Employee assistance-Bottom line

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Janet's performance has been erratic for the last year. Prior to that, she had been a hard worker-sometimes even an outstanding one. A ten year employee; she'd be a shame to lose.

Her supervisor had discussed her failing performance with her several times but Janet's attempts to improve didn't last. Finally, last week, her supervisor told her she had no choice but to issue a written warning of termination.

In tears, Janet finally described the horrors of her home life that had been affecting her performance. Her laid off husband had been drinking heavily during the past year and was physically abusive.

Something from the daytime soaps? Hardly. Scenes like these are likely to be all-too-common for many supervisors. If you were in this supervisor's shoes, what would you do: proceed with the written warning or withdraw it?

Black and white solutions don't fit very neatly. Fortunately, there is a solution both parties can appreciate: an employee assistance program.

The employee can get confidential, employer-paid social services and the supervisor has a humane alternative for handling employees with serious problems.

"The company wins, too. Progressive companies realize it's good business to be committed to its employees. In the long run, retaining a troubled employee who has turned around is a better investment than hiring and retraining a new one,"says Laura LaVanway, Employee Assistance Program Consultant with Employee Consulting Services in Milwaukee.

Here's how is works. In Janet's case, her supervisor would hold off on any disciplinary action for a specific period of time, provided she seeks assistance through the EAP program.

Depending on the structure of the program, Janet's contact might be an employee coordinator who would confidentially screen and refer her to an agency, or it might be a representative of the vendor company with whom the employer has contracted.

Says LaVanway, "The EAP system has real advantages for an employee. For example, you get fast access (usually within 48 hours) to an appropriate agency. The person screening and referring you is usually a professional who can act as your advocate and help you navigate the health care maze."

LaVanway explains that there are several ways to structure an EAP program. For example, the contracted vendor might be affiliated with a specific treatment agency, a center or a hospital. Other vendors refer to any number of agencies. A company may want to join a consortium of employers for services through a consultant, or may want to hire its own in-house coordinator who does screening and short-term counseling.

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company uses a peer referral system. Employees volunteer (and are trained) to be a network of contacts to which a troubled employee can turn for a referral.

Once a company establishes a program, it may be surprised to see higher initial costs than it expected. Some data suggest that this is fairly typical, since employees who have been hurting will seek it out help quickly. Eventually, however, experience shows that a program will help to reduce costs by curbing absenteeism, tardiness and poor performance caused by personal problems.

But how confidential is it? "Very,"says LaVanway. "Some companies find it reassuring to hire an outsider for this very reason. In other companies, the use of internal resources makes them feel more comfortable. In any event, no records are kept in the personnel file and the manager of the employee is not given any details."

The manager and the employee can monitor improvements through ongoing meetings. This is not a fast way to get off the hook for turning performance around. The manager must continue to coach the employee and the employee is expected to improve. If the improvement never comes- or doesn't come far enough- the manager can still exercise the right to fire the employee. Often, this never occurs because employees respond to the second chance the company has given them to get back on their feet.

EAP programs make sense. Companies are facing employee-initiated lawsuits for wrongful termination, escalating labor costs and productivity problems. Employees are