Employee assistance programs have grown steadily over the past few decades to become a widely implemented practice among Australian organisations. Jacqueline Burns speaks to some of those people charged with making sure that their company’s provision of a bit of good-old-fashioned one-on-one is utilised by the broadest number of employees as possible
Employee assistance programs have grown steadily over the past few decades to become a widely implemented practice among Australian organisations. Jacqueline Burns speaks to some of those people charged with making sure that their company’s provision of a bit of good-old-fashioned one-on-one is utilised by the broadest number of employees as possible
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) were designed in the 1980s to treat alcoholics but were soon extended to include workers with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. At the time, there was growing acceptance of the negative impact of mental illness on workplace productivity and US employers sought a means of curtailing the escalation of their employees’ health care costs, for which they were responsible.
Two decades later, EAPs are firmly entrenched as an effective and highly valued intervention tool. In fact, according to the US Department of Labor, every $1 invested in an EAP saves employers $14 in employee costs.
Paul Flanagan, managing director of Davidson Trahaire Corpsych, says it would be difficult to rigorously estimate the return on investment in EAPs in Australia as no controlled studies have been conducted here.
Having examined several hundred cases from different parts of the globe, Dr John Lang, director of Preventative Health, HealthCorp Group (HCG), estimates Australian employers are receiving a return of between three and seven times their EAP investment.
The difference between the ROI in the US and Australia is not because Australian EAPs are less effective, but rather owing to the disparity in health care systems: the blanket coverage provided by Australia’s Medicare system is far and away superior to the US model.
Whatever the multiple, there is widespread acceptance of the positive impact an EAP can have on productivity, absenteeism and turnover, among other things.
“There is a valid case and published evidence to support that well managed employee wellbeing will favourably affect those critical business outcomes. The challenge is in capturing all of the costs – the studies do not measure all of the variables because they don’t know how much each attributes to the overall outcome,” says Lang.
What is clear is that at all times a sizeable body of individuals would benefit from these programs. An Australian Bureau of Statistics study, based on 2001 data, found 14 per cent of employees have moderate to severe problems, lasting more than four weeks in any one year, that significantly affect their functioning at work.
Good grief, Zoos Victoria
Zoos Victoria, which employs a 500-strong, highly unionised workforce, has maintained an EAP since 1998. Though it is an explicit inclusion in the organisation’s enterprise bargaining agreement, general manager HR, Lovanne Hunter, would champion the EAP regardless.
“These days it’s accepted that most employers provide an EAP,” says Hunter. “To me, it’s good HR practice to have that facility available to employees. It has to be cost effective so if we saw that it wasn’t being used we might rethink it. But I’d be very reluctant to ever withdraw the service,” says Hunter.
The Zoos Victoria EAP is composed of a counselling service for employees and their immediate family, as well as critical incident support and a manager assist program.
Hunter considers the one-on-one counselling to be the most valuable component of the EAP. She highlights grief counselling, given Zoos Victoria is in the business of caring for living creatures.
“Many of our employees are animal carers. They work with the animals every day, sometimes for 10 to 15 years. Our people become incredibly attached to the animals so if something happens to them they sometimes need someone to help them through that grieving process,” explains Hunter.
Broader services such as group seminars are also an important component of the EAP. Zoos Victoria is negotiating a period of transition. To stay relevant, it has had to revise its philosophy and vision.
“In the past we’ve been experts in animals and animal care but we haven’t been that good at communicating about the animals and engaging visitors about them. We now realise we play an important role in conservation and education,” says Hunter.
The services provided to employees via the EAP are assisting Zoos Victoria in facilitating this change.
“Our people know they have to improve their interpersonal skills and be more aware of how their behaviour impacts those around them. Through the counselling and coaching we are getting people to recognise how they contribute to the wellness of our organisation,” Hunter says.
A positive reception to wide coverage
Telstra was one of the first Australian organisations to incorporate an EAP into its employee benefits strategy. It has provided an assistance program in one form or another since the late 1980s. The current program is available to all permanent staff, which equates to more than 30,000 people.
The telco’s main motivation for providing the EAP is that it contributes to it being perceived as an employer of choice.
“It’s one of the things we do to look after our people. It makes sense because happy staff have a positive impact on our business,” says Arthur Reiger, Telstra’s group manager HR shared services.
As Telstra’s workforce is geographically dispersed, an Australia-wide network of counsellors was a critical factor in selecting its EAP provider. Telstra had to be sure its people in rural and remote areas could access the service as easily as those in the metropolitan regions. It has achieved that goal, healthy usage being reported countrywide as well as in several international locations.
According to Reiger, Telstra is most concerned with ensuring all of its employees know the EAP is available and are using it at roughly the same level as other large corporates.
Davidson Trahaire Corpsych’s Flanagan supports this approach, explaining fewer calls does not mean fewer problems.
“Under utilisation or low use of a program does not indicate the organisation has special people who don’t have problems. More likely, it suggests there is low awareness or bad communication about the program – or that the EAP does not have the trust or the confidence of employees,” he warns.
The service of most value to Telstra is the one-on-one counselling because it gives employees an opportunity to get confidential advice on matters that are distracting them. The statistics provided to Telstra indicate there is an even split in domestic and work-related counselling.
“If you have someone who’s very distracted from their work, their productivity will suffer. Counselling services gives them peace of mind so they don’t worry about issues,” says Reiger.
Additionally, in times of restructure, which is often at Telstra, managers can recommend the service to staff to assist them in negotiating the change process.
“Anecdotally, most employees respond quite positively to the idea. Of course, whether they actually follow it up is another matter. I wouldn’t know that because all we see are the gross numbers,” notes Reiger.
Reiger has never been put in a situation where he has had to justify the benefit of the EAP because the investment is widely accepted throughout the organisation. Telstra CEO Ziggy Switkowski has been such a strong supporter of the EAP that in the wake of the Bali bombings he extended the counselling service to the general public via a national toll free line.
Lord of the EAPs
Star City Casino in Sydney is an organisation that operates an internal EAP, under the stewardship of employee assistance advisor, Tony Lord.
It certainly helps that Lord has clocked up 25 years experience in managing EAPs for blue chip employers. He did the same job at Qantas and Fairfax before joining Star City eight years ago. As Lord explains, there are several factors that allow the casino to manage its EAP internally. For example, unlike Telstra or Zoos Victoria, Star City’s workers are all located at the one site.
“There’s also the question of the culture,” says Lord. “It’s easier, we believe, to have a practitioner who is familiar with the culture of the organisation. A definite disadvantage for external providers is they often don’t understand the culture of the company and quite often there are issues related to the culture that complicate problems.”
On the other hand, internal programs require a heightened level of care around anonymity, confidentiality and independence. “One of things I’ve built up is a level of trust and confidentiality with the employees. If you breach that trust your job will be over in a week – the word will be out not to use the service. If I have to go to the company about any issue I only do it with the employee’s knowledge and permission. It’s difficult at times, I tell you,” acknowledges Lord.
Whether the EAP is managed internally or externally does not appear to affect usage. Participation in the Star City program is on a par with Telstra and Zoos Victoria, and indeed with the industry standard of around 15 per cent. “We’re an organisation in a competitive, complicated society. We pick up our share of problems, just like the rest of the community. The good thing about the companies I’ve worked for, including this one, is that the senior management have been committed to providing a good level of care to their employees and that’s reflected in their EAP,” surmises Lord.
He stresses the distinction between a corporate showing an appropriate level of care for its employees, and it becoming intrusive. “This is not about Big Brother. I do my utmost to keep my nose out where it’s not wanted. I’m there, I’m available, but I’ve learned over the years when to stay away. That’s a benefit of experience, more than anything,” concludes Lord.
