News headlines and phone alerts about tragedies can be overwhelming – especially when they hit far too close to home.  From catastrophic weather, an uncertain economy, to even acts of violence, sometimes it is just too much to handle alone.

Whataburger makes it a priority to take care of our Family Members – with resources that give you a helping hand.

FREE ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING THROUGH THE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Our EAP provides online/phone counseling  for any Family Member and anyone living in their household through our Employee Assistance Program. This resource is confidential and available to EVERY Family Member, regardless of whether you have other benefits through Whataburger or not. 

You get five free counseling sessions for each issue—for example, stress, grief or depression —over a 12-month period. Choose in-person session, text message chats, live phone session, or live video session. The best part: Clinicians are available to talk 24/7, including weekends and holidays.

The EAP can also help you with many other services including:

• Lifestyle coaching  Lifestyle coaching is separate from counseling and does not count against counseling session limits.
• Work-life solutions- EAP matches you with high-quality providers for various daily needs. Examples include: childcare, education, adult care, moving and relocation, pregnancy and adoption, and pet ownership. 
• Financial guidance- EAP connects you with a specialist to help you build financial wellness. 
• Legal assistance- EAP offers legal consultations. 
• Classroom courses- EAP provides group training—both in-person and virtual—at the worksite on diverse topics such as stress management, mental health and wellness, maneuvering change at work, and more. 
• Workplace support

To get started with the Employee Assistance Program,  call 1-800-327-9306 or CLICK HERE to go to Magellan.

HARDSHIP ASSISTANCE 

The Whataburger Family Foundation is available for emergency housing assistance, funerals, medical expenses, and more. If you are impacted by a disaster or tragedy, reach out to Human Resources Hotline at 1-800-624-7090, Option 9.

HR BUSINESS PARTNERS: YOUR HELPING HAND

If your restaurant or community is impacted by a tragic event or crisis, Whataburger's HR Business Partners are ready and trained to help your team access resources to help.  In areas immediately impacted by a crisis, we send counseling teams to restaurants to help Family Members process their feelings in a way that feels safe and convenient for them. If you need assistance at your restaurant, the Operating Partner should reach out to your HRBP.

HELPING YOUR COMMUNITY

Your Field Marketing partner has the budget to help reach out to local communities after a tragic event.  Be sure they know what is happening so they can come alongside you as you serve your community. But Operating Partners should also feel empowered to live our mission of building Meaningful Communities – offering meals to first responders or others that can't get home for a hot meal while an event is happening.

STAY PREPARED FOR SAFETY

As much as we hope our Family Members are never in harm’s way, we want you to feel prepared and trained in how to handle scary situations. It can be reassuring to have an action plan – so ask your Operating Partner or Manager if you need refreshers on things like:

• Panic button locations and how to use them.
• How to lock down the restaurant.
• Use the SLAM method for assessing potentially dangerous situations
  • STOP – Be present. Look at what is in front of you. 
  • LOOK – Before leaving your Restaurant, look at the parking lot and/or your vehicle.  If overnight, is there proper lighting between you and your vehicle?  Are there any suspicious vehicles or people around?  Do you feel safe? 
  • ASSESS – Think about how anything outside the restaurant could have an impact on your safety and security.
  • MANAGE - If you feel that the environment is unsafe, don’t go outside the restaurant.
• Ensure your emergency contact information is updated in case your management teams need to reach you in case of a dangerous event.