What are Some Benefits Provided by Employee Assistance Plans?

An employee assistance plan, also known as an employee assistance program or an EAP, is a program offered by an employer to help employees dealing with stress and problems in their personal and professional lives. Stress at home, an addiction to an illegal substance and other problems can affect the way employees do their work and increase the risks of employees having accidents or injuring themselves and others on the job. A good EAP will provide benefits for both workers and their spouses and dependents.

Mental Health Counseling

One benefit of an EAP is that it provides workers with mental health counseling. Counseling can help workers learn how to handle stress, cope with their fears and recover from negative situations. An employee might see a counselor while going through a divorce, after the death of a loved one or because of other stressful problems. Counselors can help those workers find new ways to manage their stress and handle their emotions, but those counselors can also show workers how to separate their personal lives from their professional lives to keep them from acting out on the job.

Substance Abuse Treatment

Many companies now use drug testing as a way to identify employees who have problems with drugs or alcohol. These tests detect the presence of both prescription medications and illegal drugs like cocaine and marijuana, and some companies also test for alcohol or tobacco use as well. If a test shows that an employee used alcohol or drugs in the recent past, the company’s plan can help that individual seek treatment from a rehabilitation center. While some programs recommend outpatient programs that let employees continue working while getting help, other programs let patients stay in an inpatient facility for several days or more.

Referrals for Help

According to the United States Office of Personnel Management, an employee assistance plan will also provide employees with referrals for help. The first step is an assessment that looks at what the employee needs, how his or her personal issues impact job performance and what type of help that individual needs. The company agrees to keep that assessment confidential. Using the resources available and the findings of the assessment, the company will then refer the worker to a rehabilitation center, a counselor or another facility or medical professional. Human resource directors and managers can also offer referrals after an employee goes through a traumatic experience or after an emergency situation at work.

Dependent Benefits

Though employees can get help for themselves through an EAP, they can also get help for their loved ones. Many of these programs also cover any dependent children the worker has and his or her spouse. A dependent child is someone who is under the age of 18 and still lives at home. The company’s plan may cover dependents up to the age of 25 as long as those kids remain in school. Some plans will also cover dependents who have physical or mental handicaps or disabilities.

An employee assistance program is a program that a company uses to help employees who struggle with different issues. These issues may include divorces, deaths, trauma at work and illnesses. A good
employee assistance plan will offer benefits for employees and their dependents, including refers for substance abuse treatments and mental health counseling.

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