Why EAP is a must for every organization today?
A healthy workforce is a prerequisite for any organization that aspires to be successful. A healthy employee is more productive, creative and efficient. Healthy, in an organizational context, not only refers to physical health but an overall sense of well-being and functioning.
Any kind of stress, whether mental or physical, directly impacts the performance of employees. And if an employee is not able to perform optimally, the organization takes a hit. In a highly competitive business environment where several employees collaborate to deliver results that are time-sensitive, if one person underperforms, the impact could spell a disaster for the organization.
What can organizations do to mitigate or altogether prevent a fiasco arising out of human vulnerabilities?
The answer lies in the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). An EAP aims to alleviate any issues, whether personal or job-related that might negatively impact employees’ productivity. An EAP consists of professionals from fields such as social work and psychology. Through counselling, they assess the gravity of the problem and provide adequate help, thus boosting productivity and averting preventable crises.
And that is precisely why offering EAP has become crucial for organizations irrespective of size and scale.
What are the benefits of an EAP to the employees?
Employees can seek assistance through EAP for a range of issues including –
- Family issues including marriage related complications
- Substance abuse-related problems
- Work stress issues
- Financial and legal troubles
- Trauma and Grief support
- Work performance and productivity issues
- Mental health problems like anxiety and depression
How can EAP benefit organizations?
It’s clear that having an EAP fosters employee engagement and well-being. But how does it really help in the growth and profitability of an organization? Here are two ways the impact of a robust EAP can be felt:
- Productivity
When employees are plagued with problems, they might hesitate to seek external help or might not have the monetary or mental resources to reach out for help. Having an EAP within an organization makes support easily accessible.
Through an EAP, employees get access to professional aid and resources and overcome their problems faster and efficiently with minimal impact on their productivity. This means there is reduced absenteeism and lower attrition – a win-win situation.
- Promotes Organizational values and ethos
Every organization has a set of values and principles that reflect its culture. A company that has a culture of caring for their employees attracts and retains the best talents in the market. An EAP’s ethos is based on care and compassion.
One might argue that HR persons and leadership teams can step in and provide succour to faltering employees and that an EAP is redundant.
However, in most cases, HRs and leaders are neither equipped nor trained to deal with a myriad of situations that might crop up in an employee’s life. That’s something that can be handled only by professionals.
And that is why a dedicated EAP is needed to take care of unexpected situations efficiently.
“Take care of your employees, and they will take care of your business,” says Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. There could be no better way of taking care of employees other than having an EAP in the organization.
Written by Yunesh Chettri
