Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
The UK Health and Safety Executive has stated that 'Work-related stress, depression or anxiety is the leading cause of working days lost through work-related injury or ill health, with an estimated 12.5 million days a year lost in 2003/4.'
Helping managers and staff effectively resolve situations that may impact on their work performance is one of the best investments an employer can make.
A Care first Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) can help you do exactly that.
By working proactively with organisations to provide support to their workforce, our preventive and integrated approach to the emotional welfare of your employees is designed to maximise productivity.
As every business has different requirements, elements of our EAP can simply be combined to create a bespoke programme, providing the precise type and level of employee assistance needed. The key elements offered as part of our EAPs are shown below:
Direct employee assistance
- telephone counselling
- face-to-face counselling
- specialist helplines
- mediation and conflict management
- critical incident support
- information and advice
- training courses
- coaching for performance
Management support
- bullying & harassment
- grievance
- sickness absence
- disciplinary procedures
- performance issues
EAPs and the law
Your business needs to comply with UK employment law and to meet its 'duty of care' as an employer. Implementing a tailored Care first Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) can help you achieve compliance, and reduce the risk of litigation.
What does your 'duty of care' entail?
In 1992, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations outlined an organisation's 'duty of care' relating to the wellbeing of staff in the workplace. Under this legislation, stress is regarded as an occupational hazard that must be dealt with. The regulations indicate that employers are now accountable for assessing the nature and scale of both mental stresses and physical risks to health in the workplace.
Putting an EAP in place demonstrates your commitment to maintaining the mental wellbeing of your employees. It is also worth considering that the absence of any form of employee assistance programme or counselling may strengthen an applicant's case in an employment tribunal or civil action, where an employer's 'duty of care' is called into question.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
On 3 November 2004, the HSE launched new management standards and tools designed to help businesses and their employees manage the issue of work-related stress and minimise its impact on their organisation. This builds on the HSE's recent guidance for managers on improving and maintaining employee health and wellbeing.
For a full explanation, description of the new standards and access to a wealth of useful material, visit the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/stress
