What We Do

The table below summarizes the key features of COPE’s Workplace Assistance Services.

WORKPLACE ASSISTANCE AT A GLANCE	EMPLOYEE	MANAGER	EMPLOYER
Comprehensive Online Resources	√	√	√
24/7 Toll-Free Telephone Access	√	√	√
Multiple Onsite Office Locations	√	√	√
Short-term, Confidential Counseling	√	√
Orientations and Trainings	√	√
Caller Follow-up and Satisfaction Surveys	√	√
Newsletters, Brochures & Extras	√	√
Consultation and Educational Information	√	√
HIPPA Compliant	√	√	√
Customized Reporting and Analysis		√	√
Dedicated Account Management			√

Employee Assistance

An organization is only as good as its people. At COPE, we believe people who cope well are positive resources to everyone – personally and professionally. COPE offers online and onsite resources for the individual employee that develop good coping skills. We offer support and counseling for employees facing personal dilemmas, family challenges, and workplace conflict.

Published studies have shown EAPs to be consistently cost-effective, not only by increasing productivity but by reducing reliance on health benefits to solve the employee’s problem.

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Employee Assistance

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) have been in existence in some form in the United States since the early 1940s.  Today’s EAP is an employee benefit, typically paid for by the employer that provides personal assistance to the employee and family members. The goal is to identify and solve the daily problems that can lead to excessive stress and to improve the quality of your work life.

An Employee Benefit

Having both a full-time job and a life outside of work can be tough.  Balancing the demands of each is a challenge.  At COPE, our goal is to help employees and their families cope with these demands, whether they stem from work or from home. 

The Employer’s Perspective

Marital and family problems, financial or legal difficulties, stress, and workplace conflict can become Personnel Department problems when they interfere with attendance, concentration, the quality of the work product, or workplace morale.   COPE’s certified, professional counselors provide confidential assessment, short-term counseling and referral to employees and their family members with the goal of getting the employee back on the job, doing their best. 

COPE’s core EAP services:

• Budget and Debt Counseling
• Child and Elder care
• Family Life
• Health and Wellness
• Legal Consultation and Referral

What does the Program Cost?

There is no cost to employees or family members - including dependent children 18 years of age or older - for consulting with a COPE counselor.  You may call or visit COPE as often as needed.  If an outside referral is required for specialized or longer-term service, there may be a charge, depending on the benefits offered by your employer.  In the case of younger children, our counselors will be happy to meet with the employee and/or the spouse, offer guidance, and make an appropriate referral.

Is it Confidential?

Yes. COPE’s services are confidential.  No one at your company will know you have used the program unless you choose to disclose it.  If an employee is referred to COPE by the employer, COPE may ask the employee for permission to speak with the supervisory about work-related issues, but the nature of any personal problem will not be discussed without the employee’s permission.

Federal and local laws require us to release information without your authorization under the following circumstances:

• If someone has threatened to physically harm themselves or others
• If there is reason to suspect that a child or vulnerable person is being abused
• If disclosure is compelled by order of a court of law
• If there is a clear and imminent danger to the safety of the community, workplace or nation

Can Contractors and Self-Employed use COPE services? Yes, by arrangement. Please contact a COPE account manager.

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Management Consultation

Today's workplace challenges the most talented manager: flattened organizational structures, increased diversity, changing technology, an aging workplace, remote workers, and the merging of companies with distinct identities. Without 'people skills' even technically proficient, experienced managers struggle to advance their ideas and build a loyal and effective team.

At COPE we work one-on-one with managers to develop the skills to identify and address at-risk employees whose performance is impaired. Should the employee problem become a personnel problem, we will partner with the manager, human resource and other specialists to resolve performance-related concerns with a focused understanding of your workplace.

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Management Consultation

Solutions to workplace challenges are rarely “one size fits all.” Ideally when there is a problem, you and co-workers can talk about it in a way that brings resolution.  If successful, those involved will have learned something about the job and each other.

No matter the pay grade or job description, the best managers know when to step back, assess the circumstances, and ask the right questions.

Stressful Workplace Issues

But what do you do, when the issue is highly disruptive, and stressful?  A COPE consultant’s combination of master’s level behavioral health training and workplace expertise contributes to a qualified and insightful management consultation designed to resolve problems in a focused, confidential and objective manner.  We intervene when requested and recommend actions that result in a more productive and satisfying environment for employees at all levels of the organization.

What do consultation services cost?

There is no charge to the manager or supervisor for the service if your company has contracted with COPE to provide the Workplace Assistance Program.

MANAGEMENT CONSULTATION	DEFINITION
Workplace Violence	Prevent physical and emotional assaults on yourself and or others.
Critical Incident Debriefing	Limit the negative effects of a trauma at work.
Workplace Discrimination	Create a culture free of offensive jokes, language, and gestures.
Sexual Harassment	Create a gender friendly work environment.
Substance Abuse	Recognize and refer those with an addiction for treatment.
Conflict Resolution	Diffuse personal or professional discord that threatens productivity.
Stress Management	Cope with stress that threatens physical and mental well being.
Performance Management	Address patterns of poor performance and absenteeism.
Effective Communication	Use communication to facilitate change and lessen employee stress.
Supervisory Tools	Online training modules, newsletters and research materials.

Can Managers or Executives purchase COPE services separately? Yes, by arrangement. Please contact a COPE account manager for more information.

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Legal and Financial Consultation

With the complexity implicit in marriage, child, elder, civil and criminal related issues, an astounding 90% of the population has an unmet need for legal and financial services. Yet, when confronted with legal or financial issues, most consumers do not know where to turn to obtain professional guidance, nor can they afford the services they need or deserve.

COPE, in partnership with CLC Incorporated, a national provider of legal and financial programs for (EA) Employee Assistance Organizations, offers its clients short-term advisory assistance.

For more information, click on one of the following links.

• Legal
  
• Financial
  
• Mediation
  
• Tax Consultation and Preparation
  
• Do-It-Yourself Legal Forms
  

The CLC Legal Access Plan is a comprehensive legal solution designed to provide assist consumers with the potentially catastrophic loss caused by escalating legal fees and to provide affordable legal resources to individuals and their families during their time of need. It also gives plan members access to: experienced attorneys, mediators, and legal document assistants to help members through these challenging stages of life.
 

Risk Management

What do sexual harassment, high blood pressure and identity theft have in common? They cost employers millions of dollars in lost productivity and legal expenses and drain a workforce of energy, focus and the confidence to do its best.

With over three decades of experience applying our knowledge of government regulation in a culturally and economically diverse workplace, COPE is qualified to help companies implement policies and programs that limit the potential for interpersonal conflict and identify organizational factors that can lead to a business-related failure. Protect your company by managing "human" risks the way you do other business risks.

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Risk Management

Studies show that 20 percent of employees drive 80 percent of benefit costs. As employee benefit costs rise, workplace assistance programs like COPE’s offer a cost-effective way to target at-risk employees. Working with frontline managers, human resource and benefits specialists, COPE steps in at the earliest stages to address the behavioral issues that create, complicate or extend the need to be away from work.

A Proven Approach. COPE offers risk management services designed to meet your organization’s objectives. We help you implement policies and programs that identify potential areas of interpersonal conflict and organizational factors that can lead to business-related failures.

Prevention. Workplace violence, injury, and substance abuse are common human risks that occur unexpectedly. The emotional toll is often immediate: a rise in absenteeism, an increase in paid benefits, and the loss of experienced, valued employees. Employers can best control these risks by understanding, planning and preparing for them with policies and education.

Early Stage Assessment. COPE counselors address problems before they interfere with an individual’s effectiveness on the job. When the problem does affect performance, COPE can serve as a resource for the employee and manager to resolve the problem, often without any additional referral.

Chronic Stage Intervention. Chronic, unscheduled absences remain a challenging problem for employers. When coupled with workplace conflict or health-related leave the costs take a toll on the rest of your workforce: work hours and project deadlines must be rescheduled, work reassigned and temporary workers hired. A COPE counselor’s behavioral health background, workplace and case management experience result in a unique ability to navigate between the needs of the employee, the human resource and benefits specialist and the frontline manager.

Late Stage Care and Recovery Management. Working with worker’s compensation and disability specialists, COPE improves the utilization of, and compliance with, treatment regimes by individuals recovering from a workplace accident by addressing the behavioral issues that complicate recovery and the ability to return to work

SCOPE OF SERVICES
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)	An educational session in which crisis management skills are discussed in order to educate and prepare employees for a traumatic event.
Drug Free Workplace	Policies and procedures to prohibit substance-abuse at work and the consequences of putting coworkers and patrons at risk.
Executive Intervention	Helping key employees who have developed self-destructive habits.
Workplace Violence	Prevent self-directed and assaults on others that threaten the physical or emotional well-being of the employee and the organization.
Workplace Discrimination	Create a culture free of offensive jokes, off-color language or gestures.
Health & Productivity Management	Integrate healthcare resources and workplace solutions to promote health, reduce stress and depression.
Sexual Harassment Prevention	Eliminate workplace harassment and discrimination such as verbal, physical, and written threats that do harm to a person or property.
Identity Theft Prevention	A best practices policy to protect personal and company data.
Corporate Communication	Use corporate communication to reduce stress and misinformation.
Leadership Transition	Transition company leadership without alienating clients and employees.

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Training and Development

Training and Development are closely aligned to achieving organizational goals - whether to reduce employee turnover, manage risk, increase morale or work with new technologies or methods. Research shows that training at all levels of an organization can increase productivity by as much as 30%.

We train to fit your schedule. COPE’s flexible programs feature:

• Varying course lengths and formats
• Modular and sequential training
• Onsite, webinar and video presentations
• eLearning and instructor-led training
• Delivery over the Internet or your company's Intranet

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Training and Development

The right employee training, development and education, at the right time, provides big payoffs for the employer: increased productivity, knowledge, loyalty and employee retention.

Research shows that training at all levels of an organization can increase productivity by as much as 30%.

Employee Retention

The American Society for Training and Development has traditionally recommended a minimum of 40 hours of training a year for every employee. This is consistent with the emphasis employees place on the opportunity to grow and develop both their skills and career.  In fact, the chance for ongoing development is one of the top five factors employees want to experience at work. Only the perception of their salary and benefits as competitive and reporting to a manager they like, rate higher. The inability of an employee to see progress is an often cited reason for leaving an employer.

Aspects of Training – Employee Orientation

At COPE we believe new employee orientation is a significant factor in helping new employees hit the ground running.  An employee orientation, often spearheaded by a meeting with the Human Resources department, generally contains information about safety, the work environment, the new job description, benefits and eligibility, company culture, company history, the organization chart and anything else relevant to working in the new company.

Regardless of training topic, the message and format of COPE materials are tailored to the audience.  For example, a work group may benefit from training in team communication and conflict management techniques. One-on-one coaching with the group's supervisor will reinforce employees' newly acquired skills.

What do training courses cost?

The cost is determined by duration, delivery method and staff needed to perform the training and whether it has been purchased as part of a Workplace Assistance program. Call COPE and discuss your requirements with a member of our staff.

Can COPE’s Training & Development Courses be purchased separate from Workplace Assistance?
Yes. Click here.

TRAINING TOPICS	EMPLOYEE	MANAGER
Anger Management	•	•
Performance Evaluations: Getting & Giving		•
Substance Abuse	•	•
Diversity and Multiculturalism	•	•
Resolving Workplace Disputes	•	•
Effective Communication	•	•
Balancing Work and Life	•	•
Successful Aging: the Second Career	•	•
Email Etiquette: to Send or Not to Send	•	•
Identity Theft: Current Industry Practices	•	•
Financial Budgeting and Planning	•
Workplace Violence	•	•
Change Management		•

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Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Services

About Critical Incidents & the CISD Process

The death of an employee, a suicide in the workplace, an armed robbery, a violent event at the work-site; these are all examples of what can be called a "critical incident." These types of situations can have a profoundly negative effect on a work unit and the individual employees involved. These "negative effects" include such things as an increase in anxiety, physiological reactions such as shaking, crying, headaches, a change in sleeping and eating patterns, as well as other depressive symptoms. Other reactions that affect the workplace are lowered motivation and an inability to concentrate. That is why, more than ever, employers understand the benefit of holding a group Critical Incident Stress Debriefing in the workplace for the employees involved.

A Critical Incident Stress Debriefing or CISD is an educational and supportive group session where the incident and negative reactions are discussed. These negative symptoms are normalized for the individuals, and coping skills on critical incident stress management and grief and loss are reviewed. Research indicates that when individuals are given the opportunity to participate in a CISD soon after a traumatic event, they are much less likely to develop any long-standing "post traumatic stress" problems. These individuals simply are better able to work through the negative feelings, thoughts, and reactions much sooner than they would have otherwise.

About COPE's Experience

COPE's staff have extensive training and experience in providing CISD services as developed by Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Specifically, COPE has provided CISD services to a number of diverse work populations such as:

• Banks, Credit Unions, and U.S. Post Offices after robberies,
• Emergency Service and Law Enforcement Personnel after rescue operations,
• Police Officers after shooting incidents,
• Federal and Private sector employees after employee deaths -- including suicide, and other violent episodes,
• Federal employees after security threats.

COPE also believes that to maximize the potential of CISD services for special populations, extensive "Critical Incident Stress Management" (CISM) services should be implemented. These include not simply group debriefings, but an entire program which includes:

• Educational workshops on critical incident stress,
• Trainings for employees and managers on how to recognize critical incident stress reactions,
• Trainings for employees and managers on how to utilize CISM services,
• The development of a peer support program where employees are trained on how to assist their co-workers in these situations.

With this in mind, COPE successfully developed a Critical Incident and Peer Support Program for the National Park Service and U.S. Park Police to assist in traumatic emergency situations.

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A Cost-effective Tool for Controlling Benefits

Studies show that 20 percent of employees drive 80 percent of benefit costs and as we all know, employee benefits, and health care in particular, are on the rise. But according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the majority of health care spending increases result from risk factors, such as smoking, dietary habits and stress, factors that can be modified by a change in behavior. The same study also finds that only a fraction of health care costs – around 15% - focus on prevention, early detection and maintenance.¹

Better Health with Modified Behavior

Workplace assistance programs like COPE’s offer a cost-effective way to assist at-risk employees, by offering behavioral counseling and training services designed to safeguard an organization’s “human assets.”

Working with frontline managers, human resource and benefits specialists, COPE professionals assist in:

• Identifying the underlying behavioral issues that compromise employee well-being
• Counseling employees with modifiable risk factors on a short-term, confidential basis
• Referring chronic behavioral and physical conditions when necessary
• Assisting in the implementation of maintenance programs and preventative policies

COPING with At-Risk Employees

Prevention
Injury, stress and substance abuse are common workplace employee risks. The emotional toll is often immediate: a rise in absenteeism, an increase in benefit claims, and the loss of an experienced, valued employee. Employers can best control these risks by understanding, planning and preparing for them with policies, education and dedicated training.

Early Stage Assessment
Modifying at-risk behavior with regular onsite group programs such as smoking cessation classes keeps at-risk employees at work while giving them the support to remain focused and productive. When the problem does affect performance, COPE can serve as an objective conduit between employee and manager to resolve the problem, often without any additional referral.

Chronic Stage Intervention
Chronic, unscheduled absences remain a challenging problem for employers. When coupled with workplace conflict or health-related leave, the emotional and hard dollar costs of absenteeism take a toll on the larger workforce. A COPE counselor’s behavioral health background, workplace and case management experience can help navigate between the needs of the employee, the human resource and benefits specialist and the frontline manager with the goal of getting the employee back to work.

Late Stage Care Management
Working with worker’s compensation and disability specialists, COPE can improve the employee’s utilization of, and compliance with, treatment regimes by addressing the behavioral issues that may complicate recovery and the ability to return to work.

¹ Sources: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

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