A male employee committed suicide at work and his body was discovered by a co-worker. Several of the employees were traumatized and having difficulty returning to the scene of the incident. National EAP provided consultation to leadership to help them communicate with and support their employees during this tragic time. EAP also provided weekly onsite support or employees, mixing individual and group debriefing sessions. By the last session, the employees demonstrated increased insight, coping tools and abilities, and were very supportive of one another. They were very grateful for the EAP services provided to them and were able to return to their workplace.
Author: admin39
Hello! This is Julie Simon with a powerful message about the life changing effects of meditation.
Meditation is the practice of mindfulness. It is simply stated the act of “being”. Sounds pretty easy right? That’s what I thought several years ago when I decided to give it a try. I told myself “I will just meditate for 5 minutes” and assumed it would be easy. As I sat, trying to focus on my breathing and the present moment, what seemed like a million thoughts entered my mind:
I can’t forget to email my client back tomorrow.
Do I have someone to watch the dog next weekend while I’m away?
Ugh, my house is getting so messy, I need to find some time to clean up!
Oh, wait a minute, I’m supposed to be meditating and not thinking of these things..what’s wrong with me!
Bad news: turns out meditation is not as easy as it seems!
Good news! Meditation can be learned, and as with most things, practice makes perfect…or close to perfect! (We always want to leave ourselves something to strive for!)
Over the past few years, I built up my meditation practice, beginning with 5 minutes, increased to 7, then to 10 until finally I was sitting for 30 minutes meditating. When a distraction or thought would enter my mind, I would acknowledge it and then make a conscious effort to release it and turn my attention back to that present moment. I began doing guided meditations which are my favorite. I discovered you tube and the endless amounts of guided mediations that are on there, all different themes – stress-relief, relaxation, reducing anxiety, confidence, etc. I still use them today!
Once I practiced consistently, meditation not only became easy but it became a part of my routine and a part of my life. In addition to actually enjoying this quiet “me time” and tuning into my inner self, I have noticed a multitude of positive effects in all aspects of my life. I feel happier, more confident, more in touch with myself. When a stressful situation comes up, I handle it calmly and with more ease than I did in the past. I sleep better and I have more energy. It truly is amazing!
Five years ago I absolutely refused to buy into meditation and the whole spirituality/holistic healing concept. I am so grateful that I opened myself and my life up to it as the moment I let my guard down and embraced this new way of life, it was a paradigm shift into a new world of empowerment, motivation and inner peace. Along with several other self-care tools I use, meditation has changed my life and I strongly encourage you to give it a try! My meditation tip: go to you tube on the web and search for mindful meditations and let a video guide you on your first journey. I promise it gets easier each time you do it. Good luck!
And, remember, as a member of National EAP you have access to EAP support 7 days a week 24/hours a day. Problems don’t discriminate. Whether you consider your difficulty trivial or extraordinary, National EAP is structured to provide you with a wide range of supportive tools to help you achieve your best, at work and at home. When you decide to take action, you’ll have access to professional assessment, supportive counseling, and if needed, referrals to qualified providers. National EAP is ready to assist you in a professional and confidential manner.
Call National EAP today at 1-800-624-2593 and start on your journey towards success and wellness.
- A recently terminated employee texts their manager a vitriolic hate filled text that states he will kill him, his wife, their children and then himself.
- An employee who displayed no indicators commits suicide in your workplace in a violent way.
- A long time valued employee has a sudden aggressive outburst with the CEO, threatening to punch him.
- Your high earning sales person sexually harasses an intern.
- Your employee struggles with depression and you discover they are self harming by cutting
An EAP is so much more than a 1-800 number for employees. A proper stand alone EAP will deliver immediate response, support, guidance and intervention services in all types of situations and manage it in partnership with HR from start to finish.
So if you don’t have that kind of relationship with your EAP, it is time to put the right one in place because when a crisis hits, you don’t have time for hesitation.
- Because life is difficult. We are not very good at handling the ups and downs and often get stuck when the proverbial poo hits the fan. We get sick. People die. Marriages struggle. Love goes unrequited. Those are the bags we bring to work each day.
- Because our jobs suffer when we suffer. It’s that simple.
- Because stress, distress, depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse and sleeplessness all exist. These human emotions and responses do not discriminate based on salary or other demographics.
- Because we are not great at asking for help and ashamed to seek out counseling. Where do we begin? How do we know who is good? What will it be like? How much will it cost? All of these questions become barriers to getting help early on which can be a problem for management while seeking excellent productivity and attendance.
- Because it just makes good business sense. A well-integrated EAP into your workplace culture will, without a doubt, save a life or two along the way, prevent employee terminations/turn-over and help families’ turnaround conflict and suffering. Bonus for the boss: you get a healthy and productive employee that is grateful their employer cares enough to provide no-cost services to them.
Here’s to achieving REAL Employee Health in your Company in 2019!
Experiencing loss is difficult, especially when it’s the loss of a parent, a dear friend, a marriage or a dream.Loss of a job can cause a loss of self-esteem and life direction.It creates unwanted change, forcing an end of one state and pushing us into another without our advance permission.When we lose someone or something of great value to us, we are challenged to accept a new internal and external reality.And with loss, inevitably and unavoidably, comes grief.
Grief is complicated, painful beyond imagination and unpredictable.It can be insidious and enduring and convinces the bearer that it will never loosen its grip.It can be overwhelming and all consuming, causing loneliness and isolation.Grief is the mental, emotional and physical state the “griever” exists in after loss and it does not have a time frame.It can be ugly, angry, sad, depressed or completely denied.It often likes to pop up in the most inopportune times and acts like a shadow.Grief demands time and cannot be rushed.And most of all, the loss and subsequent grief requires the bearer to adjust to both, creating a new reality and perspective.
So how can you help a co-worker, a family member or friend who has had a loss and is in the process of grieving?
Rule No. 1: Listen.Listen again.And listen some more.And when you think are done listening, keep listening.
Rule No. 2: Honor their feelings.Demonstrate that you hear their pain, their struggle, their anger, their whatever.It’s their stuff – be a witness.Name it for them.
Rule No. 3: Speak little and when you do, do not offer platitudes such as “Everything happens for a reason” or “It’s God’s plan” or “The sun always comes out after the rain storm”.The platitudes only serve to give you hope, not the griever.If it were that simple, they would have thought of it themselves.
Rule No. 4: Remember there is no timeline.Even though you think all is back to normal on the surface, it likely is not.Remember that their grief is unpredictable and needs TLC for as long as it does.
Rule No. 5: Don’t avoid.I know it is uncomfortable to witness and feel others pain but there is no greater gift that one can give another in their time of grief.Be present.Keep showing up.Keep calling.Keep reaching out.One of those attempts will result in a reply. Then repeat Rule 1 through 4.
HR contacted National EAP regarding a mid-level executive in need of refined leadership skills. This executive was identified as a candidate to become senior level and needed growth in the areas of delegation, motivating staff and at times regulating his reactions with his staff. Upon full assessment, National EAP recommended executive coaching as the best service solution to drive the desired outcomes. During the intensive coaching process, the National EAP coach checked in with the client’s supervisor regularly and received reports of continued improvement each month. After five months of coaching, the client’s supervisor, the executive coach and the client agreed to shifting the active coaching process into our “Coaching Maintenance Phase” which included two calls per month (for a two-month period) with the coach to be sure the new strategies for motivation and delegation were being implemented and a stable part of the executive’s management style. HR reported a few months after completion of maintenance that the employee was promoted to senior level and his performance matched his new position within the organization.
Trauma in the workplace is usually unforeseen, unexpected and scary as hell for most HR and business leaders. We live our lives each day expecting that it will go as planned. Many of us even complain that the predictable routine can be mundane and boring. For the most part, all will be normal.
Until BOOM, the other side of life and living happens. Your female colleague who is 45 and the mother of three young boys has died suddenly from a heart attack. The owner of the company is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Your employees were threatened and held up by gunpoint during a bank robbery. Your new hire in manufacturing made a fatal workplace mistake costing him his life. Your top sales executive drove drunk while on the job and died in a car accident. Your co-worker’s 18 year old son died in a freak accident while playing with friends. Your employee tried to be a Good Samaritan and rushed to the scene of a car accident outside the workplace only to find the driver decapitated.
Sadly, the darker side of life happens and it doesn’t stay neatly in a bubble outside of the workplace. All the incidents I listed are real circumstances in which our company clients found themselves dealing with. Suddenly, their day dramatically shifted and there is an immediate need to act.
But before they could act, tons of questions arose as they waded through the information gathered. Who should contact the employee’s family? Should or can we legally notify the remaining employees? Should OSHA be called? Is this a police incident? Do we stop production? What about our deadlines? Who is going to assume the person’s responsibilities? Is the company in jeopardy? Will we be sued? Are we liable? What happens if media outlets start calling?
There are plenty of business production and business protection questions to keep everyone spinning and busy during the first 24 hours. HR and leadership must go into overdrive and it is action time. However, critically important to the assessment and action planning process is taking time to examine the Human Impact of the event. Key issues to be examined are:
- What is the incident’s mental and behavioral impact on the employee(s) directly involved?
- What is or will be the mental and behavioral impact on all employees throughout the company?
- What actions can we take as a company that demonstrate our understanding and support for employees’ experience of the incident?
- What level of support do our employees need immediately AND ongoing?
- Who is going to provide the type of support we need?
Negative events happen and as a result, employees and the workplace will be disrupted. Key to a strong recovery of both is HOW the employer responds to the incident. In every crisis there is opportunity to earn employee loyalty by demonstrating empathy, understanding, consideration and support. To ignore the emotional and behavioral impact negative events have on employees is, plainly put, foolish and short sighted. In business strategy terms, it is certain to damage short and long term productivity, employee retention, company culture and morale.
So, what is your Human Impact Plan? We cannot separate the trials of life from the workplace, therefore it is every HR and employer’s responsibility to consider the “what if’s” and have an action plan and resources in place to support their company and it’s employees through traumatic events. Know that National EAP will be there for you in your organization’s time of need.
And remember, as a member of National EAP you have access to EAP support 7 days a week 24/hours a day. Problems don’t discriminate and disrupt our personal lives and business success. National EAP is structured to provide you with a wide range of supportive tools to help your organization and it’s employees achieve it’s best. When you decide to take action, you’ll have access to professional assessment, supportive counseling, and multiple on-site services. National EAP is ready to assist you and your organization in a professional and confidential manner.
Call National EAP today at 1-800-624-2593 and start on your journey towards health and healing.
National EAP of Hauppauge was recently honored with the 2018 Agency of the Year by The Long Island EAPA Chapter at its annual event.
National EAP, Inc., one of the region’s leading providers of employee assistance programs and corporate development headquartered in Hauppauge, NY, was recently awarded “Agency of the Year” by The Long Island EAPA (LI-EAPA) Chapter of The International Employee Assistance Professionals Association at its annual event held at the Melville Marriott Long Island in Melville, NY.
The Long Island EAPA “Agency of the Year” award is bestowed upon an organization that has been influential in the EAP industry and whose hard work, dedication and commitment supports LI-EAPA’s mission in providing the highest level of excellence in employee assistance practices. Over 120 people attended the event, representing organizations that provide employee assistance, mental and behavioral health services.
“It’s an honor to receive the Agency of the Year award from The Long Island EAPA Chapter,” commented Aoifa O’Donnell, Chief Executive Officer of National EAP. “For 36 years we’ve demonstrated an ability to support employers and their employees, helping them rise above personal and professional challenges while creating work/life successes and healthier lifestyles. This award validates our commitment to our clients and the dedication of our team who make a significant difference in people’s lives each and every day.”
The mission of LI-EAPA is to promote the highest standards of employee assistance practice and the continuing development of employee assistance professionals, programs and services. The Long Island Chapter is part of The International Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA), the world’s largest, oldest, and most respected membership organization for employee assistance professionals. The International association has members in 40 countries around the globe and is considered the most relied upon source of information and support for and about the employee assistance profession. For more information visit: www.eapassn.org/Long-Island.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Aoifa O’Donnell_Award Photo: Pictured is National EAP Chief Executive Officer Aoifa O’Donnell receiving the 2018 Agency of the Year award from The Long Island EAPA Chapter.
As seen in Newsday, October 28, 2018
Employers are advised not to drag their feet and to start familiarizing themselves with requirements.
Employers have been given more time to provide sexual harassment prevention training to all employees.
The original deadline, Jan. 1, has been extended by New York State to Oct. 9, 2019. Still, employers are advised not to drag their feet and to start familiarizing themselves with requirements. They will have to give the training every year.
“Businesses should begin planning now and looking at their options,” said Aoifa O’Donnell, CEO of National EAP, a Hauppauge-based company that provides employee assistance programs, leadership coaching and training services including sexual harassment prevention.
She said the extension was well received by the employers EAP deals with.
“Employers were quite rushed to get it all done by year-end,” she said, noting the fourth quarter is typically the busiest time for businesses in general, and especially for HR departments. About half of the EAP clients that had booked training in the fourth quarter moved it to 2019’s first quarter after the extension was given.
EAP provides a live 60-minute training session for employees and a 90-minute session for management.
The state Department of Labor and the Division of Human Rights, the agencies charged with developing harassment policy, have already released model sexual harassment prevention training guidance. An employer that doesn’t use the state’s model must ensure the training it provides meets or exceeds certain minimum standards, including providing examples of conduct that would constitute unlawful sexual harassment, says Jules Halpern, founding partner of the law firm Jules Halpern Associates in Garden City.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it is unlawful to harass an applicant or employee because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature. But harassment also can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex, according to the EEOC.
One key requirement of training is that it has to be interactive, but not necessarily live, says Paul Scrom, a partner at Jules Halpern Associates. “It basically means there has to be a back and forth component,” he said, plus a platform for employees’ questions, even if it’s web-based training.
The firm is getting multiple calls a day from businesses looking to get training, Halpern said. The firm’s training takes about 60 to 90 minutes.
The mandated requirements are very similar to traditional training, said Domenique Camacho Moran, a partner in labor law at Farrell Fritz in Uniondale.
Expanded requirements include trainers’ noting the alternate forums for resolving complaints so employees know they can raise concerns internally or can go to the NYS Division of Human Rights and the EEOC.
There’s also more emphasis on stressing to employees the role of supervisors and their obligation to report any harassment they are told about or actually observe, says Moran. “That was normally just talked about in supervisor training,” she said.
Farrell Fritz has already completed its own internal training. It conducts employee training at firms generally in 90 minutes and supervisor/management training in two hours.
Firms are now required to do this training annually, says Barbara DeMatteo, director of HR consulting at Jericho-based Portnoy, Messinger, Pearl & Associates.
“The sooner they can start the clock, the better it will be,” she says, adding it can help them limit liability in the event of any claims.
Portnoy delivers live training at an employer’s site (generally an hour for employees and an additional hour suggested for managers), but also has an interactive web-based model that allows employees to ask questions andget answers in a timely manner, she says.
Keep in mind training must be given to all employees, including part-time, full-time, seasonal and temporary, said Scrom. There’s no minimum required hours of training, but new employees must be trained within a reasonable time frame, he says.
Use the training to open up dialogue within the organization. “The training’s an opportunity for a deeper conversation,” said O’Donnell.
As seen in Long Island Business News, October 5th, 2018
October 5, 2018
The allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are sparking a national dialog about sexual abuse and misconduct. And that conversation is seeping into the workplace.
It’s not that surprising, when you consider that one in three women and one in six men have experienced some form of contact sexual violence, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
“That’s a lot of people listening to triggering dialog,” said Aoifa O’Donnell, CEO of the Hauppauge-based human resources consulting company National EAP, and an expert in employee behavior.
And now, the nation is riveted on the U.S. Senate’s pending decision to confirm Kavanaugh or believe the allegations of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Among the issues being confronted by Americans is whether a sexual assault was perpetrated on a 15-year-old girl by a teenage boy who would one day be nominated to a lifetime position on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Everyone has a stake in this,” said O’Donnell, adding the reaction to the national spectacle is just beginning to seep into the workplace.
The discussions coincide with the first anniversary of a crystalized #MeToo movement, where victims of sexual misconduct in Hollywood, corporate America and the media began to speak out.
The dialog also comes at a time when New York State employers must adopt anti-sexual harassment training and institute training programs by Oct. 9, 2018, with training completed before Oct. 9, 2019.
Anti-sexual harassment issues are “a very hot topic right now,” said Tony Dulgerian, an associate at Nixon Peabody, a law firm with offices in Jericho where he specializes in labor and employment. “Now may be a good time to revisit those and be sure employees are aware that sexual harassment in the workplace will not be tolerated.”
For some, the training can’t come soon enough.
For example, for victims of sexual assault, the current national dialog leading up to and beyond the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing can spur flashbacks that can amount to post traumatic stress disorder, experts said.
Specific portions of the testimony may trigger reactions. Hearing “bits and pieces” about “being pushed” or “choked” or a phrase that included “covered their mouth” can result in “unlocking old thoughts of memories they thought they put away,” said Dr. Mitchell Schare, a professor of psychology, and director of the Phobia and Trauma Clinic and Saltman Community Services Center at Hofstra University.
Those affected might be “more emotional, less attentive or more distracted,” Schare said.
This can be true for those who agree or disagree that Ford was a credible witness. They are still hearing accounts of sexual assault.
“From a mental health perspective, the current dialogue is a PTSD triggering event, affecting those who have been subject to unwarranted sexual behavior,” O’Donnell said. “Our concern is we know people are suffering.”
While Kavanaugh vehemently denied any charges of sexual assault at the Senate hearing, many victims connected to Ford’s testimony and felt empowered to recount their stories.
Those who have experienced assault “are looking to see if whether their experiences really matter in the eyes of the law and government,” O’Donnell pointed out. “Employers need to be aware that the national dialog is affecting employees.”
This national moment can prompt people to wonder if in their past, they’ve been too aggressive, Schare said. And it can be a troubling moment too for those who have had to cope with charges of misconduct.
“If people really feel they had been wronged in some way, they might want to speak with a therapist, or human resources, if [an allegation] was through the organization,” Schare said.
And when complaints surface, employers must be prepared, experts warned.
“This is why we need a fair processes that’s consistent – whether you’re the accused or the person reporting,” O’Donnell said. Employers should “take their time to make a fair assessment. Everyone is entitled to employment and to have a fair shot at maintaining that.”
As the nation continues to digest the hearing and subsequent coverage, this might be a good time for HR to reach out as needed to say, “You don’t seem to be yourself,” and offer to help the person connect with resources, Schare said.
As the dialog continues, HR experts can consider reminding workers about the organization’s employee assistance program, or send out a general email about therapy service covered under their benefits.
“I think it would be well-received,” Schare said.
If anxiety is triggered, there could be potential disability, Dulgerian said. If an employee asks for an accommodation, solutions might include “moving a workspace away from certain employees, or changing a shift so the person is not working with the employee,” he added.
And in New York City, the Safe and Sick Time Act, amended in May, enables workers “to take time off to seek services” to address matters such as domestic violence or sexual offence, Dulgerian said. Employers “should be aware of these laws and how they work,” he noted.
Experts agree that it’s a good time to be proactive.
National EAP, for example, sent a webinar to clients to forward to employees. Among the webinar’s recommendations: Take breaks from the news and social media; take care of ourselves through fitness and other enjoyable activities; and ask for help when needed.
And keep in mind that “there’s a very good chance you’re working next to someone who had a terrible experience,” O’Donnell said. People “should be mindful about how we talk about it.”
It’s political for a lot of people, she added.
But for others, it’s personal.
