employee-assistance-programs.com - Complete Program Description of EAP

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services are available to employees, their immediate families who live in the household, and retirees of all subscribing companies, regardless of what medical coverage you are under.

Program Description

The EAP is a confidential resource for you and your family. Its purpose is to help you find solutions to personal and work related problems. The primary goal of EAP is to assist employees whose personal problems are affecting their work thereby helping them to return to acceptable levels of work performance. It is also available to employees and their families who are not having work problems. In addition, EAP is available as a resource for supervisors and managers who want to help their employees improve work performance (see Manager Referral Procedures below).

EAP services include face-to-face assessment of problems and either brief counseling or referral to other resources that may help. The assessment helps clarify issues you face and assists you in developing a plan to deal with your concerns. That plan might include solution-focused counseling by the EA professional, if it appears that your concerns could be resolved within a limited number of EAP sessions. Should the problem be beyond the scope of EAP counseling, the EAP professional will help you get to an appropriate community resource or other provider. The EAP is ready to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Problems Addressed by the EAP

Provider of EAP Services

PsychWorks (click here for telephone number and address), an external EAP company, provides your EAP services. PsychWorks will connect you with an employee assistance program professional in your area. The EAP professionals are licensed clinicians specially trained in helping employees with workplace issues. They usually see clients in their own private offices, while a few are available to see clients in some BellSouth offices.

Using the EAP

Call the EAP at 1-800-671-HEAL if you would like more information or to set up an appointment. Most people use the EAP on their own, without the involvement of anyone at work. They recognize that they want to explore or get help with an issue. Sometimes personal problems begin to affect work performance. In those cases a supervisor or manager may refer the employee to the EAP, but actual use of the program is still voluntary.

Confidentiality

Your company recognizes that EAP services can be effective only when employees are assured that personal information (including written records) will remain confidential. Information shared by employees with an EAP professional will be treated in a confidential manner and not shared with their manager or employer, with limited exceptions described below. Likewise, information that managers give to the EAP during a consultation will remain confidential.

Certain guidelines determine how confidential information will be treated. In the initial meeting with each employee or EAP client, the EAP professional will provide and explain these guidelines, which are described below:

Manager Referral

When a manager refers an employee to the EAP because of job-related problems, the manager is entitled to know if the employee has kept appointments scheduled with the EAP professional. Unless expressly authorized by the employee, EAP professionals will not share with the manager any information about the nature of the employee’s problem.

Release of Information

Employees may choose to have the EAP release certain information to specific individuals. Appropriate documents must be used to authorize the release of such information. A Release of Information form is available from the EAP professional.

EAP Appointment Verification

A manager may request an employee who is attending the EAP on company time to have the EAP professional provide a signed verification form that the employee may give to the manager. Instructions on the form describe how the manager is to handle the information it contains. Only the EAP professional provides the form.

Limits to Confidentiality

Both the EAP company providing services and BellSouth, as well as the codes of ethics of the licensed professionals who provide EAP services, require that any information shared be held in strictest confidence. Limits to confidentiality will be clearly outlined prior to any session with the EAP professional. Limited exceptions to confidentiality not described above include:

When the employee has given permission to release information to a specific person.

When there is sufficient indication that there is a threat of harm to self or others.

Suspected cases of unreported child abuse must be reported in accordance with state law.

When required to release information by a court of law or as otherwise required by law.

If an employee raises the fact of his/her participation in the EAP during litigation, during any proceeding pursuant to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, or during any other proceeding against a BellSouth entity, the employee’s action waives the confidentiality of information relevant to that particular case.

The EAP will observe the limits on confidentiality that are required by law. Furthermore, in situations outlined above, disclosure of information will be limited to those with a "need to know." Members of the EAP staff may consult with appropriate company officials to determine those who have a "need to know."

An employee’s use of EAP services will not jeopardize his/her job security, promotional opportunities or income.

Cost for EAP Services

EAP services are provided at no cost to you. Should you decide to pursue a recommended referral from the EAP professional for further mental health services or other assistance, you will be responsible for any fees associated with those additional services. The EAP professional will work to refer you to a resource consistent with your healthcare and other benefits.

Supervisor Referral Procedures

The primary goal of EAP is to assist employees whose personal problems are affecting their work thereby helping them to return to acceptable levels of work performance. A wide range of personal problems can affect both job performance and personal well being. For these reasons, BellSouth established the EAP. Below is an overview of how EAP may assist you as a manager in helping an employee whose work performance has fallen below acceptable levels.

Consulting with EAP

You may call the EAP directly to consult with an EAP professional (1-800-671-HEAL) about how to help an employee with declining job performance, deteriorating work relationships, and/or unexplainable changes in behavior.

In addition, the EAP provides supervisors and managers training in ways to use the EAP services (click here for information on EAP training for supervisors and managers).

Referring an Employee to EAP

When an employee is experiencing declining work performance, especially when discipline has begun on such an employee, the supervisor should recommend EAP to the employee. Recommending EAP to an employee who is having work problems and informing the EAP that such a recommendation has been, or will be, made is called a "formal supervisor referral." Informing EAP of your referral is a vital step in making such a referral most effective. Employees often minimize their work problems when they come to EAP, so it is important that the EAP professional knows before the first appointment what the work issues are. Correctly making a formal referral improves the outcome of the referral.

Although EAP generally should be a resource offered to an employee during a disciplinary meeting, it is completely separate from the discipline process. Using EAP services is not a substitute for, or part of, discipline. Using EAP services does not in any way preclude or interfere with the administration of discipline. Giving an employee appropriate consequences for work deficiencies, however, may provide the necessary motivation for that employee to seek whatever help he or she may need to solve the personal problem that may be causing the decline in work.

How to Make a Formal Supervisor Referral

There are six steps in making a formal referral that compliment normal performance management plans with which all managers are familiar. Click here for a checklist summary of the six steps.

Recognize problems. The supervisor’s role is to monitor job performance. Understand that job problems that do not improve with normal supervisory action (coaching, discipline, etc.) are probably caused by personal problems. However, solving personal problems is outside the scope of your skills and responsibilities. When you begin to see job problems, you need to take the next step.
Document. To prepare for the later steps that will lead to correcting job problems, you need to carefully document the problems with work (click here for examples of job problems to document). Date, time, place, others involved, and objective description of the behavior being documented should be placed in supervisor notes. This information will give you the necessary objective information you will need to help the employee understand that there is a problem and will help you see whether there is a pattern emerging.
Consult with EAP. At anytime you may consult with an EAP professional by calling 1-800-671-HEAL. Your EAP is skilled at helping you decide what, if any, action you should take. EAP can also help you decide when and how you should take action.
Meet with the employee. Once you have established the need to discuss with the employee the job problems you have documented, you should carefully plan to meet the employee face to face. Consistent, fair and constructive management often is key in motivating an employee to seek help. Remember:

The employee must understand that unless job performance is brought up to acceptable levels, discipline may result; and
When an employee’s performance deteriorates, you should follow normal corrective procedures. These include frank and thorough discussions with the employee. Usually, these procedures are enough to improve job performance.

For more information on how to deal with anger and defensiveness and for some "do's and don'ts" when talking with the employee, click here

Offer assistance/Refer to EAP. After you have described the work problem to the employee, create a developmental plan and schedule a follow-up conference to evaluate progress, if appropriate. Offer EAP to the employee as a confidential resource that may be able to assist him or her in solving any problems what may be affecting work. Do not offer EAP in lieu of discipline. Disciplinary action may actually motivate the employee to follow through with the referral. Remember that EAP is voluntary and that your only expectations are for the employee to return to acceptable work performance. Also remember to call EAP if you have not already done so to inform them that a formal supervisor referral has been made.
Monitor and reinforce progress. Continue to monitor and meet with the employee to reinforce progress. If performance has not improved, take any necessary developmental and/or disciplinary actions. Again recommend EAP as a resource.

Advanced Workplace Solutions
A division of PsychWorks, Inc.

Complete Program Description

Eligibility

Program Description

Problems Addressed by the EAP

Provider of EAP Services

Using the EAP

Confidentiality

Cost for EAP Services

Supervisor Referral Procedures

Consulting with EAP

Referring an Employee to EAP

How to Make a Formal Supervisor Referral

Advanced Workplace Solutions A division of PsychWorks, Inc.