The City of Landrum has opened up its arms for a big hug for all its employees by putting the Upstate Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place. For only $2,000 a year, Landrum will ensure that every employee can get free counseling on a variety of issues, from divorce to wills to family communication. The program even offers special services for the sometimes traumatic work that our police and firefighters do for others.
Everybody needs support sometimes. By providing EAP, Landrum clearly shows that in this small town, good employees are worth keeping and protecting when struggles happen. EAP therapists can help with the grief when someone dies, and they can help manage the challenges when someone is born. The 24-hour crisis line responds to any troubles life may bring along the way. The modest financial investment will bring benefits economically, preventing the need to rehire and retrain.
On a deeper level, Landrum understands that people have meaningful and sometimes complicated lives at work and beyond work. By supporting the emotional needs of employees, the city once again shows its enormous heart.
It’s no surprise that the City of Landrum leads the way in kindness and caring for employees. The city council meetings there consistently resonate with goodness. Mayor Robert Briggs gently guides the group to good discussion time and again, and the Council members validate and sustain one another. They listen carefully to each other and reach well-considered compromises without any unnecessary wrangling or showboating.  They also had the good sense to hire Caitlin Martin, whose efficiency and intelligence have proven to be extraordinary assets.
In discussion of the program at their Jan. 14 meeting, the council members began to jest with one another, saying they’d race to be first to use the services themselves. Martin offered to hire a bus to get all the city employees to therapy together.
And truth be told, that’s the kind of place that Landrum always has been. Landrum gets things done right, and it’s a hometown where everyone’s feelings matter.

– Kiesa Kay, Tryon Daily Bulletin reporter