Whether you own a business, or you’re a human resources professional, you care about the well-being of your company’s staff. If any of your employees are dealing with addiction and trying to get the treatment they need, you have the power to help. If you’re interested in enhancing your human resources operations, you can look to HR Solutions, LLC for effective training programs. Furthermore, here’s how to go the extra mile for employees with addiction, from allowing for flexible work arrangements to guiding their search for treatment.
Establish an Employee Assistance Program
By establishing an employee assistance program, often known as an EAP, you can give your staff the opportunity to connect with mental health services. Paychex states that with an EAP in place, your employees can get in touch with trained representatives that will suggest resources to best meet their needs.
Assist in Treatment Searches
If an employee at your company is trying to seek treatment for addiction, you can step in to provide much-needed support. Enrolling at an inpatient rehab center can be pricey, but thankfully, most of these programs do accept insurance from large providers. Employers and HR leaders can get in touch with your approved insurance providers to confirm the level of coverage.
You can even help your employees select the right program by encouraging them to consider the program’s accreditations, treatment approaches, accommodations, location, and even reviews from past patients. Furthermore, in order to ensure that future employees can get the help they need, make sure to carefully assess your benefits package and identify opportunities to improve your business’s available health insurance options, particularly in regards to mental health care.
Allow Flexible Scheduling
Some people may need to take time off in order to complete a rehab program. However, with flexible scheduling and allowances for remote work, some employees will be able to keep up with work even while actively in treatment. This can also make it easier for employees to attend therapy appointments. To implement flexible scheduling without hurting your productivity, Calendar recommends establishing a common “work window” with core hours in which everyone must be online or clocked in, and allowing your team to create their schedules around this.
Hold Positions During Treatment
If one of your employees is on leave because they’ve registered for an inpatient treatment program, you can hold their position until they return. Rather than delegating the work to your other staff members, you may want to connect with a temp agency so that you can fill the role with a short-term hire. This will ensure that all of their necessary tasks are completed without having to hire a new full-time employee.
Plan “Dry” Work Events
Lots of people with addiction have trouble socializing at professional events because alcohol is always present. People who are actively in treatment may not want to attend happy hours at a local bar, and they can end up skipping out on valuable networking opportunities. To plan events that are truly inclusive of everyone, make sure to schedule a few “dry” or sober gatherings. You might want to serve tasty mocktails instead. Ensure that everyone is aware they should not bring alcohol to the event.
If one of your team members is trying to overcome an addiction, you might be struggling to find ways to assist them. Employers and human resources departments can do plenty to lend a hand to employees with addiction. With these tips, you’ll be able to suggest treatment options to employees, set up events that don’t involve drinking, and more.
Want to improve your human resources department’s performance? Turn to HR Solutions, LLC. Browse our website today to learn more about our training programs and services.
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