Employee Assistance Programs

With the marketplace continuing to become more competitive, employers are trying to provide good support policies for employees. These types of assistance programs are seen by employees as a helping hand offered by employers. That's why jobseekers, before accepting a job offer, look at the entire package of benefits that employers provide. To choose the best package, you need to know the details of employee assistance programs.

 

Let us discuss in detail what employee assistance programs have to offer and how these benefit packages can be structured well.

 

Purpose of these Support Programs
Employees might experience a wide variety of personal and work related programs. Such problems do not only affect the professional life of workers but their personal life as well. Assistance programs are actually offered to help workers effectively deal with such problems. Employers offer useful counseling services to help their workers. Expert counseling services help employees in a number of ways, which in turn brings multiple benefits for employers.

 

Expert counseling helps employees boost their on-the-job performance. Counselors can assist employees in dealing with issues that might prevent the latter from delivering their best work performance. In the absence of such support, employers are at high risk of losing a good number of employees. Through counseling services, employees are able to deal with their personal issues that can disturb their professional life.

 

In addition, such type of assistance programs also makes employees feel that they are held in good esteem by their employers.

 

Essential Components of an EAP
An EAP or Employee Assistance Programs is comprised of various essential components which determine the effectiveness of the support offered. In many cases, these programs are also aimed at providing support to the family members of the employees. Typical components that employee assistance programs will include are as follows.

 

Drug/ Alcohol Rehabilitation
Household Abuse
Financial Advice
Career Planning Assistance
Housing and Relocation Support
Healthcare Services
Legal Assistance
Retirement Planning
Loss of Loved Ones
Workplace Stress Management

 

Cost of the Programs
Usually, these assistance programs are offered to employees without any charge. Though full time employees can avail of the support programs free of cost, many employers might have some restrictions to the services as well. For example, you may have a limited number of counseling sessions with the counselors. And you may be charged for additional sessions. To avail themselves of the benefit programs, employees may need to get in touch with the program administrator. These services are generally handles by professionals in the human resource department of a company.

 

Structuring of the Assistance Programs
The structural pattern of an employee assistance program may vary from one organization to another. According to the size of the employer, these programs can be typically structured in one of the following ways.

 

Internal Programs
External Services
Integrated Systems
Consortia

 

Internal programs are handles by the in-house staff of the company. The program model is used by large companies that have the capability of achieving the economies of required scale. In an external services model, the company makes a contract with an external provider of EAP services. An integrated services system is operated by an in-house group which is in touch with an external services provider. In a consortia on the other hand, multiple trade associations and affinity groups join together to offer employees assistance services.