But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for your employees who need help:

• Employees dealing with depression have almost twice the annual healthcare costs of workers without depression.
• Twenty percent of working parents struggle with the dual pressures of raising their kids while also caring for elderly relatives.
• Workers who abuse drugs are almost four times more likely to be involved in accidents on the job – and five times more likely to file workers’ comp claims.
• Almost 40 percent of employees across the country say they’ve been verbally threatened on the job within the past year.

That’s why many employers have turned to employee assistance programs (EAPs) for help – from substance abuse counseling and family caregiver assistance to wellness programs and financial counseling. EAPs can significantly improve your organization’s bottom-line HR results, reducing absenteeism and tardiness by up to 10 percent and boosting productivity by up to 25 percent, according to some experts. And, their services can also help you avoid future claims and litigation from employees.

However, selecting the best EAP vendors for your organization can be challenging. EAP usage rates among employees remain low at many companies. And, some workers still view EAPs primarily as substance abuse counselors and avoid taking advantage of the newer services being offered these days.

Order this 90-minute audio conference recording, where you’ll learn:

• Proven strategies for evaluating, selecting, and contracting with an EAP
• The most effective ways to introduce an EAP in your workplace (or replace an existing EAP with a new vendor)
• The legal do’s and don’ts involved in providing EAP services to your workers
• What you can do to increase EAP usage among your employees–and overcome concerns about confidentiality and the stigmas sometimes associated with EAP counseling
• The newest services being offered by EAPs today–and how you can decide whether they make sense for your organization (and whether they’re worth the extra costs)
• How EAPs can actually reduce health insurance and workers’ comp claims and prevent future lawsuits
• Why you should review your EAP’s policies and procedures on issues such as ADA and HIPAA
• The best methods for measuring (and proving to your CEO and CFO) the value of EAP services

William R. Heffernan, M.S., CEAP, is the co-founder of Chicago-based Employee Resource Systems (ERS), a national provider of integrated employee/member assistance programs, managed mental health care, work/life services, and drug-free workplace policy development. His firm provides services to client companies ranging in size from 10 to 25,000 employees across a wide range of fields, including health care, insurance, real estate, legal services, financial services, municipal government, manufacturing, transportation, construction, and labor unions. He is past president of the Northern Illinois Chapter of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association.

Approved for Recertification Credit

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org.

Questions? Speak with a customer service representative.