Employee Assistance Programs
An EAP, or Employee Assistance Program, is a confidential, short term, counselling service for employees with personal difficulties that affect their work performance. These difficulties, however, do not have to be caused by workplace issues. Employee Assistance Programs are designed to help people understand or overcome their difficulties regardless of whether the source is work or otherwise.
The range of areas typically managed by an EAP provider include:
- Personal difficulties.
- Job stress.
- Relationship difficulties.
- Eldercare, childcare, parenting difficulties.
- Harassment.
- Substance abuse.
- Separation and loss.
- Balancing work and family.
- Financial.
- Legal.
- Family violence.
If you are an employee, you can ask your HR representative if an EAP is available. If you are an employer wondering how to provide an EAP to workers, you can visit this
Fact Sheet.