Taking Care of Employees is a Good Business Practice
Managing your company is sometimes complicated. However, no matter how you look at it your employees are the most important aspect of your business. If they have issues – you have issues; if they have personal problems – they become your personal problems.
Distracted employees are hindered from performing at their best. They also may not be able to work at all. When your employees are not working or working just “so-so,” you, the employer, lose productivity and profits.
No matter if you are a small business with few employees or a full-blown corporation with hundreds of workers, keeping your workforce healthy and productive is not only a wise business practice, but it promotes positive reinforcement communicating to your employees their company’s interest in their welfare and wellness.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
There are many ways to establish and maintain an EAP in your company. Unless you are a large company with hundreds or more employees, the cost of operating in-house services may require additional licensing because a Knox-Keene license is required in some states. By referring employees to outside services, it is possible to be exempt from licensure. This technique is called the “assess and refer model.”
Another exception to the Knox-Keene license is employee services dealing with financial or legal concerns, work relationship issues, and other non-medical or psychological issues. Referral services can be directed to outside non-profit sources that offer help, such as counseling, and other related services. In companies providing health coverage, EAP services can set up appointments with their network providers to help the employee.
EAP can still be utilized, and very inexpensively, by smaller companies with few employees. Using some creative research your HR personnel can easily locate and use local, county and state social services to provide services for your employees, but you should consider adding limited coverage to provide EAP services for your employees. This would super charge your workers' comp, and substantially help you reduce your costs.
Employees suffering from depression, substance abuse, or other personal issues are hazards to company productively, are prone to on-the-job accidents and injuries, and can actually cost a company money. By setting up EAP services for your employees, you create proactive care that will ensure your employees welfare, health and while doing so maintaining workforce productivity, and reducing turnovers, and absenteeism. (workersxzcompxzkit)
From a business perspective, EAP services just make good sense. They are not only a valuable tool to maintain a healthy workforce, but when you help an employee with work/life issues diluting focus on the job, you turn a distracted employee back into a motivated and productive one. This makes EAP service programs a win-win situation for the workforce and the company!
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers' Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers' comp issues.
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