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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">FOR RELEASE</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">:
<br>
April 17, 2025 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">PRESS CONTACT</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">:
<br>
Deanna Shoss, Communications, 773.478.8417 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">OIG’s Audit of City’s Civilian Employee Assistance Program Finds Shortcomings in Design and Administration,
Compromising Support for Employee Mental Health<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published an audit of the Department of Human Resources’ (DHR) management of its Employee
Assistance Program (EAP) for non-sworn City employees. The objectives of OIG’s audit were to determine whether DHR designed and administered the EAP to address the mental health needs of the City’s workforce and comply with recordkeeping requirements.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">EAPs are intended to address workplace productivity issues and connect employees with mental health and other personal services, and may include short-term
counseling, referrals to specialists, and case follow-up. The City’s EAP serves 16,000 employees from all City departments other than the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Fire Department, which each have dedicated EAPs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:black">OIG found that DHR has not positioned its EAP to meet the needs of the City’s workforce. OIG also found that
the City’s civilian EAP has no documented policies and procedures to guide operations and ensure consistent, standardized service delivery. In addition, OIG found that, although DHR worked to identify and address data security issues regarding sensitive EAP
information, DHR has not documented internal policies to ensure it continues to protect this information and comply with legal requirements moving forward.
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:black">OIG recommended that DHR set program goals informed by an assessment of workforce needs that accounted for employee
demographics and work location, as well as historical use of the service. DHR should also develop policies and procedures to ensure consistent service delivery. Additionally, OIG recommended that DHR work with the City’s Department of Technology and Innovation
to document policies and procedures standardizing EAP staff responsibilities around data security. In its response, DHR acknowledged the need to bolster the EAP program and is in the process of reclassifying the counselor position to include management of
the program. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:black">“The City owes a basic duty to support the needs of those working in the public service, and the services the
City provides to its own workforce ought to align with the City’s broader efforts to strengthen Chicago’s mental health care infrastructure,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “We found shortcomings in the design and administration
of DHR’s EAP for civilian City employees, limiting its usefulness. I sincerely appreciate the work DHR is doing to strengthen the program and we look forward to improvements which will better position the City to support those doing the critical work of municipal
government.”</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:black">Read the Report
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:black"><a href="https://igchicago.org/publications/dhr-eap-audit/">Read the full report, released on April 17, 2025.</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Deanna Shoss</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">(She/Her)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Director of Communications and Outreach</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Office of Inspector General</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">231 S. LaSalle Street, 12th Floor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Chicago, IL 60604<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:dshoss@igchicago.org"><span style="color:#0563C1">dshoss@igchicago.org</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">(773) 478-8417</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">You know your city. Talk to us about making Chicago government better.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">(833) TALK-2-IG |
<a href="mailto:talk2ig@igchicago.org"><span style="color:blue">talk2ig@igchicago.org</span></a> |
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.igchicago.org/__;!!B24N9PvjPQId!Z_DAkp5uIQ4eGvUpxbN8y5bUuGNlV1b3QitWrOOQyjEHq2l7tR02zPFHS7bNjaNVKW7DTIdKU-n24pDdDQthXfZHp3E$">
<span style="color:blue">igchicago.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">The information contained in this communication may be confidential or subject to a legal privilege. Unauthorized use,
disclosure, or copying of this communication or any part thereof may violate a federal, state, or local law or may be prohibited by a City of Chicago rule or policy. If you have received this communication in error, please do not read it and notify me immediately
by return e-mail. I may ask you to destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. Thank you.</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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