You know about basic employee benefits such as health insurance and retirement funds. But many workplaces also offer employee and family assistance programs. These programs can provide employees with a variety of resources to help them deal with a wide range of problems, including many problems that are not related to work.
Need
The changing landscape of the modern workplace encourages employers to strengthen employee commitment and loyalty. For example, employees are more mobile and autonomous, which can be a challenge to an employee's commitment to a particular employer, according to an article published in 2008 in the "Academy of Management Journal."
Description
Employee and family assistance programs provide emotional, financial and other types of assistance to employees in need. The reach of employee and family assistance programs differs from that of other human resource-related functions that pertain to workplace issues such as pay, benefits, training and development, etc.
Types
A type of employee and family assistance program is a work-to-family program, which helps employees cope with the stress of caring for children or aging parents by providing such care as part of an insurance benefit. Another type of employee assistance program addresses partner violence, which poses a significant threat to the well-being and productivity of employees, especially female employees, according to an article published in April 2010 in the Journal of Women's Health. Studies have shown that roughly 64 percent of women who have been victims of partner violence say that the violence that they have experienced negatively impacted their work performance, according to the researchers.
Benefits
The way organizations treat employees has a strong impact on employee loyalty. When employees receive support from their organizations, they are more likely to feel that the organization values their well-being. Such support can increase the chances that an employee will stay committed to the organization, both mentally and physically, according to the 2008 "Academy of Management Journal" article.
Awareness
According to a study published in 2007 in "Health Affairs," some employers are not aware of issues relating to employee well-being and work performance. The study found that few employers were aware of the challenges related to caring for a special needs child, even though approximately 13 percent to 15 percent of American children have some type of special need, such as that related to a learning disability. The researchers also noted that few of the 41 employers they interviewed displayed an interest in discussing health insurance enhancements for children with special needs.
References
- "Academy of Management Journal": Giving Commitment: Employee Support Programs and the Prosocial Sensemaking process
- Journal of Women's Health": Employee Assistance Programs: A Workplace Resource to Address Intimate Partner Violence
- "Health Affairs": Benefits For Employees With Children With Special Needs: Findings From The Collaborative Employee Benefit Study
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