The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a service provided by the University
for its employees to aid them in addressing problems which have the potential for serious
impact upon an employee's performance at work, their personal lives, and their families.
These difficulties might include physical, mental or emotional concerns, finances,
marital
or family distress, alcohol/substance abuse or other issues. EAP is the result
of a collaborative effort between all employee groups and the University. The intent
of Employee
Assistance Program is to assist employees in maintaining a level of physical and
mental health which will allow them to fulfill their work obligations to the University.
"Yes". Confidentiality is maintained unless the employee gives permission or reveals information
which has the potential to cause harm to an individual's health or safety or when
there is a legal subpoena. This applies to the Coordinator of the program, to you
as supervisors and also to union/association contacts or members of management who
have been
involved in the situation. Invoices from service agencies are sent directly
to the EAP Office and the employee's name is removed before the invoice is forwarded to Financial
Services
for payment.
The EAP is voluntary. When an employee has a personal concern which is or has the potential
to affect her or his ability to function well within the job, the employee will make
contact
with the EAP Office to obtain help. The Coordinator will provide the employee with
information about the services available, the cost of the services and the extent to
which the University will subsidize those costs. This contact is necessary in order to
ensure quality assistance and financial support for the assistance through the
Laurentian
University Employee Assistance Program.
It is important for supervisors to understand that often a personal difficulty may be
the reason for deterioration in an employee's work performance. If this seems to be the
case,
the supervisor should encourage the use of the EAP. At the same time, the
supervisor should provide support for corrective action. This may take the form of a
discussion or a
letter which outlines your concerns about the employee's performance
as well as encouraging the use of the EAP. This discussion or letter is non-disciplinary
and not grievable.
The EAP does not deny:
the University and its supervisors their right to manage
the workplace and assess discipline;
an employee her/his rights under a collective agreement or her/his
right to Association or Union representatives;
the Union's or the Association's representatives their right to
represent employees, including the process of the grievance procedure.
Yes, this is often the case and is to be encouraged because it shows that the employee
is addressing her or his problem before workplace performance has been affected.
If,
however, use of the EAP requires either absence from work or, on occasion, a
temporary reduction in the employee's workload for a specified period of time, approval
by
the supervisor will be required. If the employee chooses, however, he or she may
seek assistance without using the EAP or its associated financial support.
Accommodation might include such options as reduced work time, reduced workload and time off
to attend counselling or other support sessions. You may wish to talk with
the EAP
Coordinator or Personnel Services about possibilities.
Because the EAP is voluntary, this would be appropriate only with the consent of the employee. Some employees in difficulty need this sort of
support where as others may
wish to maintain their independence through initiating the contact themselves. The extension to call is 1055.
Listen and be sympathetic. Try to understand that the employee is facing two issues: the decline in workplace performance (and the loss
of pride that accompanies this) as well
as the personal difficulty itself. Help the employee through constructive comments and be sure to
note improvements as they occur. Be patient: it takes time for personal problems
to be resolved. Encourage the early use of the EAP: this
will usually result in an earlier resolution to the employee's problem.
A supervisor can strongly suggest the use of the EAP to address personal difficulties in order to improve workplace performance. If, however,
the employee wishes to obtain
help through a different means, the supervisor cannot force the use of the EAP, which is voluntary. The supervisor
does have the right to monitor the performance of an employee
and take appropriate disciplinary action.
No, confidentiality is a central part of the success of EAP. As a supervisor, you have the right to know when an employee is going to be absent
from work for EAP appointments
and that the appointments are being attended. If progress is neither evident nor volunteered by the employee,
after a reasonable amount of time you may ask the employee if he
or she feels any closer to resolution of their problem. If the employee
is not finding the sessions helpful, encourage her or him to contact the EAP Coordinator to arrange for
another agency. As mentioned above,
however, it is important to note that the EAP program does not deny the supervisor's right to address workplace performance issues.
No. However, employees will make every effort to schedule appointments outside working hours. If this is not possible, appointments should be
scheduled to minimize time away
from work such as the beginning/end of the day or near the noon hours.
Do a regular "climate scan" of the employees who report to you. If someone is in obvious difficulty or if work performance
is declining, do not ignore it - address the situation
and encourage the early use of EAP.
Be supportive when an employee is using the EAP.
Be attentive to the employee by way of follow-up to ensure that the EAP is
helping to resolve the difficulty.
Contact the Employee Assistance Program Coordinator, Lyne Rivet (ext. 1055),
if you have any questions or concerns.
Employee Assistance Program
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