Employee Assistance Programmes are often viewed as a “nice to have” or an additional expense. However, an effective Employee Assistance Programme can give your employees a way to cope with personal issues that can have a negative impact on their job performance, such as work related stress or problems outside of the workplace. We explain some of the benefits of having an effective Employee Assistance Programme.

Investing in a good Employee Assistance Programme will:

• Provide equal 24/7/365 access for all employees, irrespective of location, mobility, demographic profile
• Ensure service confidentiality, anonymity and provider independence enable earlier intervention and problem resolution than internal/onsite services
• Can provide an additional support service/benefit for your employees
• Will support a wide range of issues e.g.: mental wellbeing, stress, work concerns, legal/financial/debt/physical health/carer concerns
• Offer a wide range of support services e.g.: telephone/online/face to face counselling from accredited counsellors and work/life information/guidance from qualified specialists
• Provide robust clinical governance, professional risk management and a welfare assessment of all clients protects employees and the organisation
• Ensure effective management of cases enables a focus on positive outcome for the employer as well as the employee (e.g. reduced absence, increased engagement)
• Allow immediate access to trauma management expertise and support for individuals and managers with any critical incident (e.g. accidents, sudden deaths)
• Facilitate close working / cross-referrals with existing support services e.g. occupational health
• Proactively support organisational initiatives (e.g. wellbeing) and changes
• Ensure fulfilment of employer duty of care / increased protection from employee litigation (e.g. stress) / best employer support
• Provide a good return on investment – generally, several times the cost implementing an Employee Assistance in:
  • Absence savings
  • Early problem resolution
  • Reduced stress, presenteeism/performance issues – and management time

There are many benefits to implementing an Employee Assistance Programme. However, it’s important that you select an effective system that works for your organisation.