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Employee assistance program

Test your knowledge about stress in the workplace.

Reviewed 2/1/2023

Sources

Workplace stress: True or false?

Stress on the job causes about 1 million American employees to miss work each day. Are you one of them? Find out more about the damage workplace stress can cause.

True or false: There's no evidence linking workplace stress to heart attacks.

False. Stress at work can increase the risk for weight gain, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. These factors can up your risk for heart disease and heart attack.

True or false: Feeling stressed out by your job is different from feeling challenged by your job.

True. Challenge is a vital ingredient for healthy and productive work. It can push us to learn new skills and be better at our jobs. Challenge is energizing. Stress, on the other hand, is exhausting. It depletes our energy and lowers our morale.

True or false: Short-lived episodes of stress are just as damaging to our health as chronic stress.

False. Short-lived or occasional stress doesn't pose as much of a health risk as chronic stress. However, when stress doesn't ease up, the body remains in a chronic fight-or-flight state. This continual state of alert reduces the body's ability to repair itself and defend against illness and disease.

True or false: Small breaks don't do anything to help ease workplace stress.

False. Taking breaks as short as 10 minutes—like to go for a walk—can be enough to help improve your mental outlook. Walking away from intense situations can help you clear your head as well and help keep stress from taking over the situation.

True or false: Managing workplace stress may mean adopting several strategies.

True. Taking breaks may help you relieve stress, but there are many other strategies that you may consider to help you cope. Some possible solutions may include exercise, improved nutrition, improved time management and social skill development.

Everyone feels stress now and then—both on and off the job. If you think stress is negatively affecting your life, talk to a doctor about ways to reduce it.

Learn more about coping with stress

Sources: American Institute of Stress; American Psychological Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Mental Health America

Employers implement EAPs to accomplish a variety of goals:

  • Identify employee personal problems at an early stage before there is a serious impact on the job.
  • Motivate employees to seek help through easy access to assessment and referral.
  • Direct employees to the best source of help and high-quality providers.
  • Limit health insurance costs through early intervention.
  • Reduce workers' compensation claims by encouraging easy access to help.
  • Decrease employee turnover.
  • Offer an alternative to firing valuable employees.
  • Provide employees with support and demonstrate that a company is a caring employer.

How does EAP work?

Employees can directly access the EAP voluntarily or be referred by their supervisor in cases of job-performance problems. When an employee uses EAP services voluntarily, there is no need for involvement on the part of the supervisor. However, when a supervisor refers an employee to the EAP because of job performance, the offer of help may be combined with progressive discipline, and the supervisor will need to continue to monitor the employee's performance.

Services

EAPs provide services to a variety of customers within the work organization. EAPs provide distinct but complementary services to each customer group—the employer or work organization, the supervisors/managers and the employees.

Organizational services

  • Assistance in developing alcohol and drug policies.
  • Consultation regarding legal compliance issues.
  • Design and selection of health benefit plans.
  • Evaluation of healthcare providers.
  • Compliance with drug-free workplace policies.

Guidance for managers and supervisors

  • How to make supervisor referrals based on declining job performance.
  • Separating performance issues from behavioral health issues.
  • Determining the need to intervene with troubled employees.
  • Following up on an employee's progress.

Assistance provided directly to individual employees

  • General information and referral resources.
  • Crisis intervention.
  • Easy access to help.
  • Timely problem identification.
  • Short-term problem resolution.
  • Substance abuse assessments.
  • Referral for diagnosis and treatment or other kinds of help.
  • Follow-up contacts or sessions to provide support.
  • Educational seminars and workshops.

Additional services (in addition to drug and alcohol addiction problems)

  • Marital/relationship problems.
  • Job stress.
  • Childcare issues.
  • Grief.
  • Financial problems.
  • Legal concerns.
  • Eldercare issues.