early twenties.
Anthem Blue Cross, one of the largest U.S. managed health care companies, is also an EAP provider. Some of the EAP services the company lists on their website include elder and childcare consultation, legal and financial consultation, and work/life services. Each offering helps an employee deal with challenges they may face in their daily lives, whether at home or work.
The focus on self-care has become a hot topic and essential in our day-to-day lives. An important correlation exists between self-care and EAPs. I propose when you think about self-care, you must include your EAP in the equation. EAPs offer services that support mental and emotional health which is critical to self-care.
What I cannot understand is why companies do not actively promote their EAP to employees. A 2014 Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) article states “a median of only about 3.5 percent of employees take advantage of EAP services per year, when available and of the employees using EAP services, 60 percent are female” (SHRM, Solving the EAP Under-Use Puzzle). It is a mistake to think promoting an EAP is the sole responsibility of Human Resources. Most HR representatives are not talking to employees every day. They are not the first responders to an employee’s daily struggles. They are not the ones who will witness a decline in an employee’s performance. For that reason, my recommendation is for managers to become champions of the company’s EAP and share as much information with employees before their performance begins to suffer.
In my opinion, a company’s EAP is much more than a voluntary, work-based program. It is an essential component of the company’s list of benefits and its performance. Moreover, when an employee uses the available EAP, it becomes a hidden gem that benefits the employee, their well-being, and their performance.
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