Employee Assistance Program

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) serve organizations and their employees in multiple ways, ranging from a consultation at the strategic level about issues with organization-wide implications to individual assistance to employees and family members experiencing personal difficulties.

In general, an EAP is a set of professional services specifically designed to:

• Improve and/or maintain the productivity and healthy functioning of the workplace; and
• Address a work organization’s particular business needs through the application of specialized knowledge and expertise about human behavior and mental health.

More specifically, an EAP is a workplace program designed to assist work organizations in addressing productivity issues and "employee clients" in identifying and resolving personal concerns, including health, marital, family, financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal issues that may affect job performance.

The Camden County Educational Services Commission is committed to helping employees when personal problems begin to impact job performance. An EAP is designed to provide short-term solution-focused counseling, coaching, mediation, professional consultation, critical incident stress management service, and work/life referrals and wellness education for employees who are experiencing personal problems of such significance that, satisfactory job performance may be impaired. A “personal problem” is any emotional or behavioral condition that may interfere with an employee’s ability to satisfactorily perform assigned job duties. 

The Camden County Educational Services Commission does not wish to intrude upon the personal lives of its employees. However, should job performance of an employee become impaired, sound business practice requires that the problem be resolved.

Employees who utilize the service are guaranteed confidentiality and employees’ rights will be rigidly protected.  No information regarding an employee will be released to any persons or agency without written consent of the employee.  A qualification to this guarantee of absolute confidentiality does not extend to behavior divulged by the employee who would constitute a clear and present danger to the safety of the organization or the welfare of any person.

Employees are encouraged to seek assistance on their own initiative before problems begin to affect their work. Early resolution of personal problems is in the best interest of the employee and the organization. Supervisors are responsible for detecting and attempting to correct deteriorating or unsatisfactory job performance. Supervisors should not attempt to determine the existence/nature of any personal problems that may be involved in a performance problem.  Therefore, supervisors should recommend the EAP as a means of improving performance. It is at the employee’s discretion to discuss this with their supervisor if they choose to do so. Supervisors should continue to follow-up and monitor job performance only. It should be understood that the only criteria for maintaining the employee’s position is his/her job performance. Supervisors are not privy to any other information regarding the employee.

Present jobs and future opportunities will not be jeopardized as a consequence of any involvement in the EAP.

There is no justification for the social stigma attached to alcoholism and other personal problems. The Camden County Educational Services Commission believes that identification, referral, and resolution of personal problems benefit the employee and the organization.