Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 12, 1995                   TAG: 9503130011
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: D-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CAMILEE WRIGHT MILLER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

EMPLOYEE COUNSELING IS REALLY DESIGNED TO BE CONFIDENTIAL

A: Employee Assistance Programs deal with a wide range of problems. Employers support EAPs because of concern for employees and because emotionally healthy employees have higher productivity levels.

O Ps are contracts between your employer and professionals, such as counselors. Employers pay for initial counseling provided by a third party. These outside parties, which include lawyers, counselors and financial advisers, honor confidentiality in their own practices; and, by professional standards, they don't violate confidentiality in employee assistance programs, either.

For example, Marianne Koperniak, director of human resources at Hollins College, receives only a "quarterly status report that summarizes the number of visits and the number of clients" who used the service provided by the college. The numbers are reported so employers "will know whether a service is being used." Koperniak notes that she "gets no names or reasons for visits" and doesn't know if "someone is seeing a social worker or a psychologist, if it's an employee or an employee's family member."

Koperniak adds that "the only way to know if an employee is using the EAP is if the employee tells that he or she went." She has "had a few tell, to say it was very helpful." Short of two co-workers running into one another in a waiting room, the only other way to know, Koperniak maintains, is if a "supervisor coordinates with personnel to make a referral as a condition of employment."

EAPs are important since, Koperniak believes, "it's available to people who might not seek out a resource to deal with problems or might not know where to begin for family, financial or legal problems. With the EAP, they have to make only one call."

Help is available and it is confidential.

Q: We've had 75 percent turnover in my department because of our "boss from hell." I've stuck it out, but am depressed and on the verge of tears all the time. Our boss is out of control.

A: Many bosses can be trained to become better employers; however, there are supervisors who shouldn't be in positions of authority. Whether emotionally troubled or unable to relate to people, these few cause damage to employees. Senior management should take note of high turnover rates and take action. When that doesn't happen, there are few alternatives.

No one should feel attacked by a supervisor on an on-going basis. With total tyrants, employees should consider looking for a new job. When a boss goes beyond "a difficult person," update your resume and create a job-hunt plan. Follow through immediately.

Your professionalism depends on your not "telling all" to prospective employers. When asked why you are leaving your current job, explain that you are looking for new challenges and opportunities.

Whether you request an exit interview with your supervisor's supervisor is up to you. If you decide to reveal the problems, don't fall prey to emotions. Stay with facts and conclusions which can be drawn from those facts.

Consider entering short-term counseling. Recovery from such situations involves more than immediate job changes.

Q: I think an employee is using drugs. What are the signs? If they're there, what do I do?

A: Drug dependencies produce changes in work performance, appearance and interactions with others. Symptoms of drug use are similar to symptoms of alcoholism.

Signs include absenteeism (especially on Monday mornings and following holidays), lapses in fulfilling responsibilities, decline in work performance, occasional unprofessional dress, and increasing complaints from customers.

Additional symptoms include anxiety reactions, a state of panic, increased distancing from co-workers (closed doors), accidents because of impaired judgment, attitudes of paranoia or suspicion of others, mental confusion, lapses of memory, and indifferent behavior. Physical symptoms can include weight change, dilated pupils, flushed face, and chronic sniffles. The drug and frequency of use determines which symptoms are evident.

If you suspect substance abuse, meet with your personnel director to determine a course of action. It's best to help troubled employees rather than fire them; however, the severity of the problem and the nature of the employee's work must be considered also in decisions about future employment. Drug use is prevalent in the work force; you're wise to consider drugs as a possible cause for deteriorating behavior.