what is the employee assistance program?
The Union recognizes that employees may have problems which affect their job performance and their health.
Dependence on alcohol and other mood altering chemicals, family problems and emotional problems are some examples. The Union believes it is in the interest of the employee, of his/her family, the Union, and the employer to provide the troubled employee assistance in dealing with such problems.
voluntary, confidential, professional
An instrument to accomplish this is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). In general, EAP’s are designed for employees and dependents who have personal problems which may affect the employee's job performance. While there may be some differences among employers, EAP’s affiliated with District Lodge 141 are voluntary, confidential, professional services which provide evaluations, assessments and referrals, through appropriate resources, for treatment and follow-up care.
The District Lodge 141 Employee Assistance Program’s (EAP) goal is to motivate Members with personal problems and accept professional assistance within the constraints of the respective negotiated company benefit plan.The EAP Coordinator's function within the program is to provide education and awareness of the EAP, advocate for and support the principles and tenets thereof, and direct employees to an appropriate and qualified professional evaluation resource.
Union Coordinators
The mainstay of our program is the local lodge EAP coordinator. These men and women give much of their personal time to assist our brothers and sisters who are experiencing personal difficulties. After review by the local lodge, our coordinators are appointed by the President and Directing General Chairman to this position with re-appointments based on recommendations of the Director of DL 141 EAP and concurrence by the President and Directing General Chairman.
Roles
There are differences between the roles of our coordinators and that of employer EAP’s The most significant of these is diagnosing and evaluating. Our EAP coordinators do not make clinical diagnosis nor is their job to do clinical evaluations. However, our EAP coordinators do provide other valuable functions that, in most cases could not be efficiently provided by employer EAP’s The main responsibilities of our coordinators are: to promote EAP and its use, to encourage acceptance of EAP referrals, and to be supportive of our Members in a follow-up role when appropriate. In cases where our brothers and sisters choose not to involve the employer EAP our Union coordinators can provide information about community resources that can provide professional assessment and evaluations.
Consulting with an EAP Coordinator
When should the coordinator be consulted? One instance would be when job performance or work related problems or issues exist or persist. By way of example, most of us experience some type of family or life difficulty that intermittently effects our disposition and or our ability to give full attention to the task at hand. However, the majority of these work themselves through in a short time without any significant intervention or consequence. There should be concern when these symptoms linger or persist for several weeks or months and it would be well to consider discussing this with your Union coordinator. Remember, our coordinators are well versed in EAP procedures and can provide an empathic and supportive ear. Sometimes, all a person needs is someone who will listen and not be judgmental.