EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGERS
You care about your employees. You understand better than anyone the impact they have on organizational effectiveness. And you know that you can only do so much to help them with individual concerns.
So you take the time and try to help them even though this is really not your area of expertise. You worry about those that aren’t getting help because you know they are out there.
Maybe you refer them to a therapist knowing that they will end up billing insurance and be diagnosed with a mental disorder even though they might simply be dealing with the stress of a normal life event. And, of course, your insurance costs go up. It doesn’t have to be this way.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM?
So you have a traditional employee assistance program where you pay a set fee per employee. Sure you can refer to this. However, did you know that most of the time your employees are converted to health insurance after the allotted sessions anyway? Most mental health providers see employee assistance as a referral stream for long-term clients.
Do you have data on how many employees use this service? I can tell you that many companies that provide these contracts bank on low utilization, somewhere around 3%. Otherwise, they are losing money.
Did you know that you should be aiming for a utilization rate of 5% to 6%? The best way to get this kind of healthy utilization is by internal programming that encourages and promotes the use of an employee assistance professional to deal with normal every day work and life stressors.
HOW ABOUT A PROGRAM THAT’S PROACTIVE?
What about an employee assistance/mental wellness program that’s integrated into your company promoting resilience and mental health? That’s right, I said integrated!
Here is how it works. You contract with me as a mental health provider for a certain number of hours per year to be on-site at your organization. I work together with you to promote the program aggressively.
Because I am on-site, available, and visible, your employee utilization goes up to between 5 and 7% – way above industry standard. This is good for your organization because you know you are capturing problems and helping employees deal with personal and work distractions. And by having someone on-site, they can get back to productivity sooner and more effectively.
As a part of this program, I also work with leaders to help them with work concerns. After all, they are employees, too, with greater responsibilities and pressures. Also covered under this program are workshops and team buildings to further improve the culture.
DOESN’T IT MAKE MORE SENSE TO EMPOWER A DEDICATED EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROFESSIONAL WITH A DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR UNIQUE CHALLENGES, SO THAT THEY CAN HELP INCREASE RESILIENCE IN YOUR EMPLOYEES AND LEADERS FROM THE INSIDE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION?
IMAGINE THE DIFFERENCE
Imagine that your employees could get help with not only difficult life events, but also career problems, like work/life balance, time management, difficult relationships, and career development. Think about all the time this would save you.
And it doesn’t stop there. Imagine that you have someone on-site to help with leadership development, workshops, resiliency tools, personality assessments and team building. My expertise comes from 11 years of experience on the inside of 3M and other organizations for which I have consulted.
HAVE I GOT YOUR ATTENTION YET?
Today, more than ever, there is an increased focus on mental health issues and the human risk factor in organizations. If you are interested in hearing more about how a program like this works, please call me at (515) 442-5611. What have you got to lose by educating yourself on different options?