| As head of the HR Department, Jill had spent many hours in the early months of 2020 wondering what the impact of Covid-19 would be on her company. Now that it seemed the worst of it was over and people were gradually returning to the office, Jill was surprised by the broad scope of issues the staff was dealing with in the aftermath of the pandemic. |
Frank, in shipping, had continued to work throughout the pandemic but his wife Janine hadn’t been so lucky. She had been the primary breadwinner of the family, managing a high-end downtown fitness facility but she was laid off when the first wave hit. The owners held on and re-opened as soon as they were allowed but found that most of their clients were now working from home and weren’t sure they were ever going to return to the office. After more than half of their memberships were cancelled, the club closed. Now things were tight at home, Janine was depressed and Frank was exhausted from taking on extra shifts. In accounting, Ishani was also struggling. When the pandemic hit, she and her partner had lost their daycare provider. For the past year and a half, they had been juggling two full time jobs and three young children. Last week, she thought she had found a new daycare option but her partner rejected it without offering a better suggestion. Yesterday, one of the junior accountants complained that Ishani had been particularly short tempered with her staff lately. There were other concerns: Mike had held off finding a retirement home for his father because of Covid fears and now he was beginning to show signs of dementia. After missing several mornings, Michelle confessed she hadn’t been sleeping and was having trouble concentrating. There were other staff issues Jill had to deal with but her number one concern was Shan. Shan lived alone and had suffered from anxiety even before the pandemic. In November, she confessed to a co-worker that she hadn’t left her apartment in over six months. In January, they started withdrawing early from online meetings when their manager invited everyone to engage in social time and share some personal stories. Last night, Jill had read one of Shan’s Twitter posts in which they had openly wondered why life was so hard and what was the point of carrying on. For years, the company’s owner had insisted that the staff’s personal issues were none of his business but Jill had felt differently. It had taken time, but Jill had finally convinced the owner that the benefits of nurturing and healing the staff’s mental health would far outweigh the cost. Together they had decided to move forward and Jill was excited to begin making a real difference in the lives of people who felt like family to her. * * * Making a difference with an EAP Some of the biggest challenges an employee can face are those everyday problems that start small but continue to grow until, suddenly, they’re all consuming. They’re also problems that are hard for an employer to detect, but these kind of issues create huge distractions and drastically affect productivity. Many employers are addressing these with an Employee Assistance Program or EAP. Simply put, an Employee Assistance Program, also known as an Employee Assistance Plan, connects employees and their immediate families to professionals who can help with life’s most common problems. Often, an employee may have trouble realizing when a ‘problem’ has evolved into a ‘crisis’ so it’s important for an employer to communicate, “We’re here for you and we can help. If you’re not sure, reach out.” Those Common Issues With an EAP in place, an employer can feel confident they’re providing their staff with an abundance of qualified mental health resources and confidential support. Just a few of the areas covered by an EAP include: · depression · marital conflicts · childcare differences · anxiety · financial worries · stress management · burnout · sleep disorders Without access to an EAP, employees struggle with these personal challenges on their own, often for far longer than they should because they’re not sure where to turn or if they can afford it. When an astute and compassionate employer offers the community of wellbeing that an EAP provides, employees are not just more productive, they’re appreciative to be working for an employer that cares. EAP – A WIN-WIN “A company with a comprehensive EAP will enjoy the benefits of a healthy, happy and committed work force,” says Earl Shindruk of Optimax Benefits. “Not only will they retain staff longer, they’ll find it easier to attract the best people available in their industry. The savvy employees that companies are looking for, understand how important an EAP truly is.” While people have always struggled with these issues, the pandemic has shown how they can simmer, collect and become major concerns. For many employees, the pandemic was, and continues to be, the most stressful time of their lives. For employers, it only makes sense to invest in the mental health of their employees and the continued robust productivity of their organization. If you’re not sure how to get started in the discussion of Employee Assistance Programs, contact Earl Shindruk at Optimax and he’ll be happy to walk you through all the details. Header photo courtesy of omid-bonyadian-vGIAPTaudms on Unsplash |
