How employee assistance programs can help employees

Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes, whether for something small, like reaching an item on a high shelf, or big, like support through an illness. For workers experiencing challenges in their personal lives, an employee assistance program (EAP) can be a place to turn to for help.

Daniel Hughes has helmed Mount Sinai’s EAP since 1986. He recently spoke with HR Brew about why EAPs are necessary, their connection to HR, and the importance of employee confidentiality.

EAP, defined. EAPs have been around in the US since the 1940s and were initially designed to help workers with alcoholism, the US Office of Personnel Management states. They’re intervention programs that can be essential in high-risk workplaces such as prisons, medical centers, and schools, and they provide advice and support to employees who may be struggling with a variety of personal problems, according to research. EAPs offer services like financial counseling, referrals to expanded support, and legal services.

How the industry evolved. When Hughes joined Mount Sinai’s EAP team in the 1980s, it was just one person. “We (the US) were in the midst of the crack cocaine epidemic,” he explained. “The HIV issue was unfolding. And crack cocaine was creating significant problems in the local community in the form and in our workforce.”

And so, programs evolved to combat other forms of substance abuse. Hughes said employers learned decades ago that it was in their best interest to invest in employee well-being as a means of reducing potential productivity pitfalls. By the mid-1980s, EAPs adopted the “broad brush approach,” helping employees with anything that could impact their health.

“If the workplace could, in a reasonable way, offer services to employees that would support their health and well-being and their performance and productivity—it was a win-win situation,” Hughes said.

While the programs were traditionally offered in-house, Hughes noted that many companies now outsource EAPs and purchase them as a service, just as they do with other workplace benefits. Mount Sinai hasn’t taken that approach. “There's a preference to having EAP practitioners who are intimately connected to and familiar with the occupational culture,” he said. “The feeling is that they're better positioned to address the issues that this particular workplace confronts and face on a regular basis.”

Relationship with HR. Most Mount Sinai employees are familiar with and trust their organization’s EAP, said Hughes, and may request its services or be referred anonymously by a colleague.

At Mount Sinai, the records are kept separate from HR, so no one can access an employee’s EAP file without their permission, ensuring confidentiality. For example, if an employee needs a temporary leave of absence, an EAP practitioner will act as a liaison between the worker and HR or management.

“It’s always best to keep your personal business personal, and your professional business professional,” Hughes advised. While an HR department isn’t directly tied to an EAP, they have a shared interest: employees.

“I operate in the space between behavioral health and human resources,” Hughes said. “I draw on my behavioral training and my training as a human resource professional to address problems in that space.” His team addresses complex problems using communication, behavioral health, and critical thinking skills, but they do not act as mental health professionals.

Employee well-being is a team effort. And while businesses are more frequently telling employees, “it’s OK to not be OK,” it’s also OK to need help.