Employee Assistance Programs: Facts with Numbers
Tragic events can happen to anybody; to ourselves, our friends, our family, our children or our colleagues. It is reassuring to know that there is a system in place to help and overcome those difficult times. Simply Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides a confidential and voluntary consultation support to employees and
their families. It is completely confidential within the limits of the law*. The program can be initiated over the phone, by personal appointment or online and self-guided resources with no additional
Today the services are very comprehensive and extended to;
- Personal Health and Mental Issues,
- Personal, Family and Relationship Consultations,
- Legal Advice and Financial Guidance,
- Workplace Challenges including Conflict, Bullying and Harassment etc,
- Career Planning,
- Addictions including alcohol, drugs, other addictions and postrecovery support.
The main goal for the program is not to punish employees but rather to;
- Encourage them to receive services needed to deal with personal issues,
- Provide advice and consultation to managers and supervisors,
- Promote healthy work-personal life balance,
- Maintain and promote a positive work environment,
- Increase employee engagement.
“I am sure it is very expensive. My company cannot afford it.”
When you think about the value of the program it is not actually that expensive. The company costs are only $4.50-$5.00 per employee/per month.
Here is an example showing the total cost of the EAP.
“I don`t think my employer will see the return on investment of the program.”
Contrary to popular belief, EAP actually Reduces Company Costs.
According to Davidson Trahaire Corpsych, with help from EAP, it is possible to increase employee productivity and happiness and still reduce company costs. The company did a survey in 2013 with 4,707 EAP user companies both before and after they had accessed EAP services. The results determined that;
- The average Return on Investment (ROI) due to improvements in employee productivity was around $9,800 per employee per annum,
- ROI due to reduced absenteeism was about $280 per employee per annum. In total, the ROI per employee was more than $10,000.
Morneau Shepell also looked at EAP ROI in 2011.
According to the study EAP helps with, with a 25% reduction in health-related lost productivity costs for employers, providing an $8 return on every dollar invested.
“It would be great to have EAP at our company but I don’t know if I can include:”
According to Statics Canada, in any given year it is expected that one in five Canadians will experience a mental health or addiction problem. EAP can always provide professional assistance and guidance to employees. The program is very beneficial because,
Reduces Absenteeism & Turnover. Increases Work Morale & Productivity
The increase of stress, personal/family related problems, substance abuse and many more problems can block employee creativity, productivity and performance. According to Conference Board of Canada`s 2013 report, Missing in Action: Absenteeism Trends in Canadian Organizations, it has been found that, on average; Canadian employees were absent from work 9.3 days in 2011 and the direct cost of absenteeism is estimated to be approximately $1,100 per employee.
But that’s not all. According to Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, substance abuse across the general population costs:
- $24.3 billion a year in lost productivity because of death or illness,
- $8.8 billion a year in health care costs,
- $5.4 billion a year in law enforcement costs.
In addition, in September 2013 National Post column, Dr. James Aw cited an article about EAP and healthy work environments. He compared publicly traded corporations in the stock market and found the companies that invested in corporate medical departments and wellness programs came out on top in the stock market.
Reduces Conflicts & Increases Harmony at the Work Place
Personality clashes, poor communication, competition, partner related issues, drug, alcohol, mental or family related issues can always cause conflict and damage to the harmony at the work place. According to a study done by Alliant International University [9], it was found that the most frequent reasons employees seek help through EAP services are;
1. Psychological and emotional problems,
2. Marital and family problems,
3. Work-related problems.
Unfortunately work related problems impacts the morale in the office environment, not just only the people involved in the conflict. The best scenario is to be proactive and informed. In crises like these, managers and supervisors need to have the experience and knowledge to control the situation. If it is not managed well, it may create stress, eroded job satisfaction, anger, depression and anxiety. This in turn can lead to missed deadlines, delayed projects, low morale and
According to Department of Justice of Canada a typical manager spends between 25 percent to 40 percent of his / her time dealing with workplace conflict which is equivalent to one to two business days of every work week.
The bottom line is, sometimes it can simply be difficult to keep our heads straight, be passionate and committed about what we do. We can show poor performance and concentrating on work can be difficult.
Our managers may not have experience assisting us or we may not want to share our personal life with them. Knowing that EAP is in place to assist us and our family is a wonderful thing.
Let`s be proactive rather than reactive!
Here at Eagle Bay Financial Services, we believe that the first step to create successful organizations is to have mentally and physically healthy employees. The ultimate outcome is that happy employees will always take company interests to heart. Invest in your employees, and they will ensure your Organization`s Success!
