SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA JOB MARKET : PART THREE: EXTRAS THAT COUNT : Giving Support in Times of Need : Counseling Programs Can Salvage Careers While Holding Down Costs
The manager was in danger of losing his job at Wells Fargo Bank. He had a new boss who didn’t like the way he was doing his job. He was missing deadlines, taking days off and drinking too much. He withdrew from his wife and lied about how much alcohol he was consuming.
Fortunately for the manager, Wells Fargo runs a $450,000-a-year employee assistance program to help workers with personal problems. His boss referred him to the vice president and director of employee assistance services, Dr. Bryan Lawton. “We uncovered a serious drinking problem that he’d been denying,” Lawton said, “and convinced him to enter a detox and rehabilitation program. He was off work for 21 days, during which he also began marital counseling.”
The manager returned to work energetic, confident and able to concentrate as never before. His boss said he was “like a totally different person.” Six months later, the manager was promoted.
The bank manager’s experience is becoming increasingly common as companies across the nation see the importance of dealing with employees’ personal problems. More than 90% of the Fortune 500 companies now offer such assistance as part of their benefits packages, Lawton said. Throughout the United States, 100,000 such programs are already in place.
They are cost effective, Lawton said. Studies of employee assistance have found that such programs are cheaper than paying the direct and indirect costs of problems that interfere with workers’ performance. They save money, he said, by heading off medical and disability claims, reducing absenteeism and tardiness, and improving the employee’s concentration and relationships at the office.
Employees’ personal problems are estimated to cost American corporations billions of dollars annually. Lawton said personal problems affect the performance of 18% of the average company’s work force.
Drinking and drug abuse are common reasons employees seek help; marital problems and stress also are high on the list. Joy Blazey, a licensed clinical social worker and director of employee assistance programs for several Southern California corporations, said that women, in particular, report overwhelming stress in juggling the demands of their jobs and family responsibilities.
One manager at a major corporation came to Blazey after he was demoted. His ego was shattered. “I’m back in a job I was in 10 years ago. It’s humiliating to my family. It’s horrible and embarrassing,” he said.
Blazey counseled the manager on building self-esteem. Eventually, the man was able to evaluate his strengths realistically and take practical steps to fill in areas where he was weak.
“He took some courses to sharpen his skills and was eventually promoted again--to a lesser position than the glorious first promotion, but one that was satisfying and closer to home,” Blazey said. After four months of counseling, he saw this not as a comedown, but as a successful transition to living his life within reasonable limits, in a more balanced way.
The success rate among workers who seek counseling through the workplace is fairly high: between 60% and 80% of them move out of a crisis and go back to their jobs functioning better than before.
“A common thread among people who don’t benefit from counseling is denial,” said Blazey. One woman was referred to counseling on “final notice” from her employer. She had been late to work and performing below par for months. “Her attitude was, ‘How dare they demand this of me? I’m a single mother and my life is hard enough already.’ She couldn’t (admit) that she had a problem performing the job. She was soon fired.”
Getting counseling through the workplace is almost always voluntary--between 75% and 95% of the workers who seek help come of their own accord, employee assistance programs report.
“Last year at Southern California Edison, we saw about 3% of our employees” but would like to be able to offer treatment to more of them, said Dr. Carl Osborn, manager of psychological services at the utility. He said the program’s staff is being expanded.
Counseling is supposed to be completely confidential. “That is the most critical factor in any successful program,” said Lawton. “We don’t release any information without the employee’s express permission. That is guaranteed by the company policy, by state and federal law, as well as our professional license--we’re all licensed therapists.”
Some unions and legal experts advise workers to receive written assurance of confidentiality.
Employees who arrive by “mandatory referral”--when their supervisors require them to be evaluated--are told on their first visit that the “mandatory” part has been satisfied by their showing up. Beyond that, the only information the supervisor is given is whether the employee elects to follow the therapist’s suggestions. The nature of the employee’s problem is never divulged.
Few counseling programs offer long-range therapy in-house. Company counselors are there to evaluate employees’ problems and refer them to outside services such as Alcoholics Anonymous, clinics and other forms of help available to the general public.
Some programs are designed to cope with problems such as abrasive management styles and faulty business etiquette. At some companies, managers who rub everyone the wrong way are referred to in-house workshops on personal style. At other companies, junior executives who are naive about the social aspects of doing business may be required to attend workshops on hosting business dinners or making introductions.
To find out whether an employer has such a program, check its employee benefits handbook. But not all companies cover the cost of outside help that may be recommended by a counselor. Check more closely under “mental health coverage” to find out how much the firm’s health plan covers.
