Understanding the Benefits of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Business Assistance Service (BAS)
Life can be full of challenges. Ideally, those facing stresses have the right coping mechanisms to handle any potential issues. An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is employee benefit that provides assistance to employees experiencing personal or work-related problems that may have an impact on their mental well-being. With an Employee Assistance Program, your employees are given access to assistance 24/7 via a telephone support line staffed by trained counselors.
In order or an Employee Assistance Program to be truly effective, the employee must be aware that all conversations they have with a counselor are 100% confidential. When someone is experiencing issues related to the mental health they will need to share information that can be sensitive in nature. Employers will never be notified of an employee utilizing their Employee Assistance Program, nor will the content of any conversation ever be released. The benefit can provide an employee with a platform to discuss stresses related to their job or coworkers, this information is always secure.
A typical Employee Assistance Program benefit will provide the covered employee with 24/7 access to a telephone support line. The call centre is staffed with trained and experienced counselors, their job is to provide instant access. Studies regularly suggest that having the ability to instantly tap into support is essential for one’s mental health. Employee Assistance Program counselors can provide a lot of help over the phone and when needed will refer the employee to a medical professional. These experienced counselors can provide support and advice on a wide range of issues such as financial and legal advice, nutritional consultation and issues related to raising children.
Work stress can be very dangerous and toxic for both the employee directly experiencing challenges and the entire workplace as a whole. When not dealt with properly, work stress can easily bubble up into escalated situations. This stress can present itself in the form of a medical leave, a confrontation and even a violent outburst in some extreme situations. Each of these scenarios is very scary and potentially dangerous. By connecting stressed individuals to instant support many companies can greatly lessen the odds of such issues from happening.
Stress is not exclusive to the workplace. Many people have a hard time handling the emotions resulting from life changing events in their personal life such as substance abuse, depression, marital issues, grieve associated with the loss of a loved one and a wide variety of other negative experiences. Having an Employee Assistance Program provides a very effective outlet to cope with negative life experiences.
Employers want to have a diverse and comprehensive benefits plan that protects both the physical and mental well-being of their employees. Strictly from a business perspective, an Employee Assistance Program makes a lot of sense. It can be a great way to decrease absenteeism, increase productivity and can even improve staff retention. Employees in a positive mindset will help improve company morale and people will perform better at the job.
More importantly, the benefit provides some get tools when your employees need them the most. Stress is a costly emotion, and it can quickly increase the cost of your company group benefit plan. By having an Employee Assistance Program many companies find the cost of their company benefit plan will decrease. Stress can lead to many other costly medical issues which can require treatment and drugs, having a cost-effective assistance to alleviate stress can decrease the overall cost of a group plan.
Business owners also face a lot of stress on a daily basis. Many small business owners simply do not have the resources to seek advice when their business faces unexpected challenges. A Business Assistance Service (BAS) is designed to provide expert advice for business owners facing unexpected challenges. Counselors are there to help with common issues such as accounting, legal, human resources and various other challenges commonly faced by small business owners. Again, all Business Assistance Service consultations are 100% confidential.
At Tanner Financial Services enjoy helping business owners find the right Employee Assistance Program. Our team of experts are here to help and will provide you have all of the information needed to make the best decision for your business. We have a great understanding of both Employee Assistance Program and Business Assistance Services.
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