Author: Kenneth Collins

Here are some common questions managers have about emmployee assistance programs.

Q:When is it appropriate to referemployees to the EAP?

A:There are really two different kinds of referral situations, one where theemployee does not have a job performance problem, and the second, where theemployee’s job performance has deteriorated.

In the first instance, the supervisortypically learns directly from the employee that he or she has a personalproblem, such as a marital or other relationship conflict, a problem with an outof control adolescent, illness or a death in the family, a childcare oreldercare issue or some other significant personal concern. The supervisorexplains that the EAP is a free, confidential, professional counseling serviceto address a wide range of individual and family problems. This is known as an”informal” referral. The supervisor’s involvement with the processends here.

In the second instance, the supervisortakes the initiative to recommend the EAP to the employee, based on declining orerratic job performance. This is known as a “formal” referral. Not alljob performance problems call for an EAP referral. Supervisors should consider aformal referral when the employee fails to respond to the standard coaching anddisciplinary process.

There may also be a more extremesituation, such as an employee showing up with the odor of alcohol or makingbizarre statements in the workplace that suggest a substance abuse problem or aserious mental health issue. Here, timely referral to the EAP is crucial.

 

Q:Should the supervisor contact the EAP before making a referral?

A:When there are job performance problems, the supervisor should consult with theEAP prior to meeting with the employee. There are several reasons for apre-referral consultation:

• The supervisor may be concernedabout how to deal with an employee who typically gets angry when confrontedor tearful or defensive. The EAP can provide useful guidance on how to stayon track and manage a difficult or manipulative person.

• The EAP can help the supervisordecide if this is the right time to make a referral. Sometimes, a betterstrategy is clarifying job performance expectations and potentialdisciplinary consequences and waiting to see how the employee responds.

• If it looks like an EAP referral isappropriate, then it is imperative that the EAP know why the referral isbeing made. Employees often minimize or deny job performance issues whenthey meet with the EAP. The EAP needs to know the details of the jobperformance problem in order to help the employee recognize what changes areneeded.

• If the employee has a substanceabuse problem, he or she will be extremely reluctant to acknowledge this toanyone, including the EAP. A qualified EAP professional has the training toidentify the signs and symptoms of alcoholism or drug abuse and to help theemployee recognize the need for professional treatment. It is critical thatthe supervisor convey information about absenteeism, changes in appearanceor grooming, emotional instability, memory lapses, agitation or lethargy andother for the EAP to make an accurate problem assessment.

• Contacting the EAP prior to thereferral opens the door for the EAP to subsequently confirm that theemployee followed through. While most EAPs require the employee’s consentto speak with the supervisor, employees who accept an EAP referral recognizethat it is their best interest that the supervisor knows that contact wasmade.

 

Q:How should the supervisor make a formal referral?

A:The supervisor should follow this sequence:

• First, document the employee’sabsenteeism, errors, late assignments and arguments with co-workers or otherwork discrepancies and problematic workplace behaviors. Remember, if youdidn’t document it, it didn’t happen!

• Meet with the employee in privatewith the documentation in front of you and explain that the purpose for themeeting is to discuss the employee’s job performance.

• Ask for an explanation of the jobperformance or behavioral issues. Sometimes, there are quite legitimateexplanations for changes in behavior and job performance having to do withmedical problems or other circumstances that the supervisor was not awareof.

• Clearly state the employee’sstatus regarding the company’s disciplinary process and what theconsequences will be if there is no improvement in job performance.

• Tell the employee, “I’mreferring you to the EAP. Your use of the EAP is confidential. You will needto authorize the EAP to confirm with me that you made contact. That is allthey will tell me, unless you give them permission to share moreinformation. Your use of the EAP is voluntary, but your improving your jobperformance is mandatory for you to avoid discipline and possibly losingyour job. I strongly recommend that you follow-through.”

• Never diagnose the employee’sproblem. You can tell the employee, “You have come back from lunchthree times this month with the odor of alcohol on your breath, slurringyour words and unable to finish your work on time.” Under nocircumstances should you say to the employee, “I think you’re analcoholic.”

 

Q:What else should supervisors and managers know about EAP referrals?

A:While specifics vary from company to company, additional information isavailable from the following sources:

• Most companies have developedspecific policies around job-performance related EAP referrals that are partof corporate and human resources policy manuals. If your company does nothave a written EAP policy, samples are available from the EmployeeAssistance Professionals Association, and you can get assistance indeveloping policies from your EAP vendor or from a consultant whospecializes in EAPs.

• Most EAPs provide a specified numberof hours of training for supervisors and managers as part of the EAPcontract. In today’s fiercely competitive marketplace, employers oftenfind it difficult to take supervisors off their jobs for EAP training.Supervisory referrals provide the best means to identify and help the 15% ofthe workforce whose job performance problems may be tied to alcoholism, drugabuse, depression or other serious personal problems. Three decades of EAPresearch has shown that EAP utilization is strongly correlated with EAPvisibility in the workplace.

• All EAPs do not handle formalsupervisory referrals in the same way. Contact your vendor account managerand ask for procedural guidelines around job performance referrals. If youfeel that your EAP vendor has too many procedural roadblocks for supervisoryreferrals, compare your experience with other HR professionals or speak withan EAP consultant about alternative ways to structure the EAP process.

Even more than employees, supervisors are far more likely to consult with and refer to an onsite EAP.

Supervisors come to trust an EAP counselor when they know that this individual has spent enough time at their particular worksite to be familiar with company policies, procedures and corporate culture.

A critical part of the process in supervisory referral is the consultation that takes place between the supervisor and the EAP counselor before the employee is given the recommendation to “Call the EAP.”

In the pre-referral conversation, the supervisor communicates the nature of the job performance problem and describes what it’s like to deal with the particular employee. The EAP counselor advises the supervisor on how to approach the employee, based on the particular circumstances, so that the referral can be effective.

The supervisor and EAP counselor establish an understanding about future communication regarding whether the employee follows through on the referral or chooses to drop out of the program at a future date.

The EAP counselor informs the supervisor about the boundaries of confidentiality, governing information that the EAP can disclose with or without employee consent and what the supervisor may discuss on a “need to know” basis, without creating liability issues for the company.

Link to more EAP articles or EAP vendors.

The real opportunities to save money with an EAP are strongly associated with reaching the 15% of the employee population who are the lowest performers.

Some, but obviously not all, of these employees have substance abuse problems, persistent interpersonal conflicts and emotional disorders.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General 20% of the adult population experiences a diagnosable psychiatric problem over the course of a year, but only 5% receives professional help. Government research also finds that 15% of employed adults currently abuse drugs or alcohol, but a miniscule .3% receives treatment.

The problem is that mental illness, alcoholism and drug addiction remain highly stigmatized in American society, so merely providing the treatment benefits in no way ensures utilization.

Meanwhile, depression costs American businesses about $44 billion per year in lost productivity and substance abuse around $100 billion. An employee with an active substance abuse problem is not only performing poorly on the job, but is also using medical services at twice the rate of the average employee.

An employee who is both stressed and depressed uses medical support at two and one half times the average rate. The simplistic solution to employees with substance abuse problems is to fire them, assuming that you can find them.

But simplistic solutions can be very expensive, considering the legal exposure connected with violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws. It is far less expensive to provide treatment and conscientious follow-up through the EAP, given the fact that replacing skilled workers can cost up to twice the dollar value of annual salary and benefits with today’s record low levels of unemployment.

Link to more EAP articles or EAP vendors.

 

Most likely, your EAP is not the delivering the value you were seeking when you purchased the program. EAP vendors typically promise the following benefits:

• Improved job performance
• Lower healthcare expenditures
• Reduced absenteeism
• Increased employee retention
• Assistance for employees with alcohol and drug problems

EAPs are capable of achieving all of the above objectives.

In fact, research demonstrates that EAPs can deliver a substantial return on investment, based on accomplishing these particular goals. The problem is that the research pertains to a different model EAP than the one you are probably paying for.

The type of EAP originally associated with a robust cost benefit was based in a large corporation, employed onsite EAP counselors, utilized a full-time EAP manager and generated up to half of the employee cases through supervisory referrals precipitated by declining job performance.

While the traditional EAP model still exists in an ever decreasing number of Fortune 500 companies, the predominant model for EAPs today is an offsite program where employees and supervisors call an 800 number and employees are seen by a community-based EAP affiliate. The question of whether the EAPs is integrated with the workplace makes all the difference in the world as to what the EAP can accomplish.

Benchmarking results

A 1999 survey of 54 Fortune 500 EAPs revealed that onsite EAPs had one third higher overall utilization, received five times the number of supervisory referrals and identified three times the number of employees with substance abuse problems as offsite programs.

A recent comparison of fourteen EAPs in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry also determined that onsite programs had higher utilization, identified more employee substance abuse cases and attracted more supervisory referrals. This study also found that higher utilization was far more significant in determining per case costs than vendor fees.

Company Employee or Vendor?

Employee utilization is not determined by whether the onsite EAP counselor is a company employee or works for a vendor. The issue is trust.

Employees are more likely to use an EAP if they can identify the program with an individual counselor(s) they have seen in the workplace doing EAP orientation sessions, brownbag programs on communication, stress management or coping with change seminars.

Before picking up the phone to make an appointment, the employee must decide, “Can I trust this individual to understand my problem and provide conscientious, confidential assistance?” With the offsite model EAP, an Account Executive typically provides the employee orientation sessions and brownbag programs.

The employee is still faced with the prospect of calling a 1-800 number and speaking to an anonymous counselor. Employees also find it more convenient to see an onsite EAP housed in the company medical clinic or similarly discrete location. Ironically, a standard selling point made for offsite programs is that “Employees are more likely to use offsite programs because they are perceived to be more confidential,” but the data points in the opposite direction.

Link to more EAP articles or EAP vendors.