Pubdate: Sat, 07 Oct 2006 Source: Royal Gazette, The (Bermuda) Copyright: 2006 The Royal Gazette Ltd. Contact: http://www.theroyalgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2103 Author: Jonathan Kent BENEDICT'S EAP IS IN GREAT DEMAND AS STRESS LEVELS AMONG WORKERS SOAR BENEDICT Associates Ltd. has been helping Bermuda's employees stay on an even keel and remain productive for more than two decades. From relationship problems to drugs, from alcoholism to difficulties with the boss, the company has helped employers and their staff overcome multiple obstacles. But Benedict's founder and managing director Vaughn Mosher says he has never seen workers face more stress than they do these days. And he puts some of that extra strain down to the gadgets that were designed to make life easier. "If you surveyed the workforce, I'm sure you'd find that people are working more hours than they did 20 years ago," Mr. Mosher said. "Also the technologies that were supposed to give us freedom have not done that. We are being bombarded by three things in particular - -- voicemail, internet and cell phones -- and it is almost impossible for people to be out of reach. "That means that even vacations are not what they once were. And adding to the stress is that employers are demanding more these days." Little wonder then, that Benedict's Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is much in demand. Workers with companies signed up to the service can either confidentially seek help from Benedict or are referred by management. "What is surprising is that, year after year, we find that about 80 per cent of those who come to us are simply using the EAP as a benefit, while only 20 per cent have actually been referred to us," Mr. Mosher said. "In the US, it's more like 50-50." THE clients bring problems ranging from from alcoholism and drug addiction to financial difficulties. "About 40 per cent of the people we see are having relationship problems, whether it's work-related relationships, family, personal or intimate relationships," Mr. Mosher said. "Around 15 per cent need psychiatric treatment, ranging from people with neuroses to those who are into a full schizophrenic break. "Counselling is not the only solution. Sometimes team building or organisational effectiveness need to be addressed. Sometimes the emphasis is on persuading management to adopt more realistic expectations." Mr. Mosher added that what clients sometimes blamed on a conflict of Bermudian and non-Bermudian, or of race, or of gender, was often down simply to differing expectations. This often occurred after new management took over, bringing in new expectations that were higher than what the staff had been used to. "Motivational counselling to encourage the person to take action to improve their situation is another of the most significant ways we can help," Mr. Mosher said. "And it's important that I have hope, because if I don't, then how can I instil hope into someone else?" Use of EAPs started in the US in the early 1970s, EAP initially having stood for Employee Alcoholism Programme. It was soon realised there was a need for a wider focus and so the "A" came to stand for "assistance". Mr. Mosher was busying studying towards two master's degrees at Boston College and at Johns Hopkins University, in subjects including social psychology, behavioural sciences and community mental health, as EAPs began to gain credibility in the business world. "Companies realised that it was a cost-effective investment," Mr. Mosher recalled. "The cost of terminating an employee and rehiring was much greater than using an EAP to keep them employed. A business can expect a three-to-one ratio return on its investment in an EAP. "It's the right thing to do, but it also makes business sense." In the early 1980s, Canadian Dr. David Archibald carried out a survey of the Bermuda workforce, which found that alcohol and drugs were having a significant negative effect on employees and their employers. His recommendations included the creation of an EAP for the island. But when Mr. Mosher came back from university and tried to sell the idea to the authorities, he met with an unenthusiastic response. "While the US was open to privatisation, Bermuda was at that time more used to the British model of the time, with health being very much a public sector concern," Mr. Mosher said. "I pitched it to the Government as something that could work with the public and private sectors coming together, but the decision-makers gave it the thumbs down. "So I got together with a few people and we pushed ahead with it privately." COMPANY boss Alan Burland was one of the original backers when Benedict Associates Ltd. was formed in 1985, along with psychologist Michael Ashton, businessman and trainer Stuart Doyle and Mr. Mosher. The EAP, which is still Benedict's core service, is now accepted by many employers as important to their business. Mr. Mosher estimates that around 75 per cent of the workforce is covered by an EAP, either with Benedict or with EAP of Bermuda, the Government-run equivalent. "It is like an insurance policy in some ways but not others," Mr. Mosher said. "The employer pays for 100 per cent of the EAP, compared to half for health insurance. People use EAPs in two different ways. Employees can use it as a personal benefit, or the employer can send a person with work performance problems to us. "Either way, there are no claim forms like there would be with health insurance. Everything is totally confidential." Around 60 employers have enrolled with Benedict, mostly large companies. The company offers a special, capitated (flat fee per employee) service for smaller companies, with fewer than 15 employees. Benedict has a programme for schoolchildren, which works in a similar way to its EAP. The Student Assistance Programme offers help to youngsters having difficulties at school. Schools sign up to the service, which is free to the children. ONE consultant is working on a school placement programme, which helps to match up students to the right colleges overseas, particularly those with special needs. And the company also offers consultancy to employers in organisational effectiveness. Drug testing is another arm of Benedict's wide-ranging work. In the last year, the company has carried out around 1,800 drug tests. Mr. Mosher said there were four distinct types of test. Pre-employment testing was carried out on people applying for jobs with client, random testing on employees, target testing on those with a drugs history and testing with reasonable cause, on those who were suspected of having taken drugs. Testing has become quicker and easier since Benedict acquired high-tech equipment that enables them to verify whether someone is drug-free in double-quick time. "We have a dedicated computer that is electronically linked to a laboratory in Kansas City," Mr. Mosher said. "We put in the sample at this end and within four minutes, we have results back from Kansas. "If it says the sample needs to be confirmed, that means it is not drug-free and it then has to be sent to a Government lab for confirmation." The system tests for illicit drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin, as well as legally prescribed drugs, which make up an increasing proportion of drug abuse cases.Mr. Mosher, 59, a Rotarian, loves his work and gains great satisfaction from successes with clients. "Some people say to me that it's time to retire, but I enjoy my work - -- though I'm not a work-aholic - and I find great pleasure in helping people," Mr. Mosher said. "And there is so much still to do." - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine