The Office of Employee Assistance was established to support employees of the House by providing a service to deal with a wide range of personal, behavioral, and stress-related difficulties that can affect any of us from time to time. Through its assessment and referral process, the office is committed to helping employees and their family members in identifying problem areas and in developing a plan of action to resolve them, ultimately to improve on the quality of the employee's work life.
During the next several months, the Office of Employee Assistance is providing several workshops to further support the work force in dealing with some of these difficulties. Whether you are working with a Congressional office, Committee staff, or a support operation, hopefully you will find something to assist you in one or more of the following programs:
Conflict Resolution and Management
At Your Best: Resume Development and Job Interviewing Skills
FOSA: Improving Job Performance Through Documentation
High Performance Stress Management
Learning to Relax: Relaxation Techniques for Stress Management
Brown-Bag Workshops on Stress Management
Dealing With Difficult Behavior
Additional Educational Services
As always, the Office of Employee Assistance is also available to meet with employees individually to provide further assistance or offer resources tailored to meet your specific needs. If you would like additional information or wish to register for any of the programs, please call the Office of Employee Assistance at X52400. For the planning purposes, all attendees are asked to pre-register. A calender of the workshops during the next several months is available under the desciption of each program. Simply click on the program you wish to explore.
FREEDOM FROM SMOKING PROGRAM
This is an eight week program to help individuals who are ready to stop smoking. It explores the dependence on tobacco products, the alternative mehtods of quitting, and provides a structure for successful abstinence through group support and education. The orientation session is open to all. A committment to the remaining seven sessions is necessary for success.
This program will help seasoned managers as well as those new to supervision decide what to do when faced with common employee problems. Whether an employee is having difficulties of a personal nature or experienceing job-related problems, if left unaddressed, they can greatly impact the individual performance on the job and the effectiveness of the work-team. Supervisors will be able to outline a plan of action that will help both the manager and the employee address these issues appropriately and in conjunction with the use of the OEA.
This 2 hour program focuses on individualized coping strategies and other stree management techniques for dealing with job changes and the resulting transitions and adjustments in one's personal or professional life.
AT YOUR BEST: RESUME DEVELOPMENT AND JOB INTERVIEWING SKILLS:
This 2 hour program provides participants with information and exercises with practical applications for the job transition and search process; this program looks at resume development, interviewing preparation, job search techniques, mock interviewing, and emphasizes the importance of attitude and staying positive throughout the job search.
An eductional program for both supervisory personnel and the general work force; this training follows the drug-free workplace format and focuses on the impact of drug and alcohol abuse on individuals and the costs and implications for organizationa when the problmes are not addressed in the workplace; strategies to effectively assist employees when these problems are presented.
FOSA: IMPROVING JOB PERFORMANCE THROUGH DOCUMENTATION:
A follow-up program to the OEA Supervisory Training. This program is for maanagers who currently have supervisory responsibilities. It takes an in-depth look at a four-step process called FOSA, or Facts, Objective, Solutions, Action. The FOSA model provides a consistent and complete framework for managers as it delineates the critical elements of documentation of employee job performance.
Basic informational programs provided to new or existing employees regarding the services and operations of the Office of Employee Assistance. This brief program provides the opportunity for supervisors and their staffs to become familiar with the overall employee assistance services available to them.
BROWN-BAG WORKSHOPS ON STRESS MANAGEMENT:
A series of three 1-hour workshops scheduled so participants can bring their lunch and learn about stress and its effects on our lives. Issues explored include ways to manage stress through nutrition, exercise, and other stress management techniques.
This program is provided to entire Congressional staffs when the Member will not be returning in the next Congress. The program addresses issues of resume development, networking, interviewing skill buidling, and job search strategies, in order to help employees focus their attention on their continuing career development and empower their own job searches. This briefing is usually provided immediately following a retirement announcement by the Member of Congress. This program can be followed by the "Resume Development and Job Interviewing" workshop which takes a more in-depth look at the construction of the resume and interview skill-building.
Program Schedule
| Day | Date | Room | Time |
| Friday | November 15 | 2105 Rayburn | 10-1 |
| Monday | November 18 | 340 Cannon | 10-1 |
| Thursday | November 21 | 1539 Longworth | 10-1 |
| Monday | November 25 | 2105 Rayburn | 10-1 |
| Monday | December 2 | 121 Cannon | 10-1 |
| Wednesday | December 4 | 1539 Longworth | 10-1 |
| Tuesday | December 10 | 1539 Longworth | 10-1 |
| Thursday | December 12 | 1539 Longworth | 10-1 |
CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND MANAGEMENT:
This program, utilizing the Thomas-Klimann Conflict Mode Instrument and the five predominant styles of conflict management, helps identify and explore one's preferred style of conflict managment in relationships on and off the job. Participants will learn ways to manage confict more effectively. This program is an interactive workshop and relies on group exercises and discussion.
DEALING WITH DIFFICULT BEHAVIOR:
This program identifies the different types of behaviors in our work and home lives that we have the most difficulty dealing with. Participants in this program will learn what types of behavior they find most troublesome and explore strategies to interact with your most "difficult person" when they exhibit these behaviors, particularly on the job.
LEARNING TO RELAX - RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT:
An experientially-based prgraom which explores several relaxation techniques for use on and off the job. Participants experience relaxation through deep breathing, guided imagery, prograssive muscle relaxation, and the use of other stress reduction techniques and devices.
HIGH PERFORMANCE STRESS MANAGEMENT:
A program developed by a national training organization, it incorporates behaviorally-oriented stress reduction strategies and the life orientation approach to understanding personal and work-related conflict and its resolution; this is an interactive training program utilizing experiential, individual and group excercises.
This educational program utilizing the Life Orientations© program developed by a national training organization is provided to entire work teams. This behaviorally-focused, interactive program builds upon the premise that most teams function better when the team members understand their individual strengths and differences and the resulting impact on communications and interactions with other individuals on the job and in their personal lives. Six developmental strategies are utilized to improve communications and productivity on an individual and group basis.
An educational program provided to requesting offices; this program focuses on the workplace issues presented when an employee or family member is HIV positive or diagnosed with AIDS. Employee assistance staff members are certifice das instructors in a nationally recognized HIV/AIDS training program based upon the information prepared by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Center for Substance Abuse and HIV Training.
ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES:
Additional training programs can be made available on other employee assistance topics. These training programs are developed and tailored on an as-needed basis in response to the specific needs of the office requesting the program. For example, "Balancing work and family issues;" "Dealing with eldercare;" "Grief;" "Retirement;" "Job Stress;" " Time management;" " Communications skills in the workplace;" " Negativity in the workplace".