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My Employee Assistance Program
By Tracy Vinnacombe
(Tracy is an HR Management major in Delaware County, PA)
I am an owner of a childcare chain. I have childcare centers all over Pennsylvania. I have implemented programs to attract, motivate, and retain employees. I offer my employees health
benefits. This includes medical, dental, and a prescription plan. I also offer a 401k retirement plan, a disability plan, and a life insurance plan. My employees must pay half of all
these plans if they want to take part in them. All of these take effect after a three-month probation period and are for full time employees only. I also offer childcare for all my
employees at a 75% discount.
I know that some companies offer these benefits, so I offer a little more to attract new employees to my organization. My employee assistance program
costs about $1.75 an employee. The employee will not have to pay anything. It will start after they have been with the organization one month and will end if they leave. This program
includes elder, pet, and child support, chronic disease management, wellness resources, assistance with technology purchases,
counseling, online assistance, and legal/financial assistance. This program is for full-time employees only. I think this is a good way to attract new employees because they might need
assistance and giving it free is a bonus to some people. Each dollar I invest in this program saves my company between $5- $16. This program can also reduce sick leave by 33 %, work
related accidents by 65 %, workers compensation claims by 30%, lost time by 40%, grievances by 50%, and the time supervisors reprimand by 74%. It also gives my company management
training sessions, ongoing promotion materials, and quality utilization reports. I feel this program is a win- win situation for everyone involved.
To motivate my employees I have executed the Improved Attendance Incentive Award. This reward pertains to full-time and part- time employees. If an employee us one sick day or less, each
quarter, they will receive a $25 Visa Gift Card. We kicked this program off with a little party. Each center has an impromptu ceremony to award the card to each employee that qualifies.
It costs $2.50 for a monthly administrative fee and $4 shipping and handling for each card. I think this program is a good idea because it motivates members of my staff to come to work
and perform better. They can also get anything they want with the card. This program has actually reduced the number of people who were absent in other organizations.
I have an implemented another program to motivate my employees that I call the Higher Degree Program. The employees have to be at the center for six months before they can obtain this
reward. The state has a scholarship program for childcare workers called T.E.A.C.H. In this program, the worker needs to be working in the same center for a year and stay there for two
years after completing the program. It gives scholarships to workers in childcare centers to get a Child Development Associate (CDA), Associate, or Bachelor’s degree. If they receive CDA,
I will reward them with two movie tickets. If they receive an Associate degree, I will reward them with a free dinner for two. If they receive a Bachelor degree, I will reward them two
theme park tickets to Hershey or Dorney Park. If they receive a Master degree, I will reward them with two tickets two a local sporting, music, or theatre event. If they receive a
Doctorate degree, I will reward them two tickets to a Broadway show.
Since a childcare center does not use sales quotas, I thought this program was the best way to motivate workers to reach their full potential. Seeing as the state is paying workers to go
back to school and I am willing to help them by working around their school schedule, I hope the employees will take this opportunity to keep learning about their career. I think we
should commend people who go back to school while working.
Our state has a Keystone Star Program. It promotes continuous quality improvement in early learning and school age environments. This program is just like the stars given to hotels. Each
childcare center has a chance to get four stars. If one of my centers receives one star, each employee in that center will receive a $5 bonus and each center will collect $25, which all
employees will vote on how to use it. When a center receives two stars, each employee will get a $10 bonus and the center will get $50. When a center receives three stars, each employee
will get a $15 bonus and the center will receive $75. If a center gets four stars, each employee will receive a $20 bonus and the center will receive $100. Childcare centers can receive
a national accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
If one of my centers receives this accreditation, I will award each employee at the center a $30 bonus and the center will receive $150. This incentive program will retain high
performance and program quality. Since the accreditation is national, the employees will be proud of the work they are achieving. It means that the teachers, directors, parents, and
children are doing the very best in early child learning. This accreditation also will attract more parents and children to the center. This reward program definitely encourages
teamwork. Teamwork is very important part of running a childcare center. The center works as a whole to become the very best it can be. I am very confident that these incentive programs
will attract, motivate, and retain my employees.
By Tracy Vinnacombe
(Tracy is an HR Management major in Delaware County, PA)
Ready to get quotes from multiple EAPs!
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