Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is adopting a new resource for employee care.
School board members voted Monday to approve using LifeWorks as the new Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for staff.
BCSC Director of Wellness Kristin Beck said its price is comparable to their previous EAP. The cost to the school corporation is $1.99 per employee per month; employees are not charged for service, according to BCSC officials. Services from the EAP are available for all employees, as well as their dependents and household members, regardless of whether these individuals are on BCSC insurance or not.
When Beck was hired to her current role, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Gina Pleak asked her to help find a more “comprehensive” employee assistance plan for staff. The previous program had been in place since 2006 and seen little change since then.
“We were looking at, with our strategic plan, with ‘healthy, safe and welcoming environments,’ ” said Pleak. “When we did our focus groups and we got a lot of information from staff as well as from our engagement surveys, the thing that kept coming out is teachers trying and employees trying to find work-life balance, trying to help meet the needs of everyone in their families and home life, as well as meet the demands of being in the classrooms or on buses or with our students each and every day. And our strategic plan, our focus area, ‘healthy, safe and welcoming environments’ … we wanted to make sure our staff have equitable access to necessary resources.”
The previous plan was mainly focused on counseling and mental health services. Pleak said that while this continues to be important, the school corporation sought to find a plan that proactively addresses issues that can impact mental health.
“They (LifeWork) include a work-life services component,” said Beck. “And this includes information, and referrals if necessary, on elder care, child care, financial services, legal services. So it is very holistic.”
There are also resources in areas such as fitness, communication, anxiety, depression, divorce and grief.
Additionally, there are 51 different languages available on the platform and different modes for seeking help.
“We have employees anywhere from the age of 18 years old into close to 80 years old,” said Pleak. “And everybody uses different modalities to access resources. Some people want the phone call. Some want to make the visit where they go in person. But we’re in a day and age where some people would prefer video chat and a day and age where some people would prefer texting. So all of this is allowed with LifeWorks.”
The platform is available online or via an app and also offers self-guided programs and informational resources as well.
Beck added that the toll-free number provides 24-hour assistance. Live chat and texting via the mobile app are available 24/7, 365 days a year.
“They will do an assessment right then,” she said. “If that individual is in crisis, they will connect them with the provider, then not get off the phone to make sure that those needs are being addressed. Up to five in-person visits. As Dr. Pleak mentioned, these could also be done virtually if the individual prefers that or through a live chat. But up to five in-person visits per presenting problem per year. And that’s for employees, dependents or other household members.”
For someone seeking counseling services, LifeWorks is typically able to arrange that in about three to five days on average.
According to Beck, the quarterly reports for the last 12-18 months show about 2% utilization for the previous EAP, and the school corporation hopes that the new approach will increase that percentage.
“I feel like the need is there,” she said.
