EAP New York

With such high stakes, what should employers look for when choosing an employee assistance program? First and foremost, your EAP should have a purpose. It should be designed to accomplish something.

A truly strategic EAP plan should be an active, ongoing business partner. In a survey of our clients, nearly 90% reported that they expected CCA to add value to their offerings, citing the fact that their EAP provider has more significant contact with their managers and employees than any other vendor.

A strategic EAP’s true value is felt when disasters and workplace calamities strike. CCA responded with on-site counseling to the Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City’s tornados and 1995 terrorist bombing, the Hurricane Katrina flooding in New Orleans, and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A consultative firm should be equally adept at responding to downsizings, strikes, discrimination conflicts, coaching and harassment issues, and talent retention challenges. Good strategic firms realize that they serve two clients: the
employee and the employer. Solutions that are good for one, but not the other, aren’t helpful.

A truly strategic EAP plan should be an active, ongoing business partner.

For example, when a large insurance company experienced a murder and suicide in its offices, CCA was immediately on the scene to counsel co-workers and managers. We not only shared some observations about how to manage future threats, we also helped the company develop an ongoing “Threat of Violence” policy. Even further, our counselors and consultants
examined the issues around how the company managed employees, and the internal culture
that contributed to the tragedy. This strategic depth led to larger issues of performance management, as well as changes that the company needed in its corporate culture and internal communications.

CCA has also experienced clients who chose to switch to low-cost EAP providers for purely financial reasons, and subsequently switched back. When crisis struck, or even when they needed guidance on having a difficult conversation with a manager or employee, these clients found that while they were cheaper, low-cost EAP providers simply couldn’t deliver the necessary level of service.

Their low costs may seem attractive, but the benefits-model EAP is accompanied by potential pitfalls. Simply put, employers get what they pay for. An ineffective EAP is entirely reactive, engaging only when called upon. Similarly, health benefit plans provide little more than a website and a toll-free “hotline” for employees to call. Such generic, clinical support results in low utilization and reinforces the notion that they have little value. No wonder some insurance providers are offering no-cost EAPs!

If all an EAP offers is a commoditized benefit, it’s hard to see the value. The best employee assistance programs provide a unique business advantage by combining an expertise in human behavior with a deep knowledge of workforce dynamics. They help employees to stay healthy and productive, while helping organizations remain effective, competitive and successful.