Why Choose Life Changes EAP?

Thank you for considering Life Changes, Inc.'s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for your company. Offering an EAP as a benefit for your employees is a wise investment:

• Most companies find that the EAP results in decreased absences, fewer accidents, and lower turnover. Thus, a company that offers the EAP as a benefit to its employees will actually benefit itself as well.
• According to the U. S. Department of Labor, employers usually save between $5 and $16 for every $1 that they invest in an EAP.
• Many companies find that the benefits they offer play a key role when prospective employees are considering job offers. Having our comprehensive EAP as part of your benefit package is an extra incentive that you can offer when recruiting job candidates and retaining good employees.

There are many EAP providers that want you to choose their programs. Why should you choose Life Changes EAP? Here are just a few reasons.

• In today's technology-driven society, many service providers are "high-tech" but "low-touch." When you try to contact them, you can end up in a maze of voice mail or Web pages. At Life Changes, we believe in making full use of the benefits of technology. However, we also offer the personal attention that your employees need. In a crisis, most people want to talk to a caring human being instead of a recording telling them to "press 1 to leave a message." Our toll-free hotline is answered 24 hours a day by people, not voice mail, and we always have counselors on call to provide prompt telephone support.
• Life Changes offers the core counseling services that you expect in an EAP. We also offer several exciting features that are not usually found in traditional EAPs, such as lawphone®. Our proposal provides details on the many valuable services that we include in our standard EAP at no extra cost to you.
• In addition to providing high-quality services, we also make it as easy as possible for participants to access our services. We provide orientation and reminders for your employees, and reference materials for all participants, to encourage them to use the program. This helps increase utilization, which increases the benefit to your company of offering the EAP to your employees.
• When you choose our on-site option, a counselor will visit your plant or office on a regular basis (for example, once a week or once a month). Employees will have the opportunity to drop in and talk to the counselor rather than having to call for an appointment. This can help increase program utilization. In addition, this option is a valuable work/life benefit for your employees. When they are trying to balance their work and home responsibilities, it can be hard to find time to meet with a counselor after hours. On-site counseling makes it easier for them to obtain the help that they need.
• Our program is designed to help minimize employee absences from the workplace. For example, many of the services and resources that we offer can be accessed by telephone or online, from either work or home. Your employees may choose what is most convenient for them: face-to-face counseling sessions, telephone consultations, and/or online resources. This helps minimize lost work time and maximize productivity.
• Managers and supervisors can play a critical role in accomplishing the goals of the EAP. When an employee has a personal or work-related problem, management can detect the problem in its early stages and promptly refer the employee for counseling, rather than waiting until the problem becomes severe and performance is significantly affected. To increase the effectiveness of the EAP, we provide initial and follow-up training for all management personnel. We also provide ongoing support when they need help with issues such as identifying problems in the workplace, dealing with workplace violence, discussing performance problems with employees, and referring employees for counseling.
• We monitor the utilization and effectiveness of our services, and we continually look for new ways to enhance our program and make it more valuable and beneficial for you.
• Life Changes is an independent company and is not affiliated with any particular hospital or managed-care system. If your employees ever need medical or other treatment, we will refer them to the most appropriate, reputable, cost-effective treatment providers.
• We have a proven track record of serving the needs of our clients. We have offices throughout Virginia and North Carolina; we also have an established network of EAP providers in other locations, thus ensuring access to local professionals who are familiar with the specific resources in each community. Whether your company has only one office or has facilities worldwide, we can be your single source for all of the employee assistance and training services that you may need.