Avera Employee Assistance Program Industry Listing

An industry that is highly regulated with detailed and focused rules in an ever changing economic environment can cause stress. Staff is being impacted by high expectations while balancing customer service and their personal life. Avera EAP has partnered with the banking/finance industry in developing customized training focused on stress management, motivation and customer service. Avera EAP provides education and counseling to meet this industry's needs as well as forward thinking to assist with the future. In addition, we have provided debriefing services for robberies.

Construction takes successful execution, effective planning which includes scheduling, budgeting, safety, customer service as well as intensive labor. It takes skilled individuals to make it all happen. If even one employee misses work, it can damper a project. Avera EAP is there to assist in making a healthy workforce by providing confidential counseling for employees as well as family members. We can assist with the DOT regulations including drug and alcohol training for supervisors, referrals for SAP services, and a continuum of addiction recovery services.

Avera is proud to be a corporate sponsor of the Prairie Family Business Association. Family owned businesses are integral to our economy. They face many of the same issues, if not more, with family members working closely together. Avera EAP provides mediation, training, and consultation to help these businesses further develop open communication, structure, and strategic planning.

• While workplace stress is common today with 62% of Americans reporting that work plays a key factor on their stress levels. When people feel overwhelmed, they lose confidence and become more withdrawn, making them less productive and their work less rewarding.
• Using biofeedback to achieve stress reduction, reduce anxiety, and alleviate physical tension if helpful. At Avera EAP, we work with firefighters and biofeedback to reduce stress and tension in their lives. Learning to monitor heart rate, skin temperature, blood pressure, sweat or muscle tension are key elements to the biofeedback equation.
• Avera EAP also provides psychological evaluations for firefighter and police candidates.
• Avera EAP assists first responders in reducing overall levels of work-related stress. Critical incident stress debriefings are useful tools. These debriefings allow employees to talk about their experiences of a difficult situation as well as learn about common reactions to these unexpected events.

• The healthcare industry brings unique challenges for their employees and leaders. Avera EAP has years of experience in helping with physician/nurse communications, improving dynamics at shift change, and keeping up with ongoing changes in technology and process.
• Shift work in medical settings can be stressful and a person's health can be severely impacted by rotating shifts. Workers engaged in irregular schedules may be at increased risk for health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Long-term shift work can make people more susceptible to anxiety and depression. Avera EAP can assist individuals and companies to reduce the impact from rotating shifts.
• Due to accessibility and complicated stressors, medical professionals are more likely to have problems with drug and alcohol. Avera EAP can provide comprehensive assessments to determine the best recovery path for those who may be using drugs or alcohol. Also, Avera McKennan Behavioral Health has partnered with Twelve Step Living Corporation to provide the Medical Professionals Program at Tallgrass. This program offers professional and confidential services for addressing drug and alcohol issues for healthcare professionals.

Safety is the key in manufacturing. Avera EAP partners with companies to provide a comprehensive program to assist their employees and leaders in creating a safe environment. Through interactive trainings, Avera EAP can help bring awareness on a variety of topics including sleep and concentration, how to help someone using drugs and alcohol, and reducing stressors of shift work. Also, team building sessions can bring about better communication and productivity.

• With the increasing demands and expectations of schools, administrators look for ways to keep their teachers and staff working at their best. Sometimes, it takes the outside help of EAP to assist work groups or individuals to work through difficult situations. Staff's physical and mental health is important not only to themselves, but the many students they influence every day. Trainings include Dealing with Difficult Parents, Compassion Fatigue, Work/Life Balance and others that could be tailored to each schools specific need.
• Consultation and trainings also are provided with expertise in mental health and behavioral issues of students.
• Avera McKennan Behavioral Health offers training once a month to school professionals on a variety of behavioral health topics through a program called Friday Forums.

A company based on technology often has employees who are good at specific, innovative areas. They have the job specific skills, technical savvy, and knowledge they need to be successful in a niche area. However, with a focus on science, process, and details, oftentimes comes a lack of focus on communication skills, team building, and relationships between departments. Avera EAP partners with companies to strategize the best methods to improve communication at all levels and attain a culture where employees and leaders speak openly yet professionally. Through EAP and training services, companies will find that new skills not only enhance morale, but lead to better revenue.