Manitoba Civil Service Commission
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5.1. Employee Assistance Program Information
Info
Manitoba Government employees experiencing personal or work related problems may seek counselling and referrals through the Employee Assistance Program.
Questions And Answers
- What is the Employee Assistance Program?
- What services does EAP provide to employees?
- Can an employee seek these services during work hours?
- What services does EAP provide to managers?
- What is a critical incident?
- What is the role of EAP in mediating conflicts?
- What is workplace conflict?
Questions And Answers
1. What is the Employee Assistance Program?
Manitoba Government employees experiencing personal or work related problems may seek counselling and referrals through the Employee Assistance Program. The Employee Assistance Program (E.A.P.) is a short term counselling program available to all employees and their immediate family members of those crown corporations and agencies covered by a service contract with the Employee Assistance Program. It is a benefit supported, advised and promoted by a joint Union/ Management Committee. E.A.P. recognizes that personal problems or work related stress can impact negatively on both the home and work lives of employees. Resolving these problems is in the best interests of the employee and the organization. Employees and managers may use E.A.P. on a voluntary, confidential basis.
2. What services does E.A.P. provide to employees?
E.A.P. offers the following services to employees:
- Short term individual, couple and family counselling relating to emotional or stress related concerns.
- Assessment and referral to specialized community resources, ie. The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, for issues relating to health, career counselling, financial or legal issues. Employees referred to community resources are responsible for the cost of that service.
- Advocacy for employees who require support to resolve personal or workplace issues affecting their work
- Sexual harassment information and counselling for both the complainant and the alleged harasser.
- Liaising with managers to modify the work environment to accommodate special needs. Example: return to work after psychiatric treatment or modifying duties for an employee with a progressive disease such as multiple sclerosis or Alzheimers. See also accommodation
3. Can an employee seek E.A.P. services during work hours?
Yes. Employees can seek E.A.P. services during work hours.
4. What services does E.A.P. provide to managers?
E.A.P.'s services to managers include:
- Consultation and support to deal with difficult workplace situations affecting an employee or work group ie. mental health problems, substance abuse, workplace conflict, disruptive interpersonal conflict, threats, personal tragedy, or work force adjustment.
- Mediation of workplace conflict between employees, or between employee and manager, where differences affect their ability to perform their duties or which negatively impact the work environment. See Question 6.
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISD) to help employees and managers cope with critical incidents causing emotional trauma. E.A.P. counsellors meet with employee groups to guide them through a structured debriefing process.
5. What is a critical incident?
Common examples of critical incidents include assaults on employees, hostage-takings, the sudden death, suicide or murder of a co-worker, accidents causing bodily harm or death, as well as air plane crashes or natural disasters including floods, fires and tornadoes. A situation can be considered a critical incident when the individuals involved feel a lack of control, have a shock reaction to the event or are left feeling very vulnerable.
6. What is workplace conflict?
Workplace conflict can be any personal or professional tensions that arise between employees that are not resolved over a reasonable period of time. For example, employees who refuse to communicate or cooperate with one another, supervisor/ employee conflicts where the supervisor feels the employee has performance problems, or complaints of harassment.
7. What is the role of E.A.P. in mediating conflicts?
E.A.P. counsellors are trained to assess situations in which employees are experiencing difficulty getting along due to personal, professional, cultural or other differences. E.A.P. conducts a thorough assessment, to determine if mediation is the most useful form of intervention. E.A.P. then brings the parties together and provides an objective third-party process to constructively discuss their differences and explore mutually satisfactory solutions. All individuals must voluntarily agree to participate in mediation as a means to resolve the conflict.
Comment Boxes
| Mediation | Mediation occurs when a neutral third party (E.A.P.) provides a structured process to assist two or more parties to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution to a dispute. |
| Confidential | See also Releasing Confidential Personal Information Policy |
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