The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) traces its roots back to the 1800s when workplaces embraced the temperance movement and used the program to provide informal intervention for heavy-drinking workers. From there, the EAP has evolved to not only help employees but also their families when a crisis arises. Serving as an assistance program to meet financial, emotional, and physical needs of employees, an EAP ensures a sense of community and trust between employees and employers. If you haven’t implemented an EAP in your workplace, here are four reasons you need to establish one today.
Attract the Best Candidates
Hiring in today’s market requires more than just a generous salary and amiable work environment. It requires candidates who share your vision. In return, those employees need support and trust in their organization. An EAP shows potential employees that an organization cares about their personal needs and can be an alluring benefit when comparing companies. Offering dependent care and financial hardship funds, an EAP speaks to the commitment that the company has to its employees. An EAP provides one more benefit for recruiters to cite to break away from the competition.
Support Your Employees
You not only want the best candidates for vacant positions but you also want to keep them for the long haul. Whether it’s embarking on a relationship or committing to a job, struggles are a part of life and supporting your employees through those times strengthens your organization as a whole. An EAP provides support and resources to employees in need without disrupting the workplace or causing unnecessary gossip. An employee can access the resources of an EAP anonymously and discretely to get extra time off to care for a sick parent or address an ongoing addiction. Supporting employees when they are struggling helps you keep your best employees rather than lose them to a temporary situation.
Reduce Workplace Stress
Spending forty hours a week together means many workplaces function more like a family than as acquaintances. Personal stressors can seep into the workplace and cause a lot of stress for departments or teams. An EAP gives an outlet for outside stressors to receive attention within the confines of where most employees spend their day. Employees who have access to an EAP gain the extra support needed to optimally function in their job and handle their personal lives as well. This reduces the amount of stress due to unexplained time off and company gossip in a workplace because employees can find relief within the structure of their job.
Better Employee Health
An employee assistance program isn’t just for sudden emergencies. It’s also for ongoing health and wellness. Drug abuse, illness, and family needs are many times teeming under the surface for families and having support to manage the long-term effects of these issues can help employees live a stress-free and healthy life. When EAPs offer employees dietary seminars and stress support, they educate and empower employees to live healthier and embrace a more active lifestyle, preventing future illness or issues. An EAP isn’t just for sudden emergencies but maintaining a successful work-life balance.
An EAP can be a powerful support system within your organization. From helping top employees stay with the company during times of personal struggle to bettering the lifestyle of your entire staff, an EAP provides positive outcomes for life’s stressors and emergencies. If you’re not supporting an EAP in your workplace, consider these four reasons to start now.
