The sad fact is that sometimes tragedy is good for business. That’s particularly true of the employee assistance program industry.
At times, employee assistance programs have been considered a frivolous health benefit. Their 1-800 telephone counselors and other stress-coping services leave some bosses cold.
“Sometimes a CEO might say, `I don’t understand this mental-health stuff and what it’s costing us every year,'” said Keith Dixon, president of Cigna Behavioral Health.
But that attitude seems to be evaporating since last week’s catastrophes at the World Trade Center and Pentagon, many say.
“This (tragedy) will legitimize the EAP field,” Dixon said.
“You can’t have an event like this and not have an impact [on EAP business],” said Andy Silberman, head of Duke University’s employee-assistance program.
Programs typically cost an employer about $3 per employee per month. They can defuse problems before they lead to distraction-induced accidents and other costly consequences.
