Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are early intervention programs that are based in a workplace, with the main goal of resolving possible issues that may be having a negative effect on the performance and general wellbeing of any employees in said workplace. EAPs work to tackle issues that derive from work related stresses, or external problems in am employee’s home life, health, relationship or general emotional concerns.
Traditionally EAPs have provided support to those with personal and work-related issues, with the specific goal of dealing with crisis and mental health issues before they become more serious. As time has passed and the value of EAP counselling has been recognised, many wellness programs have been expanded to include broader services such as nutrition, legal, financial, sleep, and health advice.
With a significant increase in stress within the workplace due to changes brought about by covid-19, such as living in isolation or working remotely, many more employees are likely to benefit from having easy access to cousilling through EAP. In response to the ever-changing climate, most EAP providers have made their services available remotely, via phone, or online video conference services for employees to access from home at their own convenience.
For those organizations that do not currently have an EAP provider to help their team, the research process involved to ensure you are choosing the best providor can be daunting and overwhelming. Like many industries, there are many different options to choose from that it is often difficult to decide which provider is the best fit for your organization.
So if you are currently looking for an EAP provider for your workplace, the following tips should be able to help you make the right choice for your team:
- Decide what it is your business needs – before researching any providers, it is essential to work through what kind of help you need as an organization. Take the time to speak with you employees and learn what areas they could benefit from assistance in so you can find a providor who best meets those needs.
- Costs – determine a budget that you can then allocate to health and wellbeing. It is important to be sure that the chosen provider's costs align with what funds you are able to set aside.
- Services – Now that you have evaluated your teams needs, you should be able to determine what kind of services you need your potential providers to offer.
- Avaliablity – When looking to book a providor, you must ensure that they will be able to offer they services required when you need them. Ask how many other clients they have and what their availabilities are going to look like. You want maximum care for your employees so be sure to hire a team that will be there when you need them to.
- Service delivery – ensure that services can be delivered through channels that work for your organization whether by phone, online or in person. You should also be sure that your chosen provider offers 24/7 access to support.
Hopefully these tips will help you to make the best decision when choosing a potential EAP counselling provider, there are many different employee assistance programs in Victoria and making sure to select the correct one for you business will make a big difference. So take the time to do the research and set yourself up for success.
