Employee Assistance Program

The University has entered into an agreement with the Province to provide the services of their Employee Assistance Program to regular employees (and their immediate family members as defined in the agreement).

Some of the services provided by the E.A.P. are:

PUBLIC RELATIONS: The program provides information sessions advertising the services available to ensure employees understand the voluntary nature of the program, the importance of confidentiality, and how to connect with the program or help a co-worker access service. A schedule of information sessions will be negotiated with the contract holder based on employee numbers and locations.

ASSESSMENT: In the initial appointment with the employee, the E.A.P. counsellor conducts an initial assessment of the difficulty causing the employee to seek help to determine whether service will be provided from within the program or whether the employee will be referred to an external resource.

REFERRAL: Employees who are assessed by the program as requiring the expertise of a particular specialist in the community will be referred to the appropriate specialist (e.g. lawyer, financial advisor, doctor, career counsellor, therapist, drug/alcohol treatment centre). The employee will be responsible for all costs associated with the services of the specialist.

COUNSELLING: The counselling provided from within the program seeks to resolve individual, marital and family problems impacting upon the employee’s workplace performance. The helping philosophy adopted by the program is that it is very often most effective to enlist the help of significant others overcoming personal problems. The spouse and/or family members are often involved in the counselling process where required, agreed upon, and appropriate. E.A.P. will provide up to six counselling sessions per case where required. Additional sessions will be included in cases where termination is deemed to interfere with the current progress being made by the employee.

E.A.P. reserves the right to refer employees to outside resources at their own cost where the case is deemed to be long term, involve multiple helpers, and/or the courts.

CONSULTATION: The program will consult with a third party (i.e., co-worker, supervisor, shop steward) who is seeking information to help a troubled employee or encourage the employee to seek help from E.A.P.

ADVOCACY: The program acts as an advocate on the employee’s behalf when the employee consents and is not able to adequately achieve the required action on their own.

RESPONSE TO WORKPLACE CONFLICT: In situation of interpersonal conflict occurring between employees, the program offers mediation as one of the options available to address this problem. Employees who wish to engage in this process do so on a voluntary basis.

DEBRIEFING OF CRITICAL INCIDENTS: The program provides debriefing and follow-up of those employees traumatized by assaults, the suicide of a co-worker, serious accident on the job, or other unusual incidents causing significant distress. The contract holder will cover travel costs associated with debriefings held outside of Winnipeg when this service cannot be incorporated as part of the program’s regular schedule of travel.

RURAL TRAVEL: The Employee Assistance Program offers service on a regular basis to those regions located furthest from Winnipeg. Counsellors travel to Brandon, Dauphin, The Pas, and Thompson to ensure services are accessible in those areas where travel to Winnipeg for appointments is impractical. The contract holder will be responsible for travel costs incurred when E.A.P. is requested for areas not covered by the routine travel schedule.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT INFORMATION LINE: The program provides information, support and counselling upon request to employees who have been sexually harassed in the workplace. This service is intended to ensure that employees are aware of the legislation, their rights in cases of harassment, and the steps that can be taken to stop harassment.

To access these services, you can call 1-866-669-4916, and ask to be transferred to EAP or 945-5786 if in Winnipeg.