Drug Treatment Options Paper PSY/425 Elisabeth Pleskoch

Introduction The United States Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy is beginning to provide leadership throughout the nation with the development of practices, strategies, and policies supporting the advancement and hiring of employees with disabilities, including those with drug addictions.( U.S. Department of Labor ,2010), What are EAP’s? EAP’s, Employment Assistance Programs, are programs that provide employees with resources that are able to benefit not only employees but employers as well. EAP’s allow places of business to address issues of productivity by assisting employees in identifying and resolving personal problems that may affect their job performance. Through identification, prevention, and resolution of these problems, EAP’s are able to help with the enhancement of employee and workplace productivity, keeping valued employees, and allowing employees to return to their jobs after treatment. Many employers have found that by assisting their employees with preventative or proactive measures before they have serious consequences makes good business and financial sense. (U.S. Department of Labor , 2010), EAP’s have shown to encourage and contribute to decreases in absenteeism, the reduction of accidents which leads to fewer compensation claims which can be costly, the retention of valued employees, and a significant reduction in medical costs that can arise from the early detection and treatment for employees suffering from drug abuse issues. One of the things that makes EAP’s unique is that they not only assist employees but also their family members by including drug and alcohol related referrals and services, mental health services, and wellness promotion services such as programs to help quit smoking. (U.S. Department of Labor , 2011), After meeting with employers in 2007, the Office of Disability Employment addressed mental health and substance abuse issues with employees in the age range of 18-31. These meetings showed research had proven that employees in this age bracket are often more enthusiastic about EAP’s but wanted a medium in which they were more familiar when trying to find information and assistance. A particularly significant discussion included the linking of resources for the younger employees to new media formats in order to better serve their needs. (U.S. Department of Labor , 2010), A few of the strategies that have been implemented in EAP’s is the increase of the use of technology which younger employees are more comfortable with, efforts to make these services more accessible with online interactive assessments for drug and/or alcohol abuse, stress levels, anxiety and depression, and interactive scenarios that aid in teaching employers how to assess potential employee issues such as when to refer an employee to an EAP, make referrals to physicians, and even when to call the police. (U.S. Department of Labor , 2011), EAP’s are becoming increasingly involved in the promotion and administration of life/work problems. When EAP, life/work services, and human resources are incorporated effectively, a single assessment might be able to assist an employee in finding both counseling services and financial assistance for programs not included in the companies programs. The thought behind this is to be able to encourage employees to seek help with a large range of problems including drug abuse and mental health issues. Orientations for managers and supervisors is standard for EAP’s but in addition to these orientations EAP’s are offering specific training programs on managing employees throughout different generations because research has shown that programs that can aid older employees are not always helpful to the younger generation of employees and their needs might be different. A program that works well for an employee in their 50’s might not be beneficial to an employee in their 30’s. (U.S. Department of Labor , 2010), Mediation services have also been implemented in EAP’s in order to assist employees both young and old who might have a difficult time conforming to the expectations of their co-workers and managers. ( U.S. Department of Labor , 2011) Conclusion Workforce planning strategies that include EAP’s are shown to have a positive contribution to the health and well being of their employees by giving advice as well as resources to help with not only drug abuse but also personal issues. EAP’s have demonstrated their value to not only employees whose lives have been improved but also to the employers and companies that reap the benefits of having healthier, more productive employees.

References
U.S. Department of Labor (2010), Office of Disability Employment Policy, Retrieved on March 1, 2012 from www.dol.gov/odep
U.S. Department of Labor (2011), Drug Free Workplace Advisor, retrieved March 1, 2012 from www.dol.gov/elaws/asp/drugfree/assistance/screen 89.asp