Converge International

It is amazing what a crisis can do!  It can bring people together; tear them apart; get them to focus on ‘things’ that matter; and bring out creativity and innovation in ways not previously envisaged. Churchill, during the war noted that the crisis of that time was the best and worst event that happened to Britain.  Everyone was prepared to help fight a common enemy!  More people went to Church; more focus was given to the reality of life; there was less crime; and people worked for very little because of the ultimate goal. This current financial crisis has similar tones.  Obama’s inaugural speech certainly rallied the interests of the world around a new era of hard work, prosperity and the need for new ways to solve past problems. In business today, we face many of the same issues - a demand for inspirational leadership and vision; a common desire for the best for people; and a demand for innovation to resolve the immense day to day challenges.  However, the reality within the current climate is that employees are beginning to lose their jobs.  A duty of care in this crisis, and a recognition that people matter in the course of the decision making weighs heavily on decision makers. Notably, in an excellent ‘New York Times’ article, ‘A Corporate Perk for a Stressful Time’ January 18, 2009, it addresses the high value of ‘Employee Assistance Programs’ as a way of supporting business leaders and employees. The reality is that Employee Assistance Programs are just that: they assist employees and leaders to be more productive, deal better with day to day challenges and manage the demands of the complexity and chaos of the current and future business environment. 

I’ve copied this article below for your interest and welcome your comments.

January 17, 2009 A Corporate Perk for a Stressful Time
By CONRAD DE AENLLEAS - New York Times.
More workers lose their jobs, many are gaining a host of unforeseen problems in exchange. Beyond the obvious financial consequences, a layoff can result in psychological, emotional and even physical difficulties, and the impact may extend to families and former co-workers.A widely available but often ignored corporate perk — the employee assistance program — can help workers who are suddenly facing a layoff, as well as those who worry that the same fate will befall them.E.A.P.’s, which generally are managed by counseling firms or divisions of health insurance providers, offer advice on family relationships, drug and alcohol problems and dollars-and-cents issues, among other matters. With so many people out of work because of the recession, and signs of economic rebound hard to glimpse, the number of calls to the programs has skyrocketed.Aetna Behavioral Health, part of Aetna Inc., the health insurer, said it saw a 60 percent increase in program members seeking help in the third quarter of 2008, versus the same period of 2007. Financial stress was the main source of the increase, Aetna said.“We’re hearing more and more people raising financial and economic concerns,” said Dennis Derr, who runs the firm’s E.A.P.’s. “We started noticing that trend in the middle of last year, with people saying they’re in debt or concerned about being laid off.”The ComPsych Corporation, an E.A.P. provider, observes similar conditions. Calls are up 30 to 40 percent over last year, spurred by unease about job prospects, it said. “There is a sense of panic that we have not seen in our 24 years in business,” said Richard Chaifetz, the chief executive. “We’ve had an increase in calls on anything from feelings of depression or stress to refinancing mortgages, handling adolescents and dealing with bankruptcy.”In a sign of the acute nature of this recession, Richard Paul, vice president of the health and performance solutions department at ValueOptions, a managed care company specializing in mental health issues, said the number of calls more than doubled last year from employers seeking help in dealing with an employee suicide.As such statistics show, it is not just laid-off workers who are distressed. Many who are still working are worried about making ends meet.“There’s a fear among employees that they’re going to get laid off and, even if they’re not, then how are they going to pay their bills with no raises, mounting debt and an inability to refinance?” Mr. Chaifetz said.E.A.P.’s began three or four decades ago to deal with common personal problems, and have evolved to offer so-called wellness services, preventive health care and counseling on a range of issues, including financial matters.The programs are increasingly a part of the standard benefit package at large businesses. And employers are enhancing them as deteriorating economic conditions bring more demand, said Mary Tavarozzi, a principal in the health and welfare group at Towers Perrin, the benefits consulting firm.“Many companies have E.A.P.’s, and they are usually a fairly rarely used and modestly publicized benefit,” she said. “What employers have been doing of late is beefing up the benefit itself by offering additional sessions with counselors. Some large companies with employees located in a fairly large campus have established on-site E.A.P. facilities with weekly office hours, when usually contact is with an unseen counselor by telephone.”Some companies have also hired financial counseling firms to help employees adjust their retirement plans because of bear-market losses or possible discontinuation of employer contributions, Ms. Tavarozzi said.For employees being shown the door, an E.A.P. is part of a repertoire of outplacement services that include counseling sessions in résumé writing and job searches. For workers in stagnant industries, like car manufacturing, the help can include advice on new careers.There is no single correct solution for stressed-out workers, but specialists offer general suggestions for employees and employers coping with a recession and a shrinking work force.After a round of layoffs, employees often feel “fear that the next shoe to drop is theirs,” said Mr. Chaifetz at ComPsych. Forthright communication is the best way for companies to alleviate that, he said.“Have a plan in place and articulate it clearly and honestly to employees,” he said. “Let them know where they stand. Ambiguity creates anxiety.” Employees should also be told that the current conditions give them with “a chance to step up and become more valuable to the employer when things turn around.”His advice to employees is this: “Constantly prove your value, don’t take anything for granted and stay positive and focused on your job if you want to keep it. Be the first to step up and take on additional responsibility.”HE also encourages employees to treat themselves right outside work. “Several things happen when people are under stress in a weak economy,” he said. “They sleep less, exercise less, eat more and eat less well. All bode less well for health. The things you should be doing when you’re stressed out are the exact opposite of the things you do.”Such suggestions may continue to come in handy, amid indications that workplace stress won’t let up soon.“There’s still evidence of a steady erosion of jobs,” Ms. Tavarozzi said, “and most companies have already begun contingency planning to see how the first and second quarters play out.” Conditions look just as bleak from Mr. Paul’s vantage point at ValueOptions. Calls have been mounting, he said, from companies seeking support in connection with layoff plans.“The nature of these calls,” he said, “suggests that employers are looking at continued work-force reductions well into the first quarter.”

Web-link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/jobs/18eap.html?_r=1&ref=business�