Scrolling through Facebook, I saw someone complaining about a sketchy landlord. Resolving the issue would require a trip to court. The poster had no idea how to begin, and someone made a brilliant suggestion: Contact your Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
I was cheering–this is a resource that many companies have and can be a huge help in situations like this.
But the original poster’s answer made me sigh: “I work for a tech startup, and we don’t have an EAP.”
Oh, you darling tech startups. You’ve got a pool table, or you’re 100 percent remote. Good for you. But do you know how much an EAP costs? Around $35 per year per employee.
You’re spending more than that on bagels.
If this person’s employer was willing to spend $35 per employee, they could get some free legal advice, as well as a zillion other things like
- Financial advice
- Finding a therapist
- Help to find childcare
- Help to manage a chronic health condition
- Diet help
- Marriage counseling
- Substance abuse guidance
- Navigating workplace trauma
- Pretty much any problem you can think of.
So, please, if you think it’s not necessary, you’re wrong. Making this small expenditure can literally save your employees thousands of dollars and untold hours of stress.
I wish an EAP provider were paying me to post this, but they are not. I feel passionate about doing this small thing to help your employees through difficult trials.
Skip one Friday lunch and buy an EAP plan.
Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
We have an EAP at our agency, but I wasn’t aware that legal advice was one of the options. I’ll have to check that out. Thanks, as always!
OMG, Thank you. It is SUCH an underutilized benefit! I talk it up all the time, both in orientation, when someone shares with me legal, financial, personal, grief, etc., issues they may be having. I even over-emphasize that it is 100% confidential! A couple of times I made it mandatory when staff members were struggling and it was affecting performance or teammates.
I’m 100% with you on that one ! EAPs are not very common in the Middle East, and I never lose an opportunity to talk about them in my classes – raising the awareness is the first step towards implementing them.
The broad range of useful services they offer should be better known. When our manager announced that our company would start offering EAP, several members of the team humphed. Just as I said “Great!” thinking about the help I might get with resources for an aging far away parent, someone else said, “Big deal. None of us is an alcoholic.” And then everyone glared suspiciously at me. A lot of people know EAP as just a brief stop on the way to a PIP before a firing.
Don’t turn to this woman for advice. She can’t even read.
I asked her a question once and her response was an attack over something I never said.
Yes, totally agree!! EAPs are so underutilized, but they’re a fantastic resource. I give it a big “commercial” when I onboard.
Ask A Manager had a brilliant interview with someone who worked for an EAP vendor – highly recommend reading it!