Source One Assistance to give county employees guidance
Whether a Holmes County government employee is dealing with the stress of their job, family life, health issues or anything that can bog people down in today’s hectic pace of life, they and their family members can turn to Source One Assistance for guidance.
Life can be difficult enough when you’re not battling some unseen virus that is wreaking havoc on your world.
So when the Holmes County commissioners saw an opportunity to aid the county employees who might be struggling with their jobs, their lives or with whatever aspect of life might be weighing heavily on their hearts, they responded.
On Monday, Aug. 24, the commissioners signed a resolution opting to have the county accept the Source One Assistance Program agreement.
The agreement is in the amount of $2 per employee and is for 236 employees total. The Source One agreement will support all county employees and their families, providing confidential consultation, assessments, problem solving and more.
The goal is to provide motivational counseling and services and to connect employees with follow-up services.
This type of support can be extremely valuable, according to Misty Burns, director of human resources for the county.
“It’s an employee assistance program where there is a hotline number, so if someone is struggling, whether it is financially, mentally, personally or for whatever reason, they can reach out to a qualified person and get assistance and guidance,” Burns said. “This will include free counseling sessions for an employee or their family members.”
Burns said several of the county offices including the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and the Holmes County Health Department were already participating in the Source One program, but with the arrival of all of the issues brought on by COVID-19 and the mounting pressure it created, the county wanted to delve into the option of possibly making it available to the entire county employee base.
“We wanted to bring that benefit to the rest of the county because we felt it was important,” Burns said. “We saw what we felt was a need around the county and hope that this serves as a good source for our county employees. COVID-19 definitely put a magnifying glass on it, but this is something we had talked about even prior to COVID’s arrival. We had wanted to put this in place and hadn’t pulled the trigger.”
COVID-19’s arrival helped make pulling that trigger all the easier for the commissioners.
Burns said it was a creative, quality way to add value to the county employee health-care plan. She went on to say the minimal cost of the plan will be far outweighed by the value created by the plan and by the fact it has the ability to create healthier, happier employees.
“It’s been proven that when people don’t have to worry about things outside of work, they can be so much more productive, and it goes the same for our employees’ family members and even the children, who become more productive at school,” Burns said. “Sometimes, we just need a little encouragement and guidance, and that is what this program is designed to provide.”