Employee Assistance Programs

April 13, 2006

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Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are a type of employee benefit designed to help employees and families of employees whose attendance and job performance are adversely affected by job stress, personal problems, or alcohol or substance abuse. Also, EAPs are generally incorporated into an employer's overall health promotion and wellness program and may be one of several methods used to reduce health care costs.

Although many models for EAPs exist, most share common features. The EAP will usually provide telephone or personal contact on a confidential basis for employees with questions, crises, or needs. Most EAPs also provide referrals to substance abuse clinics or other services, education of all types, health care management, and wellness information. A good EAP is designed to educate employees and to identify problems as early as possible.

If you are considering an EAP, there are three approaches that are particularly helpful for small businesses:

you may join a consortium of other businesses to offer EAP services
you may work with a trade or local business association to start an EAP
if you lease your employees, the leasing agency might provide an EAP as one of the benefits provided to employees

Save Money

A nice alternative to providing an EAP is to provide a list of places where employees who may have a drug or alcohol problem can get help. You can provide a list of local resources, both private and public, and provide some informative literature. If you provide a list of treatment centers, make sure that you state that your inclusion of these facilities on the list is in no way an endorsement of those facilities.