MILWAUKEE, WI / August 4, 2011 — Employee assistance programs continue to be a popular benefit; however, employers have struggled to identify a reliable way to measure their effectiveness.
Enter the Workplace Outcomes Suite (WOS)—a comprehensive measurement tool that focuses on employee absenteeism, presenteeism, life satisfaction, work engagement, and workplace distress. Empathia, Inc., has piloted WOS as a standard-of-care practice with 241 client organizations, and the results are examined in a new white paper from the employee assistance provider. Titled “The Workplace Outcomes Suite: Measuring the Real Impact of Employee Assistance,” the report is available for free download by visiting http://www.empathia.com/whitepapers/20110804.php.
The WOS has already identified significant increases in employee engagement and life satisfaction, matched by a marked drop in absenteeism and stress. The new paper examines Empathia’s findings, the unique approach of the WOS questionnaire and the benefits of the nine-question format that Empathia has employed instead of the longer 25-question format.
The scientifically-validated questions, developed by Chestnut Global Partners scientist Dr. Richard Lennox, revolve around five themes: absenteeism, work engagement, work satisfaction, life satisfaction and workplace distress. The questionnaire is administered at the initial EAP assessment, final follow-up and approximately four weeks after the final follow-up.
Philip Chard, president and chief executive officer of Empathia, notes that EAP providers typically illustrate value by turning to utilization rates, client referrals, satisfaction surveys or even employee click-throughs on a Web site. However, none of these truly address whether employees have become more productive at work as a result of having overcome depression, stress, substance abuse, marital conflicts or other challenges to their emotional well-being.
“While many vendors have created their own proprietary measurement tools, most are not validated by a third party,” said Chard. “Employers and HR professionals expect well-researched, statistically valid and reliable metrics that credibly support the value of workplace services.”
The scientifically validated questionnaire also enhances the EAP client experience by:
– Providing a framework for setting goals/objectives and seeing results
– Sustaining longer term positive behavior change
– Providing counselors with data that indicates their involvement was effective
and useful
About Empathia, Inc.
Empathia provides behavioral health solutions that improve the well-being, safety and productivity of organizations and individuals. The company collaborates with private and public sector entities from expansive Fortune 500 corporations to small businesses in addressing a diverse range of needs: employee assistance, disaster response and planning, work-life balance, employee relations, leadership development, training and benefits support. Founded in 1982 under the name NEAS, Empathia has distinguished itself as a quality leader dedicated to creating a superior customer experience for both client organizations and employees. For more information, visit www.empathia.com.
Media Contacts:
Carrie Reuter
Empathia, Inc.
866-332-9595
creuter(a)empathia.com
Elrond Lawrence
HRmarketer for Empathia
831-632-2183
elawrence(a)fishervista.com
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This press release was distributed through PR Web by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.