Types of Service Referral

Accessing the EAPworks service can be done in three main ways:

Self Referral:

An employee chooses to contact the service independently for a confidential appoint to deal with personal or work issues. A telephone call to 0800 SELFHELP or an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it will access the service.

Informal Referral:

When an employee seeks help at the suggestion of a manager, co-worker, employee representative or supervisor, without any formal action being taken.

Formal Manager Referral:

This type of referral is when an employee is formally offered the option of participating in the programme by their manager, usually when there has been impaired work performance. In many cases formal EAP provides an alternative to instigating formal disciplinary action; however it will not in itself prevent this occurring. Failure to attend EAP sessions may result in the employee accepting the potential consequences of their impaired work performance.

Examples of Formal referrals:

For employees seeking assistance and who require specialist help or information e.g. drug/alcohol issues, medical, legal, financial.
Where the presenting issue is outside the management's knowledge and training.
In a situation where it is important that management maintain a level of independence, not confusing personal and professional boundaries.
Where an employee indicates they have a problem/issue that they do not wish to share with management but want assistance in dealing with it.
Where an employee has impaired work performance, and management wish to offer an opportunity to identify and deal with any underlying issues that may be affecting performance, before commencing any disciplinary process.