Do your employees check their personal problems at the door when they arrive at work each morning?
Of course not. Even the most talented and dedicated workers bring stress, personal problems, childcare concerns and other worries to the office.
Roughly one-quarter of the work force suffers from stress-related problems; 17 percent experience anxiety; and 13 percent suffer from depression, according to a recent study by The New York Business Group on Health.
When work/life issues start to overwhelm employees, their job performance may deteriorate. Whether the worry is an aging parent or a smoking habit, employees often spend company time searching the Yellow Pages and the Internet for help, asking co-workers for advice and making phone calls.
Childcare issues, substance abuse, family difficulties and day-to-day stress frequently result in late arrivals to work, on-the-job distractions, early departures, absences and lost productivity. That adds up to a huge, hidden cost for employers.
Research shows that:
* Absenteeism costs up to $668 per employee each year.
* Employees experiencing conflict between work and family demands are three times more likely to consider quitting.
* It typically costs a company $10,000 to $30,000 to replace an employee.
* Substance abuse and mental illness cost society more than cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and AIDS combined.
In today’s tight labor market, the costs of not having a fully engaged work force are steep. Lost productivity, overtime pay, retraining, hiring replacements and extra supervisor time all hurt the bottom line. So what can you do to change that?
EAPs promote wellness
Unfortunately, many companies tend to focus primarily on costs that are easily identifiable and measurable, such as health insurance premiums. Lost productivity, however, may have an even greater impact.
A recent study by the San Francisco-based Integrated Benefits Institute, for instance, found that the value of productivity lost from absent workers dwarfed employers’ out-of-pocket benefit costs.
Increasingly, Ohio employers are looking for an affordable way to help prevent and resolve productivity losses caused by employees’ personal concerns. A workplace-based benefit that may be a solution is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Although EAPs aren’t new, their mission has expanded in recent years. Originally designed to address alcohol abuse in the workplace, today’s programs offer personal counseling, support services and access to clinical services for a wide range of issues, including stress, depression, substance abuse, grief, marital problems, child care, elder care, legal problems and work/life balance concerns.
The idea behind EAPs is straightforward: Employees who get help solving personal, work and family problems tend to feel better about themselves — and their employer. They are often more motivated, dedicated, and effective. EAPs are a way to help:
* Improve productivity.
* Reduce sick leave and employee turnover .
* Reduce absenteeism.
* Reduce mental health and medical costs.
Cost-effective interventions
EAP programs, which are offered by insurance companies, differ in approach and design. A quality program enables employees to have confidential access to mental health resources through a toll-free telephone number that is available around-the-clock.
Calls should be handled live by trained behavioral care professionals, not by an answering service or paging system.
Callers may seek counseling assistance immediately over the phone from a licensed mental health therapist. Or, they may schedule private, confidential face-to-face meetings with a local psychologist, social worker or other counselor who will help clarify their personal concerns and, whenever possible, try to find a solution.
Others may be referred to nonclinical resources, particularly for help with child care, elder care and legal issues. Community-based programs specializing in self-help, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, support groups and educational programs, should also be part of an EAP referral network.
State-of-the-art EAP programs harness the power of the Internet, enabling employees to research topics and get useful information on their own time and terms. Web-based features may include a self-assessment program, a step-by-step personal plan for self-improvement, referral information, an online magazine and even chat rooms with qualified professionals.
EAPs not only help promote employee wellness and morale, they are also sound business investments. For every dollar invested in an EAP, employers generally save $5 to $16. A survey by benefit consultant Foster Higgins found that the cost of behavioral health benefits increases 10 percent annually for employers with an EAP program, compared to 38 percent for companies without an EAP. Jeanne McCarthy is president and general manager of CIGNA HealthCare of Ohio. She is based in Cleveland and can be reached at (800) 541-7526.
