Employee Assistance Programs for SME’s

My business is growing and I’m ready to increase staff numbers. I’ve read about Employee Assistance Programs but these seem to be quite expensive. Can you suggest any cost-effective alternatives while we grow?

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a service offering employees’ assistance with personal or work-related issues impacting their job performance, physical or emotional wellbeing. Commonly cited benefits for employers offering EAP’s include reduced absenteeism, lower employee turnover and improved employee productivity.

While large businesses have offered Employee Assistance Programs as part of their employee benefits program for many years, those working in SME’s have often missed out. Primary reasons for not offering EAP’s include:

• Small business owners may not be aware of the existence of EAP’s
• SME owners may have other priorities than employee welfare when their business is in growth phase
• Growing businesses are often not in a financial position to fund a traditional outsourced EAP service

Think about this: as a SME you don’t have the buffer of high employee numbers to take up the slack of any employee performing below their best. SME’s feel the impact of decreased performance productivity and workplace negativity more than their larger counterparts when a single employee isn’t contributing and that means bottom line impact to set you back…and who needs that?

So…what might be an alternative to the traditional EAP for SME’s? What about an experienced HR Consultant providing a similar advice/counselling service offered by an in-house HR Manager?

Bare Bones Consulting is currently working with clients who recognise that providing employees the opportunity to discuss the good, bad and ugly of their work situation with an external expert has benefits for all. Lowered employee stress and turnover, improved motivation and employee engagement are all benefits rolling out of an employee support program such as Bare Bones offers. We can tailor a cost-effective alternative to the traditional EAP that genuinely works for you.

Like to know more? Check out our page on Employee Engagement and Retention to see what benefits your business can realise when each person performs at their peak. If you’d like to know more, simply plug your details into the “Contact Us” box at the bottom of each page or give us a call…we’re always happy to hear from new and growing businesses.