ORGANISATIONS

Dealing with Debt:
Employees at The Carphone Warehouse can now take a proactive approach to managing personal debts. All 4,500 staff within head office, distribution, and 470 retail outlets, are eligible to apply to for a personal, interest-free hardship loan when their finances get out of control.

To help eliminate the cycle of recurring loans and debt, a tailored, Debt Referral Programme to the EAP provided by Employee Advisory Resource has been introduced. Once an employee calls the dedicated number, finances can be discussed with one of our money advisors. The employee’s complete financial and lifestyle situation is analysed with the help of income and expenditure forms and a manageable debt repayment system is agreed upon. Following the initial intake assessment, the money advisor and the client agree a course of action that could include for example, a managed repayment programme.

Andrew Sherwood, HR Director, comments:

We are particularly pleased with the introduction of the Employee Advisory Resource Debt Referral Programme, as it helps the organisation ensure our staff have access to a confidential, proactive programme that helps them effectively manage their finances.

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Sensitivity to Company Culture:
Schlumberger is a leading technology services provider, employing 80,000 people in 100 countries. Its two main businesses are oil and gas exploration and production, and IT consulting. Schlumberger UK, like many other global organisations, realise that people are the key to a successful and profitable business. Being at the forefront of leading edge technology can be very demanding, thus their continuous development of policies that support their employees has always been paramount in order to ensure that their employees give their best.

An EAP was first suggested by the internal employee forum. Further research established that it could help employees resolve their personal and workplace problems enabling them to concentrate on their jobs, reduce the likelihood of liability claims, and position Schlumberger as an attractive employer. After reviewing the offers of 14 different providers, Schlumberger chose Employee Advisory Resource.

Together, Schlumberger and Employee Advisory Resource designed a programme adapted to the company's specific needs and objectives. The programme was successfully implemented and benefits have included:

• Employees benefiting from professional assistance in solving the personal and workplace issues that may affect their productivity.
• Managers reporting a significant reduction in the time they lose in dealing with employee's personal issues.
• Management noticing a reduction in absenteeism due to the quick resolution of employee’s problems.

According to Josephina Smith,
Compensation and Benefits, Schlumberger UK:

Schlumberger chose Employee Advisory Resource for your customer focus and sensitivity to the company's needs and culture. Our employees and the HR community are satisfied with the quality of service provided by Employee Advisory Resource. Sometime in the future we could be looking at extending a similar service to Schlumberger employees in other countries.

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Dealing with Change:
Aventis is a global pharmaceutical company, created as part of the 1999 merger of Hoechst Marion Roussel and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer. In this merged organisation of around 2,000 employees in the UK, the introduction of an EAP was seen as one way of helping to bring cohesion to the new entity, while also offering real benefits to employees and their families.

Both of the companies that formed the new entity already had some arrangements for employee support in place already but it was felt to be advantageous to extend and unify the provision. The new organisation was keen to introduce a service that would benefit all employees - there had been some feedback that under the previous arrangements, single people in particular felt the services were of little relevance to them. The company also wanted a service that their line managers could refer their staff to if they thought it would be useful.

Major efforts were made to publicise the service at it’s launch and regular promotion has ensured that it continues to have a high profile across the organisation. The review for the first year showed some interesting statistics. A third of the work-related calls were regarding career change, including concerns over redundancy, redevelopment, dismissal and termination. Emotional health issues, including job anxiety and the employees’ perception of stress in the workplace were also often reported.

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Ensuring Performance and Well-Being:
Everybody needs the correct information to help make the right decision. It is with this philosophy in mind that Broadcasting Support Services (BSS), a non-profit making organisation that provides contact centres, publishing and distribution decided to introduce an EAP.

Often the clients that BSS represents tackle sensitive subjects such as mental health or child abuse. As a result, their call handlers need to be able to think clearly and if they are worried about e.g. family, debt, or legal issues then it may affect their performance. As an organisation with a charitable ethos, BSS was also aware that the cliché ‘your staff are your greatest asset’ was absolutely true.

BSS knew what to look for in an EAP provider, so it investigated several organisations before choosing Employee Advisory Resource because of its wide range of services. Since the EAP has been introduced, it has proved very successful with BSS staff and their families.

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INDIVIDUALS

Family Breakdown

My first contact with Employee Advisory Resource was following a breakdown in my family unit. From that first telephone conversation they gave me emotional support and some perspective in what was happening to me and also put me in touch with specialist legal services in my local area to help me with my difficulties. Throughout the last three years I have contacted Employee Advisory Resource on numerous occasions and they have provided continuous support and extensive knowledge of different areas which included legal, financial, emotional, and child support.

Allen Clark, Pfizer employee

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Elder Care Search

The service I have been given has been absolutely wonderful. I now have dossiers of information on elder care accommodation and have narrowed my search considerably. The saving to my time has been incalculable as I would never have been able to compile such a comprehensive pack of information for myself. It is comforting to know that there is someone on the end of the phone who can support me through this process as well as give practical advice. I am very grateful to Pfizer for making this service available to me.

Catherine Burt, Pfizer employee

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Landlord Problems

Over the last six months I have had to take my ex-landlord to court. I just wanted to say that my contact with my Employee Advisory Resource consultant was invaluable. My calls were always returned promptly and he talked me through every procedure and step along the way - I literally couldn't have done it without that help!

Anonymous Universal employee

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Marriage Break-up

I contacted Employee Advisory Resource because due to financial problems the process of separating from my wife had become very complex. Employee Advisory Resource helped me by providing information and practical help to deal with the mortgage and debt repayments, since my wife and I were behind with these.

Employee Advisory Resource also gave me information on housing, because I had to find accommodation suitable for myself and for my children when they visited. Employee Advisory Resource also helped me deal with the creditors who were hounding me, as well as the Child Support Agency. And they helped me by being there when I needed to talk about my problems. I found that this helped me deal with my worries more effectively and this support was crucial in helping me through this difficult time.

Anonymous

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Disappointing Holiday

My fiancée and I had booked our dream holiday to Mexico as a honeymoon. The hotel was advertised as five-star and the package was all-inclusive. Once we arrived, we found that the food seemed to be recycled, so we reported this to the tour representative but she was very unhelpful. The food was so appalling that after two days we had to eat our meals at a nearby restaurant. We also found out that the hotel was actually a three-star hotel not a five-star as advertised.

I called Employee Advisory Resource and they were extremely helpful. They informed me that we had grounds under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to prosecute the tour operator for false description. When we contacted them, after our conversation with E.A.R., they apologised and settled the case with an offer of £800 as compensation, which we accepted. Without the information from Employee Advisory Resource we would have probably not have had good enough case to enable us to get an appropriate settlement from the tour operator.

Anonymous

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Struggling with Probate Forms

When my father died, I was finding it hard enough coming to terms with his death and then I had to begin the task of completing the probate forms. I am not very 'money minded' at the best of times regarding my own financial matters, but filling out forms concerning my fathers matters was just a nightmare.

I called Employee Advisory Resource and they talked me through the process. They helped me identify what monies and transactions were relevant to the forms. They explained that I would need to attend an interview at the nearest probate registry to confirm the details entered on the forms and to answer any queries. The information from Employee Advisory Resource helped me to complete the probate forms accurately and swiftly. Who knows how long it would have taken me to fill out these forms without their help!

Anonymous

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