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If you advise employers about employee benefits, employee assistance programs and work-life services can add value to your service offerings and expand your commissions.
Choosing the right program can produce measurable results for your clients, further strengthening your relationships and differentiating your services from those of your competitors.
EAP and work-life services are becoming increasingly popular not as perks but as means for employers to control costs and fight serious workplace problems, such as:
Employee depression. A leading cause of lost productivity at work, depression costs employers $44 billion annually in lost time and medical treatment.
Lost productivity due to work-life issues. Those who care for both children and elders take off an average of 18.9 vacation and sick days per year to deal with personal and caretaking issues, according to a ComPsych survey.
Employee stress. Stress accounted for 8% of employers health care costsmore than smoking, obesity or being physically unfitaccording to a study by the Health Enhancement Research Organization.
These factors may have an even bigger effect on small companies than on big companies. Businesses with as few as 20 employees would likely have 4 people who develop depression or other mental health issues in a given year, according to a 2002 report from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Employers of all sizes are increasingly realizing the importance of using EAPs and work-life programs to address problems early, before they impact an employees effectiveness and increase health care costs.
Here are 7 ways you can be successful by using EAP/work-life services to your advantage, even if clients already offer some work-life benefits.
1. Break through to a new prospect.
EAP/work-life services can be a door opener, presenting an opportunity to bring something positive to new prospects and giving you something to talk about that your competition isnt.