How Wheeler EAP Can Help

Why is an Employee Assistance Program a critical part of a benefits package?

No organization is immune from the stag-gering costs associated with troubled employees. Nationwide studies have shown that one out of five employees experiences emotional problems that affect job perfor-mance and productivity, and one out of six misuses alcohol or other drugs.

• Approximately 19 million American adults, about 9.5 % of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a depressive disorder. National Institute of Mental Health (1998)
  
• Four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. are mental disorders. National Institute of Mental Health (1998)
  
• Approximately 80% of people with depression respond very positively to treatment. National Institute of Mental Health
  
• In 1994, 15% of current illicit drug users who worked in small establishments reported that their workplace provided access to employee assistance programs; by 1997, it had increased to 28 percent. During this same period, the rate of illicit drug use among workers in small establishments decreased from 11% to 8.6%.
  U. S. Government - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  
• Violence in the workplace is caused by a variety of factors, including job stress, job-related conflict, layoffs and firings, alcohol and drug abuse, accessibility of weapons, and domestic problems carried over from the home. Janet Reno in a 1995 presentation to an EAPA conference,"Responding to Workplace Critical Incidents."

How does an Employee Assistance Program help?

• For every dollar invested in an EAP, employers generally saved $5 - $16. U.S. Dept. of Labor (1990).
  
• United Airlines estimated that it gets a $16.95 return for every dollar invested in employee assistance. General Motors Corporation’s EAP saves the company $37 million per year, $3,700 for each of the 10,000 employees enrolled in the program. Substance Abuse: A Guide to Workplace Issues. ASIS O.P. Norton Information Resources Center (1990).
  
• A small company reduced its workers’ compensation and vehicular accident cost by $75,000 by establishing an EAP with an emphasis on safety awareness. U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services (1992).

For more information or to schedule a training, contact us or call the WHEELER EAP at 1-800-522-3271