Sept. 1, 2008

Employee Benefit News

EAPs: Not Just Luck of the Draw

The EAP of the 21st century, when effectively implemented, is not merely the referral service of the past, but rather a start-to-finish case management and return-to-work program for employees suffering from critical issues like depression and disability. And while benefit managers once struggled to show the return on investment for such programs, a collection of current research is giving pros the evidence they need to show that EAPs – long known as the right thing to do for workers – also is the right thing for business.

For programs to truly be effective, EAPs and HR/benefits pros need to work together to move toward a common goal, says Mike Garfield, senior vice president of global business development for ComPsych. “Employers are starting to understand that EAPs are the perfect entrée for someone who is ready to make a behavior change or needs help or support in some area of life.”

Garfield says he sees employers expanding on what might have started out as simply a counseling benefit and including areas like wellness, smoking-cessation and FMLA administration. “There’s an understanding that 90 percent of people use FMLA to deal with an issue where an EAP might also be effective,” says Garfield.