Referring Employees to the EAP
If you have an employee who you would like to refer for EAP services, you may click here to submit a referral online, or download the Referral Form and return by fax or mail. 

Archived The “Bridge” Newsletter

• October 2009
• July 2009
• April 2009
• January 2009

• How do you separate performance from behavioral issues?
• What are the signs to watch for in an employee who is depressed, suicidal, has a potential for violence?
• What do you do when a usually productive employee takes a sudden dip in attitude and performance?
• How do you approach the subject of an EAP referral with an employee?
• How does the confidentiality of the referral work?
• How do you know that the employee has followed up with the EAP?

How do you separate performance from behavioral issues?

I think what this question is asking is: What are issues that should be addressed by the supervisor and/or other members of administration of the company (“personnel issues”) and what are those that should be addressed by the EAP (“personal issues”)?

Personal issues are those that might be contributing to the personnel issues, such as family problems, depression, etc. Often, personal and personnel issues coincide. For example, an employee may be going through a divorce, and he may begin to come in late, appear distracted on the job, snap at coworkers. All of these are personnel issues that need to be dealt with, and this can be done through a simple conversation and/or through the company disciplinary process. The divorce is a personal issue that the EAP can help the employee deal with. The temptation is often to ignore these personnel issues out of sympathy for the employee. However, this is not a good idea. When a person’s performance at work is a problem, then it is the supervisor’s responsibility to speak with the employee. You, as a supervisor, might be aware that the employee is going through a specific personal problem or you may not. Either way, if there is a sudden dip in performance and/or change in attitude, chances are good that the employee is dealing with some difficulty in his or her life and needs some help with that. It is not your responsibility to counsel the employee through the problem. This is where the EAP comes in. During your conversation with the employee about the personnel problems, you can bring up the EAP as a benefit that can help him manage any issues that he is experiencing.

There are a couple of issues are both personnel and personal issues that could be addressed by both EAP and the supervisor. One of those is conflict with a coworker. The supervisor would want to sit with both employees to work out the conflict together, and the EAP might work with the employee individually to manage some of the underlying issues that caused the person to enter into the conflict in the first place.

Another of those is stress at work. The supervisor might want to work with the employee to make changes to the work environment to ease the stress, and the EAP would work with the employee to implement personal strategies to manage stress and possibly see the situation in a different way.

What are the signs to watch for in an employee who is depressed, suicidal, has a potential for violence?

Depression often shows up differently for different people, but some signs to look out for would be: poor attendance and/or tardiness, decrease in productivity, isolating from coworkers, change in eating habits, looking tired or run down, slowed movements.

Suicidality: If an employee mentions that they have been thinking about suicide, call the EAP 800 number right away. If the employee states that he or she is about to kill him- or herself, call 911. Suicide warning signs taken from the Samaritans of Boston website are as follows:
Verbal Signs

• "I want to kill myself."
• "I don't want to be here anymore."
• "No one understands me."
• "I can't take it anymore."
• "Things will never get better."
• "I'm tired of being a burden to my friends and family."
• "No one would miss me if I were gone."

Physical Changes

• Losing or gaining weight quickly.
• Suddenly not caring about appearances or cleanliness.
• Unexplained cuts, scrapes or bruises.
• Appearing tired all the time.

Acting Differently

• Changes in mood: more withdrawn, anxious or sad, or sudden mood lift after a down period.
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits.
• Suddenly taking more risks: not taking prescribed medication, drunk driving, ignoring physical limitations, having unprotected sex, using more drugs or alcohol.
• Loss of concentration.
• Withdrawing from friends and family.
• Losing interest in things that used to be enjoyed.
• Not planning for the future.
• Hurting oneself on purpose.
• Thinking and talking about death a lot.
• Unexplained good-byes or unusual personal expressions that have a sense of closure.
• Recently having lost a loved one, relationship or job.
• Having money problems.
• Having questions or worries about being gay, bisexual or transgender.
• Previous suicide attempts.
• Recent death of a loved one.
• Problems in an important relationship.
• Problems at work or school.
• Social isolation.

If you notice any of these in an employee and are concerned about their safety, call the EAP 800 number.

Workplace Violence: The following are signs that an employee is at risk of becoming violent, taken from www.workplace-violence-hq.com:

• Previous history of violence, toward the vulnerable, e.g., women, children, animals
• Loner, withdrawn; feels nobody listens to him; views change with fear
• Emotional problems, e.g., substance abuse, depression, low self-esteem
• Career Frustration – either significant tenure on the same job OR migratory job history
• Antagonistic relationships with others
  
• Some type of obsession, e.g., weapons, other acts of violence, romantic/sexual, zealot (political, religious, racial), the job itself, neatness and order

Observable Warning Signs (often newly acquired negative traits):

• Violent and Threatening Behavior, hostility, approval of the use of violence
  
• "Strange" Behavior, e.g., becoming reclusive, deteriorating appearance/ hygiene, erratic behavior
  
• Emotional Problems, e.g., drug/alcohol abuse, under unusual stress, depression, inappropriate emotional display
  
• Performance Problems, including problems with attendance or tardiness
  
• Interpersonal Problems, e.g., numerous conflicts, hyper-sensitivity, resentment
  
• "At the end of his rope", e.g., indicators of impending suicide, has an unspecified plan to "solve all problems"
  

Triggering Event (the last straw, no way out, no more options):

• Being fired, laid off or suspended; passed over for promotion
  
• Disciplinary action, poor performance review, criticism from boss or coworkers
  
• Bank or court action (e.g., foreclosure, restraining order, custody hearing)
  
• Benchmark date (e.g., company anniversary, chronological age, Hitler's birthday as was the
  case for Columbine)
  
• Failed or spurned romance; personal crisis (e.g., divorce, death in family)

What do you do when a usually productive employee takes a sudden dip in attitude and performance?

First, talk to them. When a productive employee makes a sudden change for the worse, this is often an indication that there are personal problems going on. The best way to talk to them about it is to just state that you’ve noticed a change. The employee may offer to share with you what is going on with them. If not, you can just let the employee know that you are there if they need help with work issues and inform them about the EAP.
You don’t want to diagnose the problem or pressure them to tell you what is going on.

How do you approach the subject of an EAP referral with an employee?

The subject of EAP referral should always be brought up in private. In my experience with  employees, their supervisor is often aware of issues that are going on in their lives, so if an employee shares a personal issue with you, use that opportunity to remind them of the EAP as a benefit and give them a brochure or information card. If the employee has not shared with you a personal issue, but you have noticed personnel issues, you can bring up the EAP as a benefit in your discussion of the personnel issues by just stating something like, “I’ve noticed a change in you here at work, and often that means that someone is experiencing something stressful in their lives. I want to remind you about the EAP as an option to help deal with any number of issues you might be experiencing.”
Approaching mandatory and formal referrals would be somewhat different and would take place in a more formal, disciplinary conversation. Consult your HR department about this and call the EAP for a supervisory consultation prior to the conversation. Always keep in mind that the EAP is voluntary and should never be presented as a punishment. It should be offered as a beneficial alternative to more serious disciplinary action.

How does the confidentiality of the referral work?

EAP is always considered confidential and the employee has the right to decide who knows he or she has used EAP services. Therefore, the only way an employer or supervisor would know if an employee used EAP services is if the employee signed a release form. For additional information, see the handout regarding types of referrals.

How do you know that the employee has followed up with the EAP?