The Employee Assistance (EAP) industry is plagued by inconsistencies. I speak with HR professionals for a living and each one has a different opinion of EAP. They range from not knowing what one is to believing that a high quality EAP is one of the most valuable tools they have access to.

Many factors may be contributing to the higher food costs we're seeing when grocery shopping. So, how do we continue to provide sound nutrition to our family, while staying within our food budget? In season produce and your local farmer's markets may be part of the answer!

Wouldn't it be great if caring for family members were as simple as it is in the animal world? Humans have a way of complicating everything. We work to provide for our family, but being at work keeps us from the family that needs us. Approximately 4 percent of the phone calls that Ease@Work receives from employees pertain to concerns the employee has about aging parents. And, as the population ages, the number of calls we receive for eldercare increases.

By Valerie Nosek Several weeks ago, Ease@Work was asked to participate in a diabetes education program at one of our client organizations. At first, we thought it was because Ease could offer consultation with a certified diabetes educator through the nutritional coaching feature of our services. However, we were surprised to learn that we were being [...]

People love talking about other people and people like hearing about other people’s business. Surprisingly, experts agree this behavior is a part of human nature. And, while gossip may never be completely eradicated from the work environment, that doesn’t mean human resource and management professionals should give up on trying to curtail workplace gossip. Other than wasted time, what's gossip and rumors costing your organization?

By Patrick Gaul A report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in March, 2010 breaks down the total cost to compensate employees. Of the $27.42 per hour average spent on the average American Worker, $8.00 per hour was spent on benefits. Health, life and disability insurance total $2.54 per hour while the rest of the [...]

The meeting invitation indicated a start time of 10:00 a.m. I gather my materials, grab a cup of coffee and head to the conference room, arriving a little less than five minutes before the meeting is scheduled to start. I settle into my seat, prep my materials and wait…and wait…and wait. Sound familiar? Is chronic tardiness an issue in your organization?

As a comprehensive Employee Assistance Program, providing effective employee education is an important part of what we do - that's why we ask probing questions about need, objectives, participants, work culture and more, when approaching a training engagement. Effective employee education requires well-defined needs and expectations, training facilitated by a subject matter expert, along with measurable outcomes for retention and application of learned skills.

Behavior change usually requires a lengthy process of breaking a bad habit - 21 days according to most research. Change also requires the persistence to adopt or expand upon a healthy habit - yet another 21 days. It is critical when designing a wellness challenge that the challenge is designed to indicate a level of improvement over time.

Did you know that tobacco use still leads the pack in being the number one preventable cause of death? Yes it’s true – despite all that we’ve learned about the ill effects of tobacco use, people continue to smoke and use other tobacco products. As a human resource professional, benefits manager, company owner or CEO, do you wonder what smoking and tobacco use is costing your organization?

It has long been rumored that the Ohio BWC Drug Free Workplace Program was on the chopping block. The BWC sent an announcement on March 31, 2010, confirming those rumors.

Every once in a while, I read an article or blog that really resonates within. Most recently, it was Jim Smith, The Executive Happiness Coach and Ease@Work workshop facilitator, who managed to make me stop and think about things beyond my day-to-day routines.