Scripps Goes Beyond EAP to Help Employees in Crisis

A little TLC and some extra cash can make a world of difference to employees in crisis. Here's how one organization goes above and beyond for its workers.

Gloria, an 83-year old Scripps employee, knew she was dying. But, as an unmarried only child without children of her own, she had no living family members left.

A supportive childhood friend had figured prominently in her life, but she had also recently passed away, leaving Gloria with no one to help her with running errands, settling the last of her commitments, or even keeping her company during her last days.

With no one else to call for help, Gloria called her HR department.

Helen Neppes, director of work life services at Scripps Health, at first thought helping Gloria might mean an advance on her life insurance or offering money from the organization's employee assistance fund to help out with expenses, but Gloria's needs went beyond the financial.

"She told me that she was ready," says Neppes, "but that she didn't want to die alone."

Above and Beyond
While many hospitals offer an EAP or similar program, few offer employees the level of crisis assistance that Scripps' work life program does, says Neppes. The program does not replace Scripps' EAP, but works alongside it and provides more personalized care for employees—especially in a crisis.

"I worked with my CHRO… to try to figure out if there was anything out there that mirrored the program we were designing. I couldn't find anything in healthcare or otherwise. The closest was the [Morale, Welfare and Recreation] program for military service members and their families… We were aspiring to that."

Neppes, previously an HR director at Scripps, says her position was created in 2010 when the CEO recognized the need for a department that would support employees in a way that's more meaningful and sustentative than most EAPs.

All Scripps employees and affiliated physicians, including part time workers, are eligible for crisis support. Since 2010, Neppes has provided crisis help for more than 300 employees and their families. It employs more than 13,000 workers, plus an additional 2,600 affiliated physicians.

A crisis might be precipitated by a death in the family, severe illness, or serious injury. But sometimes, the assistance Neppes provides is as simple as helping new parents find the right child care. It makes a huge difference in the lives of the families she serves, she says.

Support for Staff
Sometimes, the best way to help an employee in crisis is through cold, hard cash. Scripps' Helping Our Peers in Emergencies (HOPE) fund can be tapped to help pay for funeral expenses or medical treatments. Usually, this fund only pays $2,000 per employee per crisis, but exceptions have been made—for example, when eight members of an employee's family were killed in a single bus crash in Mexico.

If the HOPE fund is involved, the employee must have worked at Scripps for at least six months and the request goes through a separate process that verifies need. "We offered the employee a higher level of financial assistance, and granted bereavement as if each family member was a separate case," Neppes says.

Employee donations of cash and paid time off, and a percentage of proceeds from gift shop sales and small fundraisers fund the HOPE account.

Often, just being there to support employees through a personal crisis is what makes the difference. This proved true when a Scripps employee's teenage son ran away from home. His car and cell phone were found in a remote area, but he was not with them.

Complicating the situation, the employee was caring for several young children and eight months pregnant with another, and couldn't travel to the search and rescue location.

Neppes gave her cell phone number to the employee and told her to call any time, day or night. The employee called her several times over the course of the search to talk about her concerns and fears. Thankfully, her son was found alive and well. When the employee finally met Neppes in person several years later, she thanked her for her help during that trying time.

Not all situations Neppes helps employees through have happy endings.

In addition to helping Gloria to settle her financial needs and to make arrangements for the end of her life, Neppes made sure someone was with her at all times. When members of HR or Gloria's coworkers couldn't be there, employees of Scripps' EAP took turns at her bedside. "We didn't want her to be alone."

Gloria died surrounded by her coworkers. It might not have been a perfect substitute for family, but, Neppes says, they were the people she had spent the most time with over the last few years of her life.

Being there to comfort an employee in her last moments isn't in HR's job description. But through its work life program, Scripps was able to go the extra, last mile with Gloria.