In January, Employee and Family Resources, a private, not-for-profit Des Moines organization that has provided employee assistance programs to businesses for the past 30 years, broadened its program offerings to begin providing leadership and supervisory training and organizational consulting services. The Business Record spoke with Tim Leonard, EFR’s workplace services and employee assistance program consultant, about the new programs and how they will serve Central Iowa businesses.

Q: How did this program get started?

A: We started about a year ago putting together a new concept through interviews with businesses. We found they wanted soft-skills training — non-technical, but relating to what we do — helping people with real-life problems.

Q: What are some of the new services that are offered?

A: In addition to Iowa’s best employee assistance program, Employee & Family Resources offers one-call access to training and development workshops on emerging workplace issues. We also can provide coaching for managers and leadership at all levels within the organization, and conflict-intervention services for individuals and work teams. Additionally, we offer organization development — helping the entire organization to deal with strategic planning, quality assurance and performance improvement. We will tailor any training to the company’s needs, according to its policies and procedures as well as its company culture. Initial consultation through our workplace service professionals is always free. That’s to help determine the package of services that we provide. Fees can be set up on an hourly basis or through package pricing.

Q: What’s the format for your supervisory training courses?

A: The supervisor training series was developed specifically with the needs of new supervisors in mind, focusing on topics integral to the day-to-day needs of supervisors. Among the topics covered are employment law, managing conflict, diversity awareness, harassment and substance abuse prevention. Some of the presenters include former Des Moines Mayor Preston Daniels, who has worked for Employee and Family Services for more than 15 years; Greg Jordan of Peak Performance Solutions, formerly chief innovation officer with Maytag Corp.; and Sharon Malheiro, a member of the Davis law firm.

Q: How much does the supervisory program cost?

A: The early-bird registration fee for the first five sessions is $1,150 per person prior to April 1, or $1,300 per person after April 1. The sixth session will be provided at no additional cost, thanks to EFR’s substance abuse prevention project. It is also possible to register for any three sessions for $750 per person (late registration fee is $840 per person) or individual sessions at $270 per session per person (no late registration fee). The sessions will be held Wednesday mornings from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Des Moines Botanical Center, 909 East River Drive.

(For more information on Employee and Family Resources’ Workplace Services programs, call Tim Leonard at 471-2327).