The Power of EAP: How Employee Assistance Programs Make a Difference

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). What is it? Who uses it? And why aren't more people talking about it?

To help answer these questions, we went to Adriene Scott, Dine Brands' Benefits Manager, who provided us with thoughtful insight into how Employee Assistance Programs provide more than just help when something goes wrong, or life takes an unexpected turn.

"When people think EAP, they think 'oh, it's really for people who have issues,' but it's so much more than that."

Companies often find their employee assistance programs – which are designed to provide team members with important tools and resources when it comes to personal and work-related issues, mental and physical health, and more – are shamefully underutilized. How can that be when we live in a time where we each need all the help we can get? Adriene shares that often times, we just don't know where to look, or what we can truly get out of these free programs.

"Let's say you move to a new city and need help finding a childcare center, our EAP offers referral services. You provide them with the parameters of what you're looking for and they do the leg work for you! So, instead of researching and reviewing tons of options, you'll receive a handful of verified, top quality options that fit your needs."

At Dine Brands, we partner with Health Advocate, which offers several resources to help our Team Members through this time of change, including 24/7 access to short-term counseling from Licensed Professional Counselors to help with stress, anxiety, depression, help in finding local services for childcare and eldercare, and more.

"If you're grieving, and your short-term counselor feels you need additional help, they'll connect you with a provider in your network so you can continue receiving professional help."

It's not always in a worst-case scenario that a team member needs someone to talk to. Maybe they had a stressful week, went through a tough breakup, or are find themselves questions their own choices or actions. No matter the issue, large or small, it's important team members have access to help when they need.

EAP extends beyond mental health. By offering a robust EAP program, our team members' get assistance in a variety of ways and even their families get access to a number of important resources.

"Our program extends beyond the individual. If you have parents that just turned 65 or don't know how Medicare works, your parents can call Health Advocate and will be walked through everything they need to know and get their questions answered."

Dine Brands' EAP is offered to part-time and full-time corporate team members. At Dine, health matters and we are proud to provide the resources our team needs on and off the job.