Blueroomcare
Your company provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), although you’ve never used it. Perhaps you don’t know what an EAP is used for. Perhaps you think an EAP is only for people who have serious problems. Perhaps you’ve been concerned about confidentiality and what your manager might think. Or you’ve just been handling everything on your own because that’s what you’ve always done.
Is this beginning to sound familiar? Well, join the club! Many employees have an EAP available to them although they’ve never used it. Why? Probably because they don’t understand what an EAP is used for.
Let’s demystify EAPs, explain to you when you might want to consider using an EAP, and show you how to gain access to this resource that’s available to you for free.
What Your Company’s EAP Actually Covers
Employee Assistance Programs are much broader than what people generally believe to be true. Most people believe that EAPs are only for addressing mental health emergencies, but in reality, these programs cover a broad range of personal and professional issues.
Generally, most EAPs, including those offered through Blueroomcare, cover stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges; relationship issues, including marital, family, parenting, and other family concerns; work-related stress, including job stress, workplace relations, and other work-related concerns; financial issues, including debt, budgeting, and other financial concerns; and crisis intervention, including urgent situations that require immediate intervention.
What people need to understand is this: “If it affects your life or interferes with your ability to function at work, it is likely included in EAPs!”. If you’re an HR leader looking to implement EAP, check out our complete guide to EAP in Nigeria.
Common Situations When You Should Use EAP
Understanding when to utilize your company’s EAP can mean the difference between receiving assistance and struggling unnecessarily. Here are some situations where EAP assistance can greatly improve your situation:
When Work Stress Becomes Unmanageable
You work long hours, take on more responsibilities, and feel overwhelmed all the time. Your Sunday blues have turned into Sunday dread. You don’t sleep well because of looming deadlines, suffer from headaches or stomach problems, or find yourself unable to focus on tasks that used to come easily to you. This is where EAP can assist you best; before stress turns into burnout.
When Your Personal Life Affects Your Work
Your relationship is troubled and all you can think about is work during meetings. A family member is sick and all you can think about is work all day long. Financial stress keeps you anxious all day long because of work. Your personal life does not always remain separate from work life, and EAP understands this by offering assistance for personal issues that inevitably affect work performance.
When You’re Experiencing Anxiety or Depression
You wake up with a sense of dread about the day ahead. You find that simple tasks are too exhausting to undertake. You no longer enjoy the activities that used to give your life meaning. You might be feeling anxious or irritable for no apparent reason. These are all symptoms of anxiety or depression. You do not have to wait until things get worse to seek help. You can seek the help of an EAP counselor to prevent these issues from getting out of hand.
When You’re Facing Major Life Changes
Major changes in your life might be stressful. You might be getting married, having a child, losing a loved one, going through a divorce, moving to a new city, or dealing with health issues. All these qualify as situations where the help of an EAP counselor might come in handy. You do not have to go through all this alone.
When Workplace Relationships Are Strained
You might be experiencing conflict with your colleagues or your manager. You might be experiencing poor communication with your team. You might even be experiencing bullying at work. EAP counselors can help you develop strategies for managing difficult workplace relationships and setting appropriate boundaries.
When You Need Objective Professional Guidance
At times, it can be helpful just to talk with someone who isn’t connected with your situation, who isn’t your family member, friend, or co-worker. EAP can provide that objective, professional guidance when you’re dealing with tough decisions, complex feelings, or just need a safe place to think things through.
Understanding Confidentiality: What Your Employer Knows
One of the biggest obstacles for people seeking EAP assistance is the fear that your employer will find out. Well, let’s be perfectly honest, shall we? What you talk with EAP professionals about remains strictly confidential. Your employer does not receive information regarding why you contacted EAP, what you discussed with them, or that you ever used the program at all.
What your employer does receive are some overall, non-personal statistics regarding the use of the program, such as overall usage rates, the types of issues that people are concerned with, etc. They do not, and cannot, receive information that specifically identifies you as having used the program.
The only exceptions to confidentiality are those that occur when there is imminent danger to yourself or others, which is the case for all mental health services.
How to Access Your Company’s EAP
Accessing your EAP provider’s services is normally easy, although the process differs slightly from one provider to another. Most EAP providers, including Blueroomcare, normally follow the following process:
Step 1: Find Your EAP Contact Information
You can find your EAP provider’s information in your employee handbook, the internet, or through your human resource department.
Step 2: Reach Out
You can then reach out to your EAP provider directly by calling them, sending them an email, or visiting their website. You do not need to go through your human resource department or your manager.
Step 3: Schedule Your Session
You can then schedule your session with the EAP provider at a time that is convenient for you. Most EAP providers, especially the new ones, offer flexible scheduling, which includes sessions conducted on weekends and sessions that can be conducted from anywhere.
Step 4: Attend Your Appointment
Just like any other appointment, attend your scheduled session. It might be done over the phone, video call, or face to face. You don’t have to have your life together or know exactly what to say. Your counselor is there to help the process along.
Step 5: Continue as Needed
You might be able to attend multiple sessions, depending on your needs and the EAP program your company offers. Your counselor will be able to help determine the best course of action for your needs.
Making the Most of Your EAP Benefits
In order to make the most of your company’s EAP program, consider using this service as a tool for prevention. It’s best to seek help before your situation becomes a problem. It’s less stressful on your life to seek help at the first sign of a problem.
Be honest about what you’re experiencing. The counselor can’t help you unless they know the real situation. So, be honest. You might want to consider coming prepared with questions and concerns to discuss. However, be open to issues that might come up as a result of the session.
If you don’t click with the first counselor you are assigned, it is perfectly acceptable to ask to be assigned a different counselor. The relationship between a therapist and a client is important, and a good fit is necessary for a positive outcome.
Please remember, seeking EAP services does not imply anything is wrong with you; it simply means you are taking advantage of a valuable employee benefit, which your company has offered to you specifically because they understand that all people face challenges in life and need support.
Takeaway
Employee Assistance Programs are in place because companies understand that supporting employee wellness is not only good for the employee, it is good for everyone. Your company has invested in EAP because they want to make these valuable resources available to you when you need them.
You don’t have to prove yourself worthy of assistance by being “bad enough” or having suffered enough. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. And you certainly don’t have to wait until you are in crisis. Whatever your challenges; work-related, personal, relationship, or just need someone neutral to talk with, your EAP is there for you.
The toughest part is often taking the first step. But trust us, you won’t regret it. Once you make the call, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to use the help that has been yours all along. Your mental health is important. Use the help that is made available to you. That’s what it is there for.
Ready to learn more about how Blueroomcare’s EAP can help your organization meet its mental health objectives?
- Contact us to discuss a customized plan that fits your team’s specific needs, organizational culture, and budget constraints.
- Looking for more guidance? Explore our blog for more mental health tips.
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