Stressed out employees?

If you plan on hiring employees and you wish to retain them (and let’s face it, the cost of replacement in the current market is far too high not to), then you should consider an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).  During most people’s career, chances are they will experience some of life’s ‘bumps in the road’ along the way. These ‘bumps’ could be a death in the family, divorce, health problems or mental illness which incidentally, affects 25% of the population at some point in their life. A program such as this will also assist if the individual is struggling with an aspect of their work, say, a conflict with a team member or boss. Stress is a major issue for employees in our fast-paced society and using an EAP could be the difference between them choosing not to resign or take extensive stress leave.

80% of the top 500 organisations currently offer EAPs to support their employees in their time of need. Here are the top five reasons to implement an EAP service:

1.    Increase productivity – happy employees are more productive employees with a direct impact to your bottom line

2.   Reduced personal leave taken and reduction in attrition – employees receiving counselling are less likely to take excessive personal leave or resign, as they are being given tools to deal with their personal situation

3.   Duty of Care - as an employer you have a ‘duty of care’ to look after your employees and this should include their mental health as well as their physical health

4.   Right skills right time – most employers are not counsellors nor should they attempt to be. A trained counsellor or psychologist can provide the professional support required.

5.   Employer of Choice – most candidates would see this as a tangible benefit to their package - plus the view is that their employer cares

So how does the program work? The key to the success of the service is complete confidentiality. You will never know which employee uses the service. If you have sufficient numbers (10 or more individuals) you will receive an annual report that will advise the type of issues involved and some demographics confirming the benefit of the offering to your team. A counsellor will be assigned and, depending on the provider, they will either meet with the employee via phone or face-to-face. In the majority of cases, most individuals will usually only require a couple of sessions with a counsellor to have the desired effect. 

There are a number of providers around but I would recommend that you find one that suits your specific needs, budget and culture. If your employees matter to you, then I would highly recommend you invest in an EAP program.

Natasha Hawker owns Employee Matters Pty Ltd; an HR Consultancy that assists small to medium businesses with their HR functions to make them more efficient and profitable. Their offering includes HR Management, Recruitment, Training, Coaching, and Exit Management – find them at www.employeematters.com.au