EAPs step up for Ukraine

Military forces, blue light services and hospitals in Ukraine are consumed by the constant emergencies caused by the invasion from Russia. In the meantime, there is a mass of the Ukrainian population which is having to deal with the stress and trauma of war. Refugees. Parents. Workers still trying to fulfil their job roles.

Their need for support is demonstrated by the experience of one EAPA member, Workplace Options (WPO). WPO has 175 clients with employees based in Ukraine, and provides EAP services to 581,000 employees in the region more widely.

Emergency resources

As would be expected, March has seen massive increases in the number of calls to the EAP: up 2700% in Ukraine; 200% in Slovakia; 130% in Russia; 122% in the Czech Republic. There have been around 100 critical incident requests and 664 calls relating to what are categorised as ‘disruptive events’.

WPO has also been seeing requests for support linked to anxiety around the war from across the world, in the US and UK (with calls up 15% generally). WPO scaled up its EAP services to include 80 additional hotlines within 19 days, ensuring all calls can be answered within 60 seconds. Counselling is made available within two days.

A tailored Ukraine Crisis Resource site was launched in early March to open up advice and content useful for anyone affected by the war (available in multiple languages, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian and Romanian) — and work is ongoing to create a bank of webinars and guided discussions for Ukrainians, citizens of countries close to the conflict and Ukrainian expatriates.

EAP back-up

“A war like this, with its daily shocks and tragedies, has implications for so many people. Normality has come crashing down to be replaced by inescapable fear,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“Ordinary people in Ukraine, inside or outside of war zones, are being traumatised by what they are seeing and the threats to themselves and their families. The heightened tensions have spread in waves across the entire region into countries with close links to the affected areas.

“The work of WPO and other EAP providers has demonstrated how state-run services can’t be expected to deliver all the support needed when it comes to dealing with psychological stress and severe forms of emotional distress. EAP professionals continue to do crucial work as a back-up emergency service, making sure many more people can get support and advice that protects their wellbeing and keeps people strong through the crisis.”

The Ukraine and Russia conflict happening in your workplace

A major conflict like the invasion of Ukraine sends out ripples across societies and into workplaces, particularly in a multicultural nation like the UK.

Staff with a Ukrainian background or links will be living with intense day-to-day anxieties; Russian nationals might be worried about criticism, harassment and their future prospects; while other employees will have their own fears about an escalation of the crisis, the growing impact on their finances, or have become embroiled in heated social media exchanges.

When sympathies are confidential

Under the 2018 Data Protection Act, employees are allowed to keep their personal background — and any particular links to the conflict — confidential. At the same time, it’s obviously a key part of an employer’s duty of care to make sure HR are thinking about the impacts on staff: who might be in need of emotional support, whether managers need to pay particular attention to how some are being treated.

Employers need to be able to demonstrate they have made reasonable efforts to meet changing needs. That might be allowing time off or more flexible working for staff most affected by the invasion; monitoring behaviours to prevent bullying and harassment — but most of all, to make sure there are opportunities to talk confidentially.

Independent ground

“The invasion has led to all kinds of emotions among staff, many of them personal, sensitive and complex,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“We live in an age when social media is where much of this emotion is displayed, poured out in ways that people will later regret, leading to fierce arguments and a ratcheting up of anger.

“It’s so important that employers are a foundation of understanding and reason, who are there to provide support if and when it’s needed to all their people. EAPs are the natural partner in this situation. They’re able to provide that all-important independence and confidentiality, able to help unpick complexity and offer advice across the spectrum of issues that might be involved.”

The Ukraine and Russia conflict in your workplace – EAPA UK

Why staff keep bullying and discrimination to themselves

A survey by law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp among 2,000 UK workers has suggested that just half think their employer will take their complaints of bullying, discrimination or harassment seriously.

Staff worry about how managers and HR will respond to their complaints, and what the implications will be for how they are perceived and their careers. Meanwhile, when problems are left unaddressed, the strains increase, relationships break down, and there are ripples of effects across teams and workplaces.

The study found that 59% of employees felt it was too expensive to turn to a professional law firm; 52% that there were too many barriers to getting legal support. Only 41% were comfortable with approaching a law firm at all.

The discrimination map

Data from last year points to widespread potential problems. A Key Law study found that more than a third of employees had either seen or experienced bullying themselves in the past three years.

A nationwide study by YouGov for Indeed in 2021 has claimed that London is they city where staff are most likely to be subject to discrimination (up to 30%). Then comes Northern Ireland (29%) and the Midlands (28%). The national average is 23%. The problems are far greater for people with minority ethnic backgrounds (where the figure relating to those likely to experience discrimination rises to 49%); people who are LGBT+ (47%) and those people with a disability (33%).

Always listening

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “Listening to an employee’s concerns is a central part of the employer’s duty of care. Bottling up problems, whether it’s the result of issues at home or at work, is never helpful for either side. That’s why there have to be open channels for people to talk and access the advice they need.

“Just to have the option of opening up to a line manager on one hand, or going straight to a lawyer on the other, is no way to encourage a healthy workplace culture. Impartiality and independence is the critical thing. EAPs are always there to provide that early support, a bridge to defusing the most difficult situations.”

Can we talk about suicide?

Suicide continues to be the most common cause of death for men under 50 – and the cause of around 1 in every 100 deaths worldwide.

When the Mental Health Foundation talked to people in the UK about mental health and the pandemic, asking whether they had experienced thoughts or feelings about suicide within the previous two weeks, in April 2020 8% said they had. But by February 2021 this had climbed to 13%.

While there is more understanding of mental health in workplaces and in society as a whole, the shock-ing, devastating nature of suicide means there is still a stigma – making it much harder for HR, manag-ers and staff themselves to talk about.

Promoting hope

World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September 2021) has highlighted ways that everyone can provide support, founded on the importance of giving someone hope:

“You can help give someone hope by showing that you care. All of us can play a role, no matter how small. We may never know what we do that makes a difference. We all can reach in and ask some-body. You do not need to tell them what to do or have solutions, but simply making the time and space to listen to someone about their experiences of distress or suicidal thoughts can help.”

The Prevention Day organisers point to the need to ‘change the narrative’ on suicide through a situa-tion where more people feel able to ask for help and talk about the full extent of their negative thoughts and feelings. Most importantly, they say, there’s a need to share personal stories of emo-tional distress, suicidal thoughts or attempt, and their experiences of recovery in order to inspire hope.

Involving professionals

“While suicide remains a stigma, it’s so important that employees don’t feel they have to remain si-lent,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. “Because they are ashamed about how they are feeling. Talking about stress is one thing, suicidal thoughts are

“That’s why early and immediate access to EAP counsellors is critical. An anonymous and confidential conversation makes it possible to admit the extent of negative feelings. A call with a professional can then also be the first step towards ensuring the right help is received at the right time, and be the basis for re-building a sense of normality and ways forward.”

If GPs aren’t – who is helping employees with symptoms of depression?

The winter lockdown of 2021 led to 19% of employed adults experiencing some form of depression, according to ONS figures from a survey of 26,000 people in the UK.

Less well-off adults were also worst affected: a third of those who couldn’t afford an unexpected but necessary expense of £850 experienced depression. Women (four in 10) and younger adults (aged between 16 and 29) were also more likely to be affected by symptoms such as sleeping problems, poor appetite and feelings of hopelessness. This situation compares with overall levels in the population of around 10% before Covid-19.

Avoiding GPs

At the same time, GP-diagnosed cases of adult depression have fallen during the pandemic. This indicates that fewer people are going to their GP for help due to lack of appointment availability, concerns about exposure to people with Covid-19 in surgeries, as well as worries about distracting GPs from their pandemic roles.

The CIPD has called for employers to make sure line managers are trained to support wellbeing, can have empathetic conversations and identify early signs of issues with mental ill-health.

Filling the gaps

“It’s critical that early signs of mental ill-health aren’t ignored and left to develop into more serious conditions,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“For different reasons relating to the pandemic many people haven’t felt able to approach their GP, the usual source of anonymous, independent advice when it comes to mental wellbeing. Inevitably that has meant employees who have tried to cope on their own, who have kept worries bottled up or downplayed the symptoms they’ve been experiencing.

“The immediate access to advice provided by EAPs is invaluable in this situation – and as we know, the numbers of people using EAPs has been rising throughout the past year. Not only do EAPs offer round the clock support, but also a faster route to GPs and talking therapies such as CBT. In a situation where the long-term fall-out from the effects of Covid-19 is yet to be fully understood, employers need to make sure that all staff are aware of how their EAP will help them and family members with early signs of depression.”

who is helping employees with symptoms of depression, Eugene Farrell.