An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is an employee benefit that provides counseling and support services to employees. It is authorized by Public Law 79-658, which allows the head of the agency to establish health service programs for employees. These programs can range from retirement planning and crisis management to alcohol and substance abuse, domestic violence, and stress management. Organizations recognize that alcohol is not the only problem affecting employees at work, so they offer employee wellness programs to help them stop smoking, manage stress, improve nutritional habits, and more.
To combat these problems, employee wellness programs offer employees fitness facilities, on-site health screenings and programs. The professionals providing these services can be direct employees of the company or they can be employees of an EAP provider that has been hired to provide on-site services in the workplace. With a decent employee assistance program, you can experience better performance, greater growth and, above all, a happier, healthier workforce. BHS is a company that specializes in behavioral health, care and assistance services and is best known for offering one of the strongest and most comprehensive employee assistance programs.
Under this pricing structure, the employer pays a fixed rate per employee per month, multiplied by the total number of employees over each contract year. It's important for all employees, including leadership members, to understand how employee assistance programs (EAPs) can play an important role in mental health. An agency can have an excellent EAP program; however, the stigma associated with mental health support can discourage employees from seeking help. Familiarizing yourself with the topic of substance use disorder with your agency's emergency action plan, as well as the resources available to help employees before, during and after an emergency, is useful if you're in an emergency situation. Providing employees with support for issues that affect their well-being will improve the effectiveness of your drug-free work program.
With an established EAP, you can also reduce the risk of workplace violence, attract competent profiles, and then experience an increase in performance levels.
