Promoting EAPs during National Stress Awareness Month

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 12.5 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016/17. During the same period, more than 500,000 workers stated that they were suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. GPs also report that symptoms of stress are on the increase in the UK, with the majority of GPs (85%) reporting a rise in the number of patients with symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in the last five years according to a survey by Royal London.

While the majority of work-related stress is attributed to workload, around 1 in 7 people say it is due to lack of support. Yet we know that Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) are the most popular wellbeing initiative provided by employers in the UK. While awareness is growing slowly, a gap still exists between awareness and the services already being provided by organisations to support mental health issues. “The issue here is that while some employees are aware their organisation has an EAP, they don’t necessarily know what it means and how it can help,” says Neil Mountford, chair of the UK Employee Assistance Professionals Association.

“Hosting regular EAP awareness and mental health awareness sessions can help give employees a better understanding of mental health , as well as an awareness of the services and support available to them. Improving knowledge of how EAPs can help will also increase usage of the service. If there are concerns around confidentiality of the EAP, it is vital to communicate that any discussions are private and confidential and will not be shared with their employer. It also helps if managers have a better understanding of the EAP and other support services available so that they can talk to employees about these.

“In order for an EAP to deliver significant benefit and value, employers need to work with their providers to raise awareness and provide education for employees. Organisations that do this will see the long term benefits of a successful EAP and the positive impact on employee wellbeing and organisation through improved productivity and fewer days lost to mental ill health. Line manager education and coaching on how best to manage mental health issues is also a key part of the equation and while EAPs have the capability, expertise and capacity to do this, this is less well known and utilised by employers.

“If take-up of your EAP is low, consider creating events or communications to tie in with key events on the wellbeing calendar and help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. Ultimately, it is in the interest of all EAP providers to raise awareness of the issue of mental health at work and the role we can play in eradicating the problem and April’s National Stress Awareness Month could be the perfect place to start.”

New ROI tool for EAPs

Two years ago, EAPA UK commissioned The Work Foundation to investigate the use, impact and ROI of EAPs. This first phase of research found that while Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are among the most commonly used wellbeing interventions in the UK, very few providers or their clients are able to collect systematic evaluation data beyond take-up or utilisation statistics and satisfaction surveys. More detailed findings and discussion of the study conducted by The Work Foundation is available in the full report, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs): Supporting good work for UK employers?

The research found that most EAPs, at minimum, covered their costs but that more work could be conducted to identify the main components of both costs and benefits at employer level. Based on these recommendations, EAPA UK funded further research, carried out by Professor Stephen Bevan at the Institute of Employment Studies (IES), to design, test and develop an algorithm that would enable employers and EAP providers to measure return on investment.

“We are looking forward to unveiling the UK’s first ROI tool for EAPs at our AGM next Tuesday 6 March at the Health and Wellbeing at Work event at the NEC. For the first time EAP providers and employers will be able to demonstrate the value of their EAPs, using the results to better inform their health and wellbeing strategy and deliver even greater value to employees. Importantly, over time, this ROI tool will also provide a UK benchmark of EAP providers to help employers make more informed judgements of EAP value and quality,” said EAPA UK Chair, Neil Mountford.

Watch this space for more information about the ROI tool which will be made available on our website very soon.

Mental health in the workplace: advice for managers

A new factsheet from the UK EAPA provides practical strategies for managers to support employees and constructively manage situations where mental health is contributing factor.

“Line managers are faced with numerous responsibilities relating to the guidance, support, development, discipline and performance of employees, and also hold shared responsibility for ensuring the employer’s duty of care for the welfare of their staff is delivered.

“Increasing recognition of the prevalence of mental health issues and workplace stress requires line managers to have greater awareness of sustainable strategies that address these issues and meet the requirements of both employees and the wider businesses,” said Caroline Ribeiro-Nelson, author of the factsheet, who is an experienced Psychotherapist, Consultant and Trainer and is an individual member of the UK EAPA.

You can download your own copy of the Factsheet here.

UK EAPA’s latest research to quantify the ‘return on investment’ of EAPs

Following the recent publication of UK EAPA’s research in partnership with the Work Foundation into the use, impact and reach of EAPs in today’s organisation, the UK Employee Assistance Professionals Association’s next research project will quantify the ‘return on investment’ of employers’ investment in these programmes.

“The UK EAPA has asked The Work Foundation, alongside Professor Stephen Bevan from the Institute of Employment Studies, to assess the economic returns that employers can expect to accrue from their investment in an EAP. Based on data collected from EAP providers, we will build an ROI calculator that will enable those who are assessing the cost-effectiveness of their current workplace health interventions to better understand the value that an EAP can deliver,” said Andrew Kinder, UK EAPA’s Chair.

“Work has already begun to collect data from EAP providers to help build the ROI calculator and we are looking forward to working with the Work Foundation once again to develop an independent and objective appraisal of the economic returns of investment in an EAP,” said Paul Roberts, UK EAPA Executive Board Member and research lead.

EAPs are among the most commonly used well-being interventions in the UK with the EAPA’s Market Watch report (2013) identifying that almost 12 million employees in the UK are covered by EAP provision. Other data, for example from Employee Benefits (2013), suggests that 71 per cent of employers in the UK are making use of EAPs.

“These figures highlight that EAPs have the ‘reach’ to make a significant impact on the well-being of a large number of UK employees, saving UK businesses a considerable sum in reduced sickness absence and improved productivity.  We are looking forward to working in partnership with UK EAPA, as well as the Institute of Employment Studies, to better understand return on investment and make recommendations about how the design, implementation and targeting of EAPs can be adapted to maximise their reach and effectiveness,” said Dr. Zofia Bajorek, researcher at the Work Foundation who will lead this project.

The research is expected to be published in early May 2017. If you would like to receive the new research report on publication, please email info@eapa.org.uk to request a copy.

In the age of digital working, EAPs are a missed opportunity for building people performance and productivity

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) services are a missed opportunity for building people performance and productivity in the new era of digital working, according to a new ‘state-of-the-industry’ report produced by Lancaster University’s The Work Foundation.

Just 9% of HR manager respondents in the research – carried out among 88 organisations in September 2016 – had attempted to evaluate their EAP in terms of a cost utility benefit or return on investment via the impact on sickness absence, productivity, performance or engagement. 31% admitted there had been no attempt to evaluate the quality or impact of the EAP and 9% didn’t know whether there was any evaluation.

In the study, HR managers pointed to an ongoing stigma associated with the EAP, as a counselling service primarily for staff with mental health issues, limiting the use of the wider EAP service among employees. Low-level promotion of EAPs and the scope of services available is also thought to be restricting use of services for anything other than crises and situations already at a serious stage.

The Work Foundation study was commissioned by the UK Employee Assistance Professionals Association (UK EAPA) and published on 23 November 2016 as The evolution of employee assistance: investigating the use, impact and reach of EAPs in today’s organisations.

UK EAPA is calling for a re-positioning of the EAP as a business performance driver, promotion of the EAP as an everyday support service for wellbeing and life coaching; the need for more formal ROI processes and more collaboration between providers and employers to deliver both.

Andrew Kinder, UK EAPA Chair, said: “Our digital working lives are ever-faster, more mobile and flexible. They are also more demanding, pressurised and dependent on resilience. The issue for HR is whether the workplace culture, management and its support services have kept pace with all the changes?”

“Every employee needs a release valve for the combination of home and work pressures,” added Paul Roberts, UK EAPA Board Member and Project Lead. “Which is why the EAP, the provision of professional and independent advice, is gaining in significance as a standard part of workplace life.

“Working in partnership, EAP providers and HR can deliver real organisational benefits though more of a commitment to employee wellbeing by looking closely at the hard evidence and return-on-investment from a pro-active use of EAPs and related initiatives.”

“Creating the right conditions for employees to work in, and promoting ‘good work’ in organisations, is important when considering the health and wellbeing of the working age population. EAPs are one way through which employers can be seen to promote positive employee health and wellbeing, however the research indicates that HR can be doing more to promote this service. Amidst this turbulent economic environment where budgets are increasingly tightened, it is now more important than ever to promote these services and determine what the cost-benefits of EAPs are for both employee wellbeing and organisational outcomes”, commented Dr Zofia Bajorek, Researcher at The Work Foundation.

The overall average level of use of EAP services by employees is 5%. 22% of HR managers say EAP use is rising; 6% say levels have decreased; 72% that use hasn’t really changed. The most common uses of an EAP among the surveyed organisations are for depression (57%), and coping with family events (56%). Workplace issues are less reported – difficulties with line managers (20%), workplace restructure (15%), bullying (6%). EAPs are also seen as an important resource for managers looking for support. In the research, 68% say it’s being used by managers asking for support on how to manage workplace issues, for management consultation (49%) and management information on employee and organisational interventions (44%).

To request a copy of the full report, please email info@eapa.org.uk.

Do EAPs deliver value for money?

There is probably more anecdotal evidence about the eff­ectiveness of employee assistance programmes than about any other product or service in the group risk world. But anecdotal evidence is of limited use in formulating a concrete business case and what EAPs conspicuously lack in the UK is any authoritative industry-wide data to convince employers that it is worth making the effort to promote them. With comment from EAPA Chair, Andrew Kindler, Corporate Advisor investigates – you can read the full article here.

UK EAPA wins Outstanding Branch Award at 2015 World EAP Conference

UK EAPA has been named ‘Outstanding Branch’ at the 2015 World EAP Conference in San Diego on 2 October 2015.

The Outstanding Branch Award honours the UK Branch for outstanding growth, development, and community outreach and reflects the significant efforts we have made in recent years to promote the employee assistance profession in the UK and establish partnerships with government bodies and other industry associations.

“I am delighted the UK has been globally recognised as an outstanding branch of EAPA International. The award is testament to many years’ hard work by our members and the dedicated support and commitment of our Executive Committee and Past Chairs. We are an energetic Branch with ambitious plans for the future and we will continue to promote best practice and standards within the EAP industry in the future,” said Andrew Kinder, Chair of the UK EAPA.