Customer Inc. Employee Assistance Program EAP. Annual Report 20XX 01/01/20XX 31/12/20XX.

Transcription

1 Customer Inc. Employee Assistance Program EAP Annual Report 20XX 01/01/20XX 31/12/20XX

2 Content Summary 3 Analysis and Recommendation 4 General Observations and Recommendations 4 Analysis of the Work-related Issues 5 Analysis of the Private Issues 5 Overall Utilization 6 New Cases per Month 6 Utilization Rate per Site 7 Utilization of the EAP Services (all sites) 7 Utilization of the Services by Site 8 Employees vs. Family Members 9 Utilization by Genders 9 Calling Times 9 Languages 9 Anonymity 10 Referral 10 Work-related vs. Personal Issues 10 Services Used for Work-related issues only 10 Impact on Work 11 Serious Cases (Flags) 11 Work-related Issues and Services Accessed 12 Private Issues and Services Accessed 13 Impact of the Employee Assistance Program 14 Improvement of Wellbeing 14 Improvement of Productivity 15 Users Feedback 16 Users Comments 16 Meaning of the Issues 17 Explanations 20 2

3 Summary This document reviews the period from January 1 st, 20XX to December 31 st, 20XX. We have registered a total of 883 cases within these 12 months, corresponding to a utilization rate of 8.1%. Even though this value is slightly above the Swiss average of 8%, there are wide differences between the various sites of Customer Inc. 5% of all cases have been placed by family members. This value meets the average. 75% of all cases have been logged during office hours (08:00 18:00), while 19% of the cases have been placed during nights and 6% during weekends. The proportion of 25% cases outside office hours is above the Swiss average of 20% and shows that the 24/7 availability of the service is highly appreciated by the employees of Client Inc. The split in services used is as follows: 64% LifeManagement Services for practical and legal issues 25% Telephone Counseling for emotional and psychological concerns 9% Face-to-Face Counseling with a qualified, experienced psychotherapist 2% Managerial Consultancy On top of this, we have had 3 on-site interventions; nevertheless, they summarize to less than 1% of all services used. The proportion of issues related to work within this review period is 29%. This result is above the Swiss average of 25%. The remaining 71% of the cases were of private nature. It is noticeable that 72% of all work-related issues have been emotional/psychological problems that usually are particularly stressful for the employees, resulting in a lack of performance and motivation. This corresponds with the fact that 25% of all employees having used the EAP during the past 12 months have stated that they were impaired in their working ability. Another 8% have been on sick leave due to the stated problem. Special Interventions In the reporting year, we were asked to provide personal assistance on site to the staff in 3 cases. One case was about violence prevention, in another case a team needed help in coming to terms with the sudden death of a colleague and the third mission was a mediation because of mobbing reproaches. These special services were provided free of charge as a sign of recognition for your long lasting customer loyalty. 3

4 Analysis and Recommendation Benchmark comparison The most reported work-related issues during the year 20XX were: Year Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Customer Inc. 20xx Contractual 11.4% Stress 8.9% Conflict at work 7.5% Customer Inc. 20xy Contractual 23.8% Concern about employee 14.2% Conflict at work 12.3% Swiss Ø 20xx Contractual 21.7% Burnout 6.3% Concern about employee 6.1% The most reported private issues during the year 20XX were: Year Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Customer Inc 20xx Relationship/divorce* 18.7% Housing 15.4% Legal General 10.2% Customer Inc 20xy Relationship/divorce* 23.8% Housing 11.5% Consumer goods / services Swiss Ø 20xx Relationship/divorce* 16.6% Housing 13.4% Legal general 8.9% 9.2% * The issues "Divorce/Separation" and "Relationship Problems" are so closely associated to each other, that we have listed them as one issue within the statistics of most used themes. General Observations and Recommendations As mentioned in the summary, we have discovered a wide difference in the usage of the EAP between the various sites. The utilization rate of the Headquarters is above the Swiss average with 9.8%, while Site East has a very low utilization rate with 4.7%. From both sites, South and North, we have registered an average utilization. We assume the main reason for this unlikely allocation is the fact that we were allowed to hold EAP presentations for employees in the Headquarter and the site South during the past year in order to remind the workforce of the existence of the service. This has led to a considerable increase of the usage. We therefore strongly recommend doing EAP presentations in all regions to create a better awareness of the service. Those presentations held by ICAS of course are free of charge for Customer Inc. 4

5 Analysis of the Work-related Issues The most reported work-related issue within this reporting period has been Contractual with 11.4%. This issue is also among the most reported work-related issues out of our Swiss customers. The most reported emotional issue related to work has been Stress with 8.9%. The main reasons were the following: The caller can t cope with the high pressure at work anymore Excessive demand in the role as Manager and/or employee Questioning own skills; growing incertitude and anxiety as a result Fear of loosing the job because of not fulfilling the demands of the organization Besides Stress, the issues Conflict at Work, Workload and Burnout were mentioned often during the past year. Frequently, these 4 issues are closely connected to each other. Long lasting stress for instance leads to irritability and impatience, which cause a reduced ability to deal with conflicts. Over a long time period, continuous pressure may result in a burnout if no preventive action is taken. But even in less critical cases of exposure to stress, the mental burden is hard to bear for the concerned employees. Therefore, and as a preventive measure, we recommend organizing workshops and information events about stress and how to deal with pressure by improving the personal resilience. Analysis of the Private Issues Among the private issues, Relationship / separation / divorce represent the biggest share with 18.7%, followed by Housing with 15.4% and Legal general with 10.2%. These 3 topics are the most frequent ones as well in the Swiss average. It is well known that burdening circumstances like stress, conflicts, fear to lose the job etc. have an immediate impact on the private life of the concerned employees. Our experience shows that a dramatic increase of relationship problems occurs in economically uncertain times. Even though it is widely believed that people find support and stability in their relationships whenever they struggle with trouble at work, as a matter of fact pressure in the job many times causes difficulties in the partnership. A lot of strain at the workplace pushes people to their limits. Irritability, lethargy and insufficient recovery easily lead to disputes. We are confident that a better ability to deal with stress and an increased resilience would be beneficial as well to the private life of Customer Inc. s employees. 5

6 Overall Utilization Year 20XY Year 20XX Period Jan - Dec Jan - Dec Number of employees 10'923 10'888 Total number of new cases Annual utilization rate (based on cases) 8.90% 8.10% Services used *): LifeManagement Services Telephone Counseling Face-to-Face Counseling Managerial- and HR Consultancy Special Services / On Site Interventions 2 3 Total number of issues 1' *) ICAS captures every topic and every service requested by the callers. Therefore one call may comprise a number of services; i.e. if a practical/legal question is asked (LifeManagement service), which is connected to an emotional problem (Telephone Counseling). Example: A private relationship issue and an imminent separation may lead to some legal questions; but mostly they come along with feelings of failure, loss and sorrow, which are likely to be discussed with a psychologist. That s why the number of services is higher than the total of cases. New Cases per Month 6

7 Utilization Rate per Site Utilization of the EAP Services (all sites) In the average we see a ratio between practical/legal questions and emotional counselings (telephone and face-to-face counseling) of 52 : 48. This graph shows the services used throughout all sites. The request for help in practical/legal matters is above the average. The 3 on-site interventions, which are not part of the EAP package, represent less than 1% of all services; therefore they do not appear in this chart. 7

8 Utilization of the Services by Site 8

9 Employees vs. Family Members Family members usually place 7% of all cases. Within the 12 months under review, family members have placed 5% of all cases. Utilization by Genders This value must be compared to the actual split in genders within your company to be meaningful. However, the experience shows that women are less inhibited to call the EAP than men. Looking at the employees only, 45% of all cases have been logged by female employees, while male employees have placed the remaining 55%. Calling Times The average of cases placed outside office hours is 15%. 75% of all calls within this reporting period have been placed during office hours. During nights we have registered 19% of the cases, while the remaining 6% have been placed on weekends. Languages The EAP users have contacted us in various languages within these past 12 months: 53% of all callers have been German speaking, 30% spoke French, 11% spoke Italian, 4% were Italian speaking and 2% of the callers spoke other languages. 9

10 Anonymity Within the past 12 months 85% of all callers have mentioned their names while only 15% preferred to use the EAP service anonymously. Referral In the average, 93% of all EAP users contact ICAS on their own initiative. 85% of the employees have been using the EAP service upon their own accord within this reporting period, while 7% have been referred to the service by their manager. 6% have been referred to the EAP by HR and 1% has been referred to by colleagues and others. Work-related vs. Personal Issues The ratio of work-related issues is in the average 28%. 71% of all issues within this EAP year have been of private nature and 29% were related to the workplace. Services Used for Work-related issues only For work-related issues, the part of services about emotional problems adds up to 67% in the average. Looking at the work-related issues only, the majority of 72% required emotional support (Telephone Counseling, Face-to-Face Counseling, Managerial/HR Consultancy), while only 28% of all issues related to the workplace were of practical nature. 10

11 Impact on Work Presenteeism means that an employee is at work physically, but his mind and his thoughts are distracted by his problems, resulting in loss of concentration and productivity. Within the entire year, 22% of all employees said that their problem was impairing their concentration at work in either a slight or medium way, i.e. they were suffering from presenteeism. Another 3% of all callers were severely impaired in their work and 8% were absent from work because of the problems they have reported to us. Serious Cases (Flags) Particularly critical situations or severe cases which need exceptionally high support from ICAS are marked with a flag. We distinguish the following flags: Pink Flag: Identifies cases in which the caller is under a very unstable psychological condition. The caller might be a potential danger for himself or for his environment. Red Flag: Identifies cases where the caller explains concretely some imminent suicide risk or actual suicide attempt. It also indicates cases where the caller explains immediate use of violence towards others or child abuse. Work Flag: Identifies cases that require an extraordinary investment in time and/or in resources, e.g.: counseling onsite in emergency cases assistance of a client during a long period of time more than 10 hours of counseling activities per case complex cases which include different specialists (psychologists, legal experts, psychiatrists, doctors, etc.) During the entire year, we have identified and marked 32 cases with a Flag. This represents 3.6% of all cases registered during this period. This proportion is significantly higher than the 1.5% of flagged cases we usually see in Switzerland. The number of the flagged cases is visible on the graph adjacent. 11

12 Work-related Issues and Services Accessed The total of 883 cases brought up the following work-related issues: 12

13 Private Issues and Services Accessed The total of 803 cases brought up the following private issues: 13

14 Impact of the Employee Assistance Program Improvement of Wellbeing Those EAP users who take advantage of face-to-face meetings, are asked 10 scientifically proven questions to assess their mental state and their productivity at the beginning of their therapy. One month after the last meeting, with their prior consent, ICAS gets in touch with them again to re-ask the same questions. These answers reflect the average of 71 employees interviewed. Note: please read the questions carefully, as the values shown below must be interpreted differently depending on every single question. 14

15 Improvement of Productivity Productivity BEFORE face-to-face counseling At the beginning of the meetings, the 71 employees who took advantage of face-to-face counseling have assessed their productivity as shown here: Productivity AFTER face-to-face counseling Another interview done one month after termination of the face-to-face meetings has revealed a drastic improvement in productivity, as depicted in this chart. The share of absences owing to illness could be lowered from 34% to 8%. 15

16 Users Feedback The users rating measures the quality of the EAP. The scale used for the rating is the following: During this reporting period, 89 people have rated the service. This corresponds to 10.1% of all cases I felt in good hands with the ICAS counselors. The advice provided by ICAS helped me. I appreciate the fact that my employer puts the EAP counselling services at my disposal. Users Comments All user comments are displayed exactly the way we have received them (any names mentioned would have been deleted). Many thanks for your help! I'm happy I called you, you gave me some good advice. I feel better now. You gave me some very helpful tools. I'm feeling much better now, even though my problems are not all solved. Thanks a lot! Overall imprecision good and professional. Appreciated value time for discussions, rather than mere presentation style. I'm glad to have these calls, it gives me the opportunity to get some things off my chest. you could helped me and brought me down with my emotions. It's nice to have someone extern neutral who listen to you. I'm still at the very beginning, but with the support of ICAS, I'm working very hard to solve my problem. I think it is fantastic, that my employer is offering us this program! Was great to count on XY s asisstance. I'd like the fact that when she was not able to answer one of my questions she seeked advice from another colleague. I think the advice and info provided comes from professionals who are willing to help other emplyees. Thanks!! Information was very satisfactory. In time I will need additional advice, I was promptly given a number. Again, absolutely professional and very helpful. Thank you. Thank you very much for that fast, clear and helpful feedback! Very much appreciated! I/we are very happy with the counsellor you recommended. I believe that we have established a good and thrust worthy relationship. Thank for the support. The sessions have been extremely helpful. I understood what caused the buildup of stress I experienced. I gained good advice accept the emotion, recognise the buildup and to manage it accordingly. Thank you for your help! 16

17 Meaning of the Issues Alcohol use/misuse/abuse Anxiety Benefits Bereavement Burnout Career Childcare Communication at Work Concern about Employee Concern about Family Conflict at Work Consumer Goods/Services Contractual Criminal Law Crisis/Critical Incident at Work Debt Depression Disability Issues Disciplinary Discrimination Divorce/Separation Drug use/misuse/abuse Eating Disorders The negative impact of alcohol use, either personal use or concerns about others. Support and education for parents / families / managers. Debilitating sensations of dread, worry, pressure. Issues relating to entitlements to company specific internal terms of early retirement (Pillar 1,2,3). Emotional and practical aspects related to mourning/death. Issues relating to a state of extreme mental and emotional exhaustion as a result of prolonged work overload. Issues relating to vocational/occupational development. Information on requirements to follow a specific career path. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Information and practical assistance on childcare options. (Questions regarding child-education ->Parenting) Issues concerned with communication styles (lack of communication, miscommunication, not being listened). (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Questions / concerns from Managers, HR, Colleagues, etc. with worries about an employee. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Psychological and practical / legal advice concerning a family member (children, parents, siblings, etc.). Issues concerned with negative work/professional relationships and behavioral consequences. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) All issues relating to consumer goods and services. Issues relating to aspects of employment and contractual law. Specific organizational requirements. Contract rights and responsibilities. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Psychological and legal advice on issues and concerns which are subject to the Criminal Code (e.g. threats, theft, bodily injury, property damage, fraud, defamation, sexual assault, pornography, incest, Abstract of minors, etc.). Specific response to a critical incident or organizational disruption caused by crisis situation (suicide, accident, assault, etc.). (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Concerns and concerns with debts. Debt handling advice. Issues related to lowered mood / depression. Management and support for people with disabilities, financial, functional, developmental. Individual or organizational issues relating to reasonable access to work. Management or response to disciplinary procedures. Specific corporate procedures, as well as rights, regulations and responsibilities. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Issues relating to all aspects of discrimination identified in law. Reactions to and management of divorce or separation. Emotional and legal issues. The negative impact of drug use (incl. smoking), either personal use or concerns about others. Support and education for families, managers, etc. Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, under- / over weight, etc.) 17

18 EAP Enquiry Education Eldercare Employee Loan Expatriate/Repatriate Gambling Harassment Health Health and Safety Housing/Tenancies Insurance International Relocation Job Change Legal General Maintenance & Alimony Management Coaching Management Style Maternity/Paternity Mental Health Issues Migration & Nationality Mobbing/Bullying felt Mortgages Neighbor Disputes Enquiries about the service and eligibility boundaries. Issues involving School, College, University. Appeals process. Financial support for education e.g. grants. Personal education, if in direct connection with the employment --> "Training & Development" Information and practical assistance with finding care and help for the elderly. Includes entitlement to care and benefits/funding and legal aspects. Loan granted to an employee by its employer. Emotional issues relating to being transferred to a different country. Issues relating to gambling. Emotional and financial implications. Issues related to unwanted conduct affecting the dignity of a person. Has a strong physical component. Unsolicited behavior which undermines, humiliates, denigrates or injures the recipient. Issues not covered by legislation on discrimination. All issues relating to medical or physical wellbeing. Healthcare provision, support groups and access to services. Concerns relating to physical health at the workplace. Work related injury. Specific corporate policies and processes, and H&S legislation. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Rights and regulations in relation to housing lease and rental arrangements. Legislation on access and building requirements. Responsibility of landlords and tenants. Issues related to the understanding of insurance - benefits, limitations, policies and requirements. (issues concerning social security (for employees only) -> Benefits ) Relocation from or to another country: legal requirements, documentation needed Issues relating to change with impact on work patterns or requirements. Corporate policies. Psychological responses to job change. Promotion or demotion. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Legal questions of a general nature, where no other category is applicable. All issues relating to financial support of dependents following divorce/separation. Legal and emotional aspects. Management Coaching for various leadership issues. Issues relating to managing others or management methods. Concerns about manager. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Rights to maternity and paternity benefits. Leave entitlement. Evidence of mental health difficulties or disorder excluding: anxiety, burnout, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, gambling, trauma. Issues relating to passports, visas, emigration and freedom of workers within the EU. Signposting of immigration and nationality enquiries. Issues relating to the experience of being intentionally and systematically undermined, humiliated, denigrated or marginalized. (Harassment, in contrast, tends to be more physical and is usually not intended to systematically destabilize someone.) Issues relating to property purchase by mortgage. Enquiries on legal rights and responsibilities in relation to neighbor disputes. This includes boundary issues, noise and other intrusion. 18

19 Organizational Change Parenting Performance at Work Redundancy Relationship Issues Retirement Savings & Investments Self Employment Stress Tax Traffic Incidents Training & Development Trauma Violence Violence Prevention Visitation rights Wills & Probate Work Certificate Work Conditions Workload Work of Partner Working Hours & Shift Patterns Information and support relating to the impact of organizational change on individuals, groups, or organization as a whole. This may be psychological, legal, financial, or general. Unfilled vacancies. Staff turnover. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Information and support on childhood and adolescent behavior and development. Resources, self help, charity and statutory services available. Referral onto the Health Visitor service or Childcare. (Childcare issues -> Childcare) Issues of appraisal, personal concerns about ability to fulfill tasks. Fear of failure/success. Interview concerns. Dealing with performance issues in staff. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Corporate procedures. Legal duties and rights. Payments and redundancy packages. Emotional issues of redundancy. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Concerns over personal relationships and friendships at home or at work. Concerns over the emotional aspects of retirement. Early retirement. (Financial aspects of retirement -> Benefits) Enquiries on options on how to save, types of investment. Information on interest rates. Implications of financial decisions. Issues relating to self-employment (legal, financial, networking etc.). Compatibility between a regular employment and a freelance occupation. Issues relating to the physiological, cognitive, behavioral and emotional aspects of a stress response. Enquiries relating to tax payable, tax codes, tax refunds and tax allowances. Legal aspects and support available. Issues relating to endorsements, accidents, liability, insurance, police involvement, fines and license points. Occupational training and development. Company internal trainings. (other trainings without relation to workplace -> Education) (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) The experience or observation or 3rd party involvement in an event which was perceived as life threatening. Childhood sexual abuse - ongoing sexual, physical, emotional abuse. Direct experience of physical assault, either as victim or observer. Perpetrator of violence. Preventing potential violence. Legal issues concerning the visitation rights of married or unmarried fathers and mothers. Issues relating to estate planning and managing an estate following death. Assessment of work certificates (hidden / encoded information). (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Issues relating to: Geographical isolation, physical hazards, perceived risks of violence, lack of supervision/support, overcrowded workspace, professional isolation. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) Work overload / under load. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) All work-related issues concerning an employee's partner. Legal issues relating to working hours and shifts. Information or corporate policies. Rights and responsibilities. European directive of working hours. Personal impact of working hours on staff and employers. (Only if caller is employee otherwise Work of Partner ) 19

20 Explanations Service Case LifeManagement (practical / legal) Tel. counseling for emotional issues Face-to-Face counseling Management-/ HR consultancy Issues Individual part of the Service Package, we distinguish between: - LifeManagement (practical / legal) - Tel. counseling for emotional issues - Face-to-Face counseling - Managerial-/ HR consultancy The reason for contacting the Employee Assistance Program: thus one case could consist of several (phone) contacts, could involve different services and could contain numerous issues. Response to concrete questions regarding every day s life. Generally it is about finding whatever information callers need, develop real and concrete solutions so that one can move forward. Psychological counseling by phone aiming callers to take further steps or to experience emotional relief. Direct, personal counseling with a qualified experienced Psychotherapist near the callers workplace. Discussion of complex management situations, by giving expert advice. This service is only for supervisors (Shop Managers, Sales Consultants) and HR staff. Single, solitary problem/question e.g. Housing 20