EAP in the workplace

Mental health and wellbeing fall under The Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Meaning that employers have an obligation to their employees mental health under their 'duty of care'.

With a new emphasis on mental health awareness and well-being being at the forefront of the new government's workplace reforms. The onus is on employers to provide equal parity for both physical and mental health problems, as well as ensuring the overall working environment is safe and risk assessments have been carried out.

Employers must also ensure that employees are protected from discrimination because of their mental health. With so many employer requirements, the question posed is how do employers support staff with their mental health? Implementing an Employee Assistance Programme might be the way forward for your organisation.

For more information on how your business can implement an employee assistance programme into your employee benefits package talk to the experts at Croner. With over 80 years experience in helping companies with HR, Employment Law and much more, we can help find the right solution for your business. Call today on 0800 470 2818.

Employees engaged in group therapy as part of employee assistance programmes

What is an Employee Assistance Programme?

An employee assistance programme or EAP is a benefit you can offer employees. They can help offer practical support and advice in a range of area's, not least mental health support. Just a few of the services an employee assistance programme can provide, includes:

Face to face mental health counselling
Short & long term counseling options
Online counselling sessions
Over-the-phone counselling

Why should my business offer EAP Services?

There are numerous benefits in implementing an Employee Assistance Programme, both to your business and to your employees. Better support for staff wellbeing, can reduce the risk of poor mental health in the workplace which is a win all-round but as well as this introducing a EAP can help with the following:

Improved employee retention

If employees feel valued and supported, there's a much stronger chance that they'll stay with your business and feel happier in their work.

Employees with easy access to mental health support are less likely to struggle with things like burnout and this means your business will lose less talent.

Employees sat round a table enjoying good employee health and wellbeing support.

Improved employee engagement and productivity

An EAP offers an enhanced level of support to your employees, meanings that they are more likely to be productive and not be distracted by stresses in and out of the workplace.

The additional support also means that employees are less likely to take sickness absences due to mental health related reasons.

Two people celebrating improved productivity thanks to metal health and wellbeing counselling.

Confidentiality and trust

Trust is a fundamental part of being able to effectively talk about personal problems. One of the great things about employee assistance programs is that they are completely confidential.

Two people shaking hands supporting employees through short term counselling

What does an EAP offer?

An EAP isn’t limited to just mental health support for employees, but also offers a plethora of other services to help your workforce.

Some of these services may otherwise require an employee to wait weeks or months to be seen, so offering employees this support as soon as possible is a huge benefit.

Access to a range of mental health, bereavement & trauma counselling

Mental health counsellors can help employees develop and maintain healthy coping mechanisms and strategies in both work and life related stresses. Whereas bereavement and trauma counsellors can help staff through mourning the loss of a loved one or in the event of a particularly traumatic experience.

Two people comforting ach other during a funeral service, in need of bereavement counseling through employee assistance programmes.

Carer and childcare support

Your employees are people first and foremost, which means that they may have priorities outside of your business, particularly if they are a new parent and/or are caring for an elderly family member.

This can raise an internal conflict as there may be times where there are unavoidable clashes with their working life and their life as a parent or carer.

An EAP can help support them during these times of additional stress and help offer them the right help they need to manage the situation.

Mother and daughter enjoying family time with access to referral services to childcare.

Legal advice for employees

An employee assistance programme can help offer employees practical advice on dealing with legal proceedings, for example divorce or custody issues. It can also be utilised to offer advice on things like consumer rights and financial challenges.

They can also be used to help workers with workplace issues that are potentially negatively impacting their emotional health and their personal life.

Employee getting legal advice with confidential support from qualified professionals as part of their wellbeing resources package.

How to onboard an EAP service

The good news is that there are plenty of ways you can implement an EAP into your business.

However before you go ahead, you should take the time to research your options and ask yourself the following questions.

What do my employees need from an EAP?

A survey is a good starting point for determining exactly what your employees would require in an employee assistance programme.

Look for common themes in their answers, such as support with mental health or help with childcare etc. You can then look at proving things like access to counselling and referral schemes, or an online health portal as part of your EAP.

meeting with employees in front of a whiteboard discussing employee wellbeing support for their organisation in an attempt to reduce workplace stress.

How do I offer an EAP as part of my employee benefits package?

You should consider how your company will offer the EAP. For instance, do you want to work with an outsourced company or do you want an in-house provider. There's also the option of on-site or off-site to consider.

Take your time and assess what works best for your business and your employees.

Research EAP providers

Once you have done the initial research it's time to look at providers, make a list of providers that fit your business requirements and outline the pros and cons before making a final decision.

Remember to continually evaluate your Employee Assistance Programme

Once an EAP is in place it's a good idea to continually revisit it periodically to ensure it's still serving your business and your employee's needs.

Gather feedback from your employees and ask your provider to provide you with feedback data. This will give you insight into the service and how it is being used.

Image of a dial measuring employee wellbeing with their eap, reducing work related stress and boosting work performance

Get support with EAP's and other mental health resources

With over 80 years in supporting businesses with their HR needs, Croner can help you incorporate an EAP service for your employees.

Contact us today to discuss how you can better employee support and get the most out of your workforce today! Call 0800 141 3597.

About the Author

Adam has been with Croner Reward for 3 years. He has over 15 years’ experience working with various organisations and sectors. He has a strong passion, breadth and depth for job evaluation and salary benchmarking. He has a strong customer focused work ethic, ensuring clients always get the best possible outcome for their organisations from their Reward Projects.

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EAP in the Workplace