I am the H.R. Director for a BeyondTheRack Corporation, a 30,000 employee off-price retailer, headquartered in Massachusetts with store locations and distribution centers throughout the country. We currently do not have an Employee Assistance Program. Our CEO realizes that many competin

Employee Assistance Programs are benefit programs, designed to help employees face personal problems that might negatively impact their work performance, health, or overall well-being. The personal issues for which Employee Assistance Programs provide support vary, but can include, alcoholism, substance abuse, emotional distress, major life events such as births, accidents, and death, health complications, family and relationship dynamics, and work environment concerns. A 2008 study from the Families and Work Institute found that 65% of employers provided EAPs in 2008, an increase from 56% in 1998 (Dargan, 2010). Employee Assistance Programs generally include a variety of services such as situation assessment, short-term psychological counseling and referral services to specialists if needed. Employers choose to provide this benefit to their employees for many different reasons, ranging from the desire to support their employees and their family members, accepting the evidence that healthy employees make for a more productive workplace, and protecting themselves from liability and legal issues (Jacobson, 2010).
An Employee Assistance Program's basic services are usually funded by the employer so that associates and their families can utilize them free of charge. Most offer employees between three and ten sessions with a trained counselor or adviser. The employer negotiates services based on per-employee charges which range from $12.00 to $30.00 per calendar year. The cost, in comparison to expenditures on health insurance, remains minimal (Grossman, 2010). How can BeyondTheRack Corporation justify funding and offering an Employee Assistance Program? Do the savings outweigh the costs? In these tough economic times, it can be difficult to justify spending money on benefits aside from those that are legally required such as medical plans. While Employee Assistance Programs are often considered a nonessential benefit, they can benefit employees and companies alike, improving the quality of life for employees, and improving both productivity and safety in the workplace, which makes for a more efficient work environment.
In addition to providing psychological counseling, Employee Assistance Programs can help BeyondTheRack’s employees gain access to specialists such as financial advisors, attorneys, travel agents, and elder care or child care services. These kinds of resources can help our employees with challenges they may face outside of the office such as starting a family, dealing with personal finances, legal problems or the stresses of being a working caregiver with aging parents or young children. To provide this benefit, employers contract with a third-party Employee Assistance Program company. A full-service, integrated external Employee Assistance Program can provide our employees access to all of its services through a single, toll-free phone number that is accessible 24 hours a day and 7 days a week (Dargan, 2010). If an additional service is needed beyond the initial phone call, such as an appointment with a medical professional or counselor, the employee can arrange to see one in just a few days from the initial phone call.
While most states do not regulate the licensing of Employee Assistance Program providers, organizations offering EAP services usually have their own network of providers, who must meet credentialing requirements. The typical specialist for an Employee Assistance Program is a licensed, masters level clinician with a background in social work (Dargan, 2010). Most specialists also have certification as a Certified Employee Assistance Professional. North Carolina and Tennessee are among the few states that have passed EAP licensing laws. Under California law, behavioral therapy providers must have Knox-Keene licenses offered through the California Department of Managed Health Care. (www.eapssn.org)
An Employee Assistance Program can provide BeyondTheRack’s employees the benefit of delivering confidential counseling services outside of the workplace, away from their co-workers, supervisors, and our Human Resources department. BeyondTheRack’s Human Resources department will not have access to the names of employees are utilizing our Employee Assistance Program, unless there are extenuating circumstances and the proper release forms have been signed. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) protects the confidentiality of personal health information. Employee Assistance Program records fall under HIPAA law, meaning providers and employers cannot disclose any personal health information, including who has used the services, without the consent of the user (Bakich & Pestania, pp. 48-52). It is important to ensure that confidentiality is maintained in accordance with privacy laws and professional ethical standards.
Employee Assistance Programs are designed to improve employee productivity, which often suffers when an employee is dealing with personal issues such as mental illness, family problems or substance abuse. Over the past several years Employee Assistance Programs have expanded to become a productivity enhancing tool for every employee including the small number who may be dealing with serious issues such as addiction, depression and violence (MacAlpine, 2003). Companies employing the services of a professional Employee Assistance Program have not only experienced increases in productivity, but also in quality of work, which is greatly affected by stress. Employee Assistance Programs address these problems and ensure employee issues are quickly resolved. This means fewer mistakes at work, high quality output and an overall increase in work place performance. Employee Assistance Programs can also increase employee morale by ensuring that employees are well taken care of as individuals so that they can perform at their maximum potential. This lets employees know that the company supports them therefore they feel a connection to the work they are doing and are more committed to achieving desirable results.
Employee Assistance Programs look after the physiological health of employees developing strategies for coping with external stress as well as all types of work related stress. Work stress can build up over a period of time and can possibly lead to conflict with other employees or even escalate into a violent situation. Employee Assistance Programs can assist during the early stages of a problem, which can prevent it from turning into turning into something more serious.
Problems within the working environment lead to absenteeism and high turnover. Absenteeism costs the company money. Frequent absenteeism can be devastating to business. Employee Assistance Programs reduce the amount of time employees take off work. A study of almost 60,000 EAP cases found that employee absenteeism was reduced from an average of 2.37 days of unscheduled absences or tardy days in the prior 30-day period before using the EAP to only 0.91 days after completing use of EA services (Johnson, 2010).
A high turnover of employees can be costly for any company. Employee Assistance Programs effectively reduce the turnover and absenteeism of employees by managing work related and personal stress. A 2011 Survey by First Assist argues that counseling through an Employee Assistance Program can help employees remain at work
The poll found that more than half of those who had received counseling sessions through an Employee Assistance Program felt that, without this support, their concerns would have caused them to miss work. Just 17% of those questioned felt that their ability to cope with the demands of their job was "good" or "very good" before they had counseling; this rose to 64% afterwards. The research was carried out among 4,213 employees who had access to counseling services through an employee assistance program. On an equally important matter, the results also showed that counseling had the potential to have a positive effect on employees' personal lives, with just 9% saying that satisfaction with their personal life before counseling was "good" or "very good", compared with 57% afterwards. It was the same for relationships with colleagues, with 23% saying that they were either "poor" or "very poor" beforehand as opposed to only 2% afterwards. (Occup Health), 2011 Jul; 63(7): 4)
Employee Assistance Programs can also help BeyondTheRack prevent workplace accidents and hazards, as well as promote a safe work environment. Employees suffering from stress-related symptoms will often experience difficulty with concentration, mental focus and physical function. This can be a dangerous combination in any work environment. Employee Assistance Programs look after the mental health and ability of employees ensuring that they are able to function at the required level.
The return on investment of having an Employee Assistance Program is easy to see when one considers the cost to the company of even just one employee not performing at optimum levels on the job. In 2005 Managed Health Networks, a California based Employee Assistance Program provider launched a calculator to measure the return on investment of effective EAP programs. The tool also estimated the costs associated with reduced work performance.
The calculator was developed based on a Managed Health Networks study that examined the treatment outcome data on more than 10,000 employees with depression to determine the likely ROI associated with effective treatment through an Employee Assistance Programs. Researchers focused on depression because it is the most common mental health problem in the workplace with the greatest overall impact on job performance.
"Our outcome research showed that two-thirds of employees reported at least moderate symptoms of depression at the time of intake, and approximately half of the treated employees showed no such symptoms after treatment." Says Deirdre Hiatt, vice president of quality management at Managed Health Networks. The study data was combined with research on the lost productive job time associated with depression, previously reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Hiutt says, "Decisions on purchasing EAP services have traditionally been made by analyzing satisfaction and utilization data. But increasingly, EAP programs are being asked to also show financial return on investment. We can now do this."(EAP ROI, 2005)
This benefit is actually very affordable and simple to implement. Orientations to employees should be conducted when a company first begins to offer an Employee Assistance Program to inform them of this new benefit, how to access it and what services are available to them. Managers and supervisors sometimes get additional training on how to use the benefit as a management tool in the workplace. According to the Employee Benefits Journal, Employers need to do a better job of promoting their employee assistance programs. While most companies have Employee Assistance Programs, nearly 20% of workers don't know if their companies offer them, according to a recent survey by the Hazelden Foundation, which provides drug and alcohol addiction treatments. (Anderson, 2005)
Employee Assistance Programs continue to evolve and progress and the types of services they provide are multifarious and amazingly comprehensive.
Pat Monteath, Sr. Consultant with the Health and Benefits consulting practice at Aon Consulting, states:
"In terms of hard dollars, it's all over the map. There are some organizations that claim that for one dollar spent on an Employee Assistance Program the return on investment is anywhere from $2 to $15. But in my mind, a program that invests itself in positively impacting the health of employees will result in very positive potential returns for the organization." (MacAlpine, 2003).
To begin the process of providing this Employee Assistance Program to our Associates, BeyondTheRack, can partner with a professional EAP third party company. I would suggest CMG Associates (www.cmgassociates.com). They are headquartered in MA and provide this benefit to many other companies of our size and structure, including The TJX Companies, Inc. CMG Associates not only provides a 24 hour phone line and specialist referrals, but also a website that BeyondTheRack associates can log in to and access information. In this day and age, many of our associates may prefer to utilize online services rather than discussing personal matters over the phone. An example of an Employee Assistance Program website that CMG Associates has created can be found at www.taaptjx.com, created for The TJX Companies, Inc.
BeyondTheRack can communicate the implementation of our Employee Assistance Program, and everything it has to offer to our associates in a variety of ways. For our store locations, we can send posters to each of our stores, mandated to be hung in the break room for associates to see, as well as brochures to be given to each associate and manager at each store, containing the BeyondTheRack Employee Assistance Program phone number and web site. For our corporate offices, we can issue each associate a magnet which can be hung at their desk, containing this information. We can also send a company-wide email, notifying our associates of this benefit. Additionally, we can mandate that department supervisors and store managers hold meetings to advise associates of this benefit and everything it has to offer.
As we begin to roll out this benefit, I anticipate many associates will question the confidentiality of the program. We must make it clear to our associates that although BeyondTheRack is funding this benefit, their use of the BeyondTheRack Employee Assistance Program is confidential and that we does not have access to information our employees disclose to CMG Associates or the names of associates utilizing the Employee Assistance Program. This should be noted in every company communication regarding this benefit. Failure to communicate the program’s confidentiality will result in low utilization of the program as our associates will fear exposure of their various concerns to BeyondTheRack Human Resources Department as well as their managers and supervisors.
Although the confidentiality of our associate’s disclosed information is important, we must have a strategy to assess the utilization of the BeyondTheRack Employee Assistance Program. To measure this, quarterly reports will be provided to BeyondTheRack by CMG Associates regarding the utilization of the program. These reports will provide statistical information such as the number of calls received and hits on the website, and the broad categories of issues discussed. These reports will help BeyondTheRack’s Human Resources Department ensure that we are providing a valuable and well-utilized service to associates.
Through the implementation of BeyondTheRack’s Employee Assistance Program as a benefit to our employees, we can anticipate strong utilization of the benefit. This will eventually lead to a more productive and efficient work environment and increased employee morale. The key factor in the success of BeyondTheRack’s Employee Assistance Program will be the promotion of the benefit as a free and confidential service to our employees to assist them with any challenges or stressors they may be facing in their lives currently, both at work and outside of the office.

Sources
Jodi M. Jacobson, Ph.D., M.S.W., University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Social Work; Mark Attridge, Ph.D., M.A., Attridge Consulting, Inc. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): An Allied Profession for Work/Life (2010) http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/encyclopedia_entry.php?id=17296&area=All
WHAT TO DO ABOUT SUBSTANCE ABUSE.Full Text Available (cover story) By: Grossman, Robert J.. HRMagazine, Nov2010, Vol. 55 Issue 11, p32-38, 7p; Reading Level (Lexile): 1170 http://web.ebscohost.com.fscproxy.framingham.edu/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=127&sid=f229c429-b777-475a-95e4-3ba258a5df7f%40sess HIPAA Means Changes for Human Resources--Part II: Addressing the Most Challenging HR Issues.Full Text Available By: Bakich, Kathryn L.; Pestaina, Kaye. Employee Relations Law Journal, Spring2003, Vol. 28 Issue 4, p47, 18p http://web.ebscohost.com.fscproxy.framingham.edu/ehost/detail?vid=16&hid=127&sid=402e065a-e8b5-470281337dd8b4fc63bc%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=9541459 Today's EAPs offer services everyone can use. By: MacAlpine, Alison. Benefits Canada, Oct2003, Vol. 27 Issue 10, Special Section p1-5, 3p http://web.ebscohost.com.fscproxy.framingham.edu/ehost/detail?sid=402e065a-e8b5-4702-81337dd8b4fc63bc%40sessionmgr112&vid=24&hid=127&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=11865653 Survey reveals benefits of EAP counseling sessions. Occupational Health, 2011 Jul; 63 (7): 4 (journal article - pictorial) ISSN: 0029-7917 http://web.ebscohost.com.fscproxy.framingham.edu/ehost/detail?vid=41&hid=127&sid=402e065ae8b5470281337dd8b4fc63bc%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=63167496 Employers should promote EAPs to maximize ROI.Full Text Available By: Anderson, Tom. Employee Benefit News, 6/1/2005, Vol. 19 Issue 7, p19-23, 4p, 4 Color Photographs http://web.ebscohost.com.fscproxy.framingham.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=43&hid=127&sid=402e065a-e8b5-4702-8133-7dd8b4fc63bc%40sessionmgr112 Who ya gonna call? Employee assistance programs catch on.Full Text Available Dargan RS; ASRT Scanner, 2010 Apr-May; 42 (4): 15 (journal article - pictorial) ISSN: 0161-3863
Subjects: Employee Assistance Programs
Database: CINAHL Plus with Full Text

EAP ROI.Full Text Available Employee Benefit News, 9/1/2005, Vol. 19 Issue 11, p37-37, 1/6p http://web.ebscohost.com.fscproxy.framingham.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=43&hid=127&sid=402e065a-e8b5-4702-8133-7dd8b4fc63bc%40sessionmgr112 CMG Associates http://www.cmgassociates.com/whoweare.html
The Employee Assistance Programs Association http://www.eapassn.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1