1. POLICY

• Whether personal or work-related, XYZ Co. has available for its employees and their families services to enable them to effectively handle their stress and solve problems they have encountered.
• A B counselling services provides the Employee Assistance Program for employees and their families. The services provided include:
• intake and assessment;
• education;
• crisis intervention;
• counselling and referral, and;
• any other services that may be provided from time to time.
• There is a self-referral hotline number [1-800-XXX-XXXX] available for eligible individuals in order to access the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). How do individuals find out about the details of the EAP?
• An employee may be informed by a Supervisor about the services, benefits, and how to access the EAP.
• In rare and unusual circumstances, employees may be required to utilize the program as a condition of employment.
• Strict confidentiality between the service provider and the employee is paramount. Only with the express written consent of the employee, will information relating to employee’s access of the program be released to anyone, including XYZ Co.
• An employee’s participation in the EAP does not constitute a step in the disciplinary process and employees who access the EAP will not be subject to reprisal.
• As employees access their other medical and personal appointments, they are also expected to access the EAP on their own time and in this regard, must utilize their allotted sick/leave or vacation time to do so.
• The cost of referrals for employee to other programs or services in the EAP is borne by the employee or by his/her medical plan. However, for employees to access the services of the EAP, there is no cost to employees.
• In the disciplinary process of XYZ Co., a supervisor’s discretion is not affected by the existence of an Employee Referral Program of XYZ Co.
  • XYZ Co. reserves the right to:
    • Limit the amount of services available to each participant.
    • From time to time, change the type of services available through the program.
  • Four (4) members comprise the Employee Assistance Committee – two management representatives and two employee representatives. The EAP shall be monitored, evaluated, and reviewed by the committee.

1. PURPOSE

• XYZ Co. understands that employees suffer stress from work-related issues and personal problems. XYZ Co. also acknowledges that due to these problems work performance and overall health and wellness may be impacted.

1. SCOPE

• All full-time and part-time employees and their family members are eligible to utilize the services of the EAP.

1. RESPONSIBILITY

• Employee Assistance Program Advisory Committee

The committee shall

• On a quarterly basis, monitor activities, usage and accomplishments of the program.
• Review the policies of the program.
• Report to the General Manager of XYZ Co. on an annual basis.
• Every two years, prepare and conduct a comprehensive program evaluation.
• Present its findings, cost benefit analysis, and recommendations (if any) to improve the program to the General Manager of XYZ Co.
• All applicable Human Rights legislation must be compliant.
• Human Resources Department

The Human Resources Department is responsible in partnering with the Employee Assistance Program Advisory Committee to prepare relevant communication material and resources to ensure employees are aware of the availability of the program and employees know how to access the program.

• Supervisors

Supervisors are responsible:

• to take necessary steps and efforts to communicate the existence of the program to employees;
• to ensure and maintain an employee’s privacy regarding their use of the program;
• to ensure the employee that a referral to the EAP is not disciplinary and the fact of the referral is strictly confidential; and
• in the event that a supervisor becomes aware of a pattern of frequent absenteeism or other problematic behavior to remind an employee of the availability of the EAP.

1. DEFINITIONS

• “Employee” means all full-time and part-time employees of [XYZ Co].
• “Family members” include all dependent family members as defined under the extended medical and dental benefit plan.

1. REFERENCES and RELATED STATEMENTS of POLICY and PROCEDURE

Human Rights Code (British Columbia)

Personal Information Protection Act (British Columbia)

SPP HR5.04.BC - Workplace Accommodation on the Basis of Handicap SPP

HR6.06.BC -Alcohol in the Workplace

SPP HR3.11.BC - Absenteeism

1. PROCEDURE

• On a self-referral basis, an employee may access the EAP by contacting the program hotline at [1-800-XXX-XXX]. Employees who are referral by their Supervisor, must also contact the program using the program hotline.
• An employee maybe referred to the EAP as a condition of continued employment in rare and unusual circumstances when an employee’s job performance has been severely deteriorating, continued employment is in jeopardy and other corrective measures have failed to yield positive results. The [Director of Human Resources] must approve of such referrals prior to the referral being made.
• The intake and assessment process will be completed following an appointment being made by the employee with the program. The assessment will determine if the employee requires counselling, or, be referred to a community resource for more specialized services.

1. ATTACHMENTS

None.