HR Policies: 6.10.7
Employee Assistance Program
Subject: Encouraging Employee Growth
Number: 6.10.7
Issued: 7/1/82
Revised: 6/30/98
Purpose
Cornell University recognizes the range of human problems of a medical
or emotional nature which may affect a staff member's personal job performance.
These difficulties may arise from marital or family crises, financial
problems, the job, and other personal issues. Alcohol or drug abuse and
misuse may also be involved. The Employee
Assistance Program (EAP) is a counseling and referral service available
to aid staff in dealing with the range of problems which might have an
impact upon their working as well as their personal lives.
Eligibility - Ithaca EAP
EAP services are available to all regular full-time and regular
part-time faculty and staff members who are based on the Ithaca
campus, and dependents of those staff.
Eligibility - Geneva EAP
EAP services are available to all regular full-time and regular
part-time staff and their dependents. Services are also available
to individuals living within the same household of a covered staff
member.
Scope
The Ithaca-based EAP provides up to six sessions of assessment and
counseling free of charge per person, per incident through the Family
and Children's Service of Ithaca. The Geneva-based EAP provides
up to three sessions (not necessarily limited to three hours) of
assessment and counseling free of charge through the Family Counseling
Service of the Finger Lakes, Inc.
Staff members can make use of EAP in two ways: 1) the resolution of a problem within the basic service framework provided by the EAP counselor or, 2) for more complex concerns, the identification of other professional programs considered useful in assisting the staff member. Program Elements
- The assessment element of the program helps the staff member to determine the nature of the problem.
- The counseling service assists the staff member in the recognition of problems and offers options which may aid in their resolution.
- The referral function of the program assists the staff member in identifying and offering additional helping resources where further counseling or other relevant services beyond EAP may be helpful.
- The consultation service provides supervisors with a management resource outside formal university channels.Supervisors may use this resource at their discretion in dealing with staff with actual or potential job-related problems.
- The training service aids supervisors and staff in early identification of problems.
Service Locations
Services through the Ithaca-based EAP will be provided at both the
Family and Children's Service of Ithaca, 204 N. Cayuga Street, and
on-campus location in the Office of Human Resources, Employee
Assistance Program in Day Hall, whichever is more convenient.
To set up an appointment or to get additional information call 607
255-1531.
Services through the Geneva EAP will be provided at a choice of five locations in a four-county area. All initial appointments should be made through the main office of the Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes, Inc., which is located at 671 South Exchange St, Geneva, New York. Employees may contact the Geneva Human Resources Office (315 787-2203) for the addresses of the five site offices.
Employee Self-Referral
Employees who elect to use the service at their own initiative should
contact EAP directly. An EAP counselor will work with the staff
member confidentially to assist in identifying the cause of the
problem, resolving the problem, or when appropriate, securing other
treatment or counseling. The EAP counselor may refer the staff member
to community resources for the treatment of problems which are beyond
the scope of the EAP. Information given to the counselor and any
diagnosis is completely confidential.
Supervisory Referral
A staff member's supervisor can also become involved in EAP referral.
Supervisors may detect a change in a staff member's on-the-job behavior
which seems to suggest that the staff member is experiencing difficulty.
Patterned absences and unusual mood swings may be symptomatic of
some influences in the staff member's life which might benefit from
the kind of attention available through EAP. Since it is clearly
not the supervisor's job to attempt to diagnose any such problems,
a reasonable course of action might include a reminder to the staff
member of the availability of EAP and the accompanying suggestion
of the value of participating in the program.
Condition of Employment Referral
A mandatory supervisory referral to EAP requires a staff member
to participate in EAP as a condition of continued employment at
Cornell. This type of referral is made only in extreme cases of
deteriorating job performance, where the individual's continued
employment is brought into question.
In addition, a condition-of-employment referral should not be made unless the process of progressive, corrective discipline has been used and has thus far proven unsuccessful, unless the presenting problem is of an emergency nature. All condition-of-employment referrals must be approved in advance by the local hr representative or designee or the Personnel Office at the Geneva Experiment Station, whichever is appropriate. That a mandatory referral has been made (and that fact only) should be noted in the staff member's official personnel file.
Progressive Discipline
The EAP is a resource for resolving the underlying factors which
may result in some on-the-job problems. Referral to EAP can be a
matter of supervisory discretion or the result of a self-referral.
However, referral to or participation in the EAP constitutes neither
a formal step in the disciplinary procedure nor a condition precedent
to commencement of disciplinary action.
In the event that a staff member's job performance continues to decline and the staff member is making no apparent effort to address the problem, the supervisor has the full range of progressive discipline available. (Refer to the Policy 6.11.3, Discipline ) Progressive discipline designed to help rehabilitate a staff member may always be considered in addition to an EAP referral for a staff member with performance difficulties.
Confidentiality
The service is strictly confidential. Records will not be kept in
the staff member's official personnel file except to document a
condition of employment referral. In such case only the fact that
a referral has been made will be entered into the record. There
will be no risk of job loss as a result of participation in this
program.
Time Off
The university considers normally scheduled work hours spent conferring
with an EAP counselor as sick leave or personal leave. However,
if a staff member prefers to use the program anonymously, vacation
hours can be used to cover the absence.
Should a staff member be referred for extended services beyond EAP counseling, working hours spent away from work may also be handled as sick leave or personal leave.
Contact the local hr representative or designee or Employee Assistance Program office (607) 255-1531 in the Office of Human Resources for more information.