How EAPs have become an essential pillar to the UK’s mental health provision

Data from a ‘state-of-the-market’ survey among members of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA UK) reveal how more people are turning to their workplace EAP.

Holding it together: UK mental wellbeing and the role of Employee Assistance Programmes points to huge growth in the EAP over the past 20 years, up to £118 million compared with £32.2 million in 2003.

An estimated 640,250 employees contacted their EAP in the period between January 2022 and January 2023 — of which, 434,250 (68%) were offered counselling as a result of concerns over their mental health. EAPs delivered more than 1.375 million counselling sessions. On average, 1.7% of counselling cases came with a ‘red flag’ (involving an immediate and serious risk of suicide). This translates to more than 10,000 lives at serious risk from suicide each year. Some EAP providers report red flag cases as being at levels above 3%.

Extended roles for EAPs?

Commenting on the figures, Sir Cary Cooper CBE, 50th Anniversary Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at the ALLIANCE Manchester Business School said: “It’s critical that the Government, the NHS and other healthcare stakeholders, understand the role the EAP industry has been playing in supporting mental health, providing immediate access to counselling and professional assessment for millions of people every year.

“Given the limitations to NHS resources and both the scale and complexity of dealing with people’s mental wellbeing, more thought and discussion is needed around the place of EAPs — including how else they can help. Maybe there’s a need for extensions to EAP services, to ensure there’s provision for longer-term counselling programmes through to recovery.”

What’s next

EAPA UK Chair, Karl Bennett said: “EAPs have become a pillar of mental health provision for the UK, providing rapid access to professional support for the majority of the workforce, and delivering value-for-money for employers. The question now is what happens in the next 20 years.

“Sir Cary suggests that maybe there’s a need for an extension to EAP services, ensuring there’s provision for longer-term counselling programmes through to recovery. This would mean looking at the impact to providers and a model that adopts a more psychological approach as our core offering, with standardised clinical outcomes.

“Is this something we as providers are equipped to do and if so, is there the appetite to do it? I think once upon a time the answer to this would have been ‘yes’. But when the average cost of an EAP per employee has seen a significant decrease, and with the reliance on our services becoming much higher, I think the answer might be, how can we? If EAPs take on more of a role in supporting the NHS, how do we protect out resources, including our therapists, and what should our standard nonclinical EAP services be?”

A copy of the Holding it together 2023 report can be downloaded from www.eapa.org.uk

The cost of poor mental health at work reaches £28 billion in 2022

New figures from AXA UK and Centre for Business and Economic Research (Cebr) point to the vast financial costs to employers caused by stress, burnout and poor mental health.

The AXA Mind Health Study involved a survey of 30,000 people from 16 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The UK, alongside the USA, was found to have the largest proportion of employees struggling with mental health issues: 21% were in a state of ‘emotional distress’; 26% had an ‘absence of positive wellbeing’. Compared with the previous year, there had also been an improvement in the numbers of people with very good mental health (up from 18 to 23%), pointing to a widening gap in experience between groups of employees.

Cost consequences

Previous studies have suggested that burnout leads to an increase in the number of sick days by 21%. At the same time, stress in general has been found to lead to reductions in productivity and performance, as well as an increase in healthcare costs for organisations.

The AXA/Cebr study also showed differences in terms of the level of issues by sector. Public sector workers are more likely to experience work-related stress; health and social sectors are more likely to feel worried about their job, while higher earners are more likely to experience work-related stress and low moods. Just over half of workers surveyed felt their company provided good support to employees on mental health.

Looking to the positive

EAPA UK chair, Karl Bennett said: “The key stat in the report is not around the costs to employers but relates to the other side of the story. Employees who feel they are being actively supported with their mental health at work are twice as likely to be ‘happy’, and almost three and a half times more likely to be ‘flourishing’.

“Rather than seeing employee issues around mental health as just a source of rising costs — people as a problem and support as a cost-reduction measure — organisations need to think in terms of the positives of a healthy workplace culture, providing a better experience, demonstrating a genuine commitment and care for people, which all leads to benefits for everyone involved with an organisation.”

Are half of us suffering from burnout?

Data from the end of 2022 on the physical and mental wellbeing of thousands of desk-based workers worldwide points to a crisis in ‘burnout’. Future Forum figures claim 48% of employees in the UK (and in France) believe they are suffering from burnout — compared with 41% in the USA.

Japan was reported to have the lowest levels at 27%. German workers came in at 37%.

Out of control

Other findings suggest that the burnout issue is linked to issues with retention: one of three staff were trying to get a new job specifically in order to escape from a toxic culture where burnout is common.

Those staff experiencing burnout were twice as likely to be feeling “disconnected from company values, direct managers, immediate team and executive leadership”.

Feeling out of control of workloads and ways of working, was seen as a particular cause. Those people with less flexibility in their work schedules were 26% more likely to have flagged feelings of burnout.

What’s burnout?

EAPA UK chair, Eugene Farrell said: “We’re much more comfortable talking about our mental health, and issues like stress, anxiety and the potential for burnout. In the past, far fewer people would have thought about themselves in terms of such a serious condition as burnout, involving a psychological, emotional and physical state of collapse.

“There’s no doubt we’re continuing to live through extended periods of heightened pressures and uncertainties that can combine and snowball. Employers need to make sure their people have a way to do something about negative feelings, make sure they can get a clearer sense of what those feelings mean, and best ways of building resilience. More minor problems can be caught early, and longer-term issues like burnout prevented.”

Join us for a Networking Dinner

at the Health & Wellbeing @ Work Event

14^th March 2023, Genting Hotel, NEC

EAPA (Employee Assistance Professionals Association UK) is hosting a networking dinner at the NEC Health & Wellbeing @ Work event on Tuesday 14^th March 2023.   This dinner directly follows the EAPA AGM, taking place at the NEC event from 5.30pm to 7.00pm.

This informal networking dinner is open to anyone who is interested in wellbeing and mental health in the workplace.  Tickets are being advertised to all EAPA members (organisations and individuals) first – and also to other individuals and conference delegates working in this field, for example, occupational health providers.  Please feel free to extend this invitation to your colleagues and/or other contacts who may be interested in attending.

Please complete and return the attached booking form to reserve your place(s).  An invoice will be sent to you on receipt of your booking and payment will be required before the date of the dinner (by 13^th March 2023).  Tickets cost £45.00 per person for EAPA members and £50.00 for non-members.   Tickets are limited and are being sold on a first come – first served basis, so early booking is strongly recommended!

Booking form link is here

https://www.eapa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dinner-Booking-Form-EAPA-v5.docx

EAPA UK AGM 2023

The AGM for UK EAPA will take place at The Health and Wellbeing Conference at the NEC Birmingham on 14th March at 17:30 hours. We have not yet been allocated a room.

Please register to attend by email to Gemma Lingard Secretary EAPA UK info@eapa.org.uk

The agenda and minutes of the previous AGM will be sent to all registrants.

Nominations are now open for UK EAPA Board members.

Nominations are being accepted for:

Chair

Vice-Chair

Secretary

Treasurer

The are 7 board positions available, 2 for 1 year term and 5 for two year term. Please indicate which position term you are being nominated for.

Members can nominate themselves in writing, sent to info@eapa.org.uk. Only one representative of an organisation or an entity affiliated to the organisation, including its parent company and other affiliated organisations, is eligible to become an Officer or Board member. Nomination form is linked here. Please note the Board Member Commitment that is required of all.

The closing date for nominations is 28^th February 2023

Election will be made by a show of hands by those attending the AGM, with a majority vote proving positive for election.

Who’s afraid of the ‘Sunday scaries’?

Research linked to this month’s World Mental Health Day has suggested that 67% of UK employees regularly experience the Sunday scaries, an anxiety at the thought of Mondays. Among 18 to 24 year-olds the figure rises to 74%.

The main causes, says the research, are the thought of the ‘to-do’ list waiting for people, along with a lack of sleep. And typical Sunday evening behaviours, the distractions like bingeing on TV programmes or social media, only make things worse, say psychologists.

Soothing scaries

Other factors are important in creating Sunday night anxieties. Like what’s happening at home and feelings of weekends not providing the sense of restfulness and security that they should. And the return of the stresses of Monday morning commuting into the office, what the roads and railways are going to be like.

In response to the study, wellbeing experts have recommended ways in which employers can help counter the Sunday scaries, such as ‘safe spaces’ where staff can talk about their work worries rather than bottle them up; try not to hold too many high pressure review or catch-up meetings on Monday mornings; making people more aware of the mental health support on offer, such as EAPs; and, even mixing-up the working week so that Monday isn’t always the first working day, breaking the routine.

Normal life

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “The Sunday scaries is just another buzzword — but anything that keeps mental wellbeing on the agenda for employers isn’t such a bad thing. It can help make sure people keep thinking about the effects work has on them, and getting early support from services like an EAP.

“At the same time, this kind of term raises issues of balance. Where do HR — and employees themselves — draw the line between ongoing levels of stress and anxiety that can lead to issues with mental health, and ordinary experiences of apprehension. It’s only normal to have feelings of nerves ahead of days when we’re going to be tested and challenged, expected to be producing our best. Often it’s only a sign that we care about our work, and that’s a healthy thing, it’s where we also get the positive sense of fulfilment and achievement from. The Friday night glow.”

Who’s afraid of the ‘Sunday scaries’? – EAPA UK

New WHO/ILO mental health guidelines focus on the workplace

Workplaces amplify issues that have a negative affect on mental wellbeing, says the World Health Organisation: through feelings of inequality, discrimination and bullying. 12 billion workdays are said to be lost annually as a result of depression and anxiety, costing the global economy nearly $1trn.

At the same time only 35% of countries around the world have specific national programmes that support work-related mental wellbeing.

Call to action

The WHO alongside the International Labour Organisation has launched its guidelines on mental health at work, with suggestions of practical actions to take in a WHO/ILO policy brief.

The guidelines recommend in particular that organisations take action on issues such as heavy workloads, pay more attention to the kinds of negative behaviours that create distress among employees, and provide training to managers on how to prevent creating a stressful work environment.

Employers are also encouraged to look again at how to best accommodate the needs of workers with mental health conditions and support their return to work.

New worlds of support

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “The WHO has been providing active advice and guidance on physical health for many decades, great strides have been taken internationally on prevention and cure of physical illness and disease.

“As the WHO interventions have indicated, mental health is now among the biggest threat to societies — and workplaces are at the centre of the issues involved. That means mental wellbeing strategies, linked to practical programmes of support, have to be front and centre of organisational strategy.”

New WHO/ILO mental health guidelines focus on the workplace – EAPA UK

World Mental Health Day takes on discrimination

WHO research suggests that 1 in 4 people in OECD countries think people with a mental illness shouldn’t be allowed to hold any kind of public office.

Ongoing stigma and discrimination are seen as the biggest barrier to making progress on making mental health a global priority: “The stereotyped attitudes about mental ill health, which we call mental health-related stigma, can lead to the discrimination of people who have or are perceived to have mental ill health, which makes it harder for them to earn an income, have a voice in issues that affect them, gain access to quality health care, be part of their community and recover their mental health,” says the WHO.

Mental health literacy

To overcome these ‘invisible walls’, the WHO is calling for campaigns to improve mental health literacy among the general public, tackling general limitations in knowledge and understanding of what mental ill health means, and what it’s like to live with a mental illness.
Its own resources include the QualityRights toolkit, and free e-training course .

In the UK, the Department of Health and Social Care has its ‘Better Health – Every Mind Matters’ campaign, backed up by a number of practical exercises and advice for self-care, including the NHS-approved Mind Plan — a five minute mental wellbeing quiz that covers ‘money, work and housing’ and ‘life changes and difficult times’, leading to a simple and personalised mental health action plan. Its downloadable resources are available from a Campaign Resource Centre.

EAPs make it happen

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “No-one involved with mental health would argue that the issue should be a top priority for governments and societies worldwide. There’s no health of any kind without mental health.

“Great progress has been made in the UK in terms of awareness and stigma in the UK, but as the WHO points out, there can sometimes be a lack of real understanding and empathy. A core issue is one of access to support. It should be a normal part of life for people to be thinking about their mental wellbeing, and to get early help and advice when it’s needed. While access to services is limited, seen as a last resort, help with mental health won’t be made to look and feel ‘normal’.

“This is where EAPs are going to play an increasingly essential role, as early stage support, accessible and reliable for all employees within organisations.”

World Mental Health Day takes on discrimination – EAPA

Is wellbeing becoming a top manager perk again?

A survey among 10,000 workers internationally by the Future Forum research group has signalled a “troubling double standard”: a steady decline in the stress experienced by senior staff, but an increase in anxiety among the majority of workers.

The researchers point to a basic divide in terms of work flexibility and conditions post-pandemic. Exec-utives have been given more freedom to work from home and flexibly, while workers have been ex-pected to get back to the office. As a result, the average employee’s work-life balance score was found to be 40% lower than executives. Full-time office workers were found to have markedly lower mental health scores.

The back-to-the-office effect

After a period of more easy-going attitudes to wfh and flexible working hours, the desire among boss-es to see staff back in the workplace is having disproportionate effects. A Microsoft study has suggest-ed that 50% of organisations want to re-instate full-time office working routines.

Future Forum Vice President, Sheela Subramanian, explained the problem: “Executives are embracing flexibility while they’re telling everybody else to come back to the office. What we’re seeing is just a lot more rigidity, more top-down mandates happening and executives are not necessarily setting that model from the top.”

Keep it clear on wellbeing

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “Wellbeing among staff is the foundation for productivity and performance across the entirety of organisations, not something that can be seen as a perk. It’s going to be important for HR teams to ensure there’s not a quiet drift in attitudes to seeing work/life balance and flexible routines as something that can only work for the few — the few who are typically in the senior ranks.

“The danger is not so much now, while employers are having to compete for skills, but what happens when there is less competition? Support for wellbeing has to be even-handed.”

Is wellbeing becoming a top manager perk again? – EAPA UK

Who struggles with wellbeing most — staff or bosses?

A survey of more than 2,000 C-suite business leaders in the UK, US, Canada and Australia has revealed how almost 70% would like to leave their job for one that was better for their wellbeing.

The report by Deloitte and Workplace Intelligence (The C-suite’s role in well-being: How health-savvy executives can go beyond workplace wellness to workplace well-being) highlights the negative impact of the recent pandemic years on the wellbeing of top execs. 36% said that they were feeling exhausted, leading to ill-health; 24% were ‘lonely’, and 23% ‘depressed’.

Disconnected experiences

Figures also point to very different perspectives on who the pandemic affected most, whose wellbeing has come under the most pressure. More than 80% of the C-suite thought their employees were ‘thriving’ in terms of their wellbeing; 90% believed they understood entirely how difficult the Covid-19 years had been for their staff.

At the same time, fewer than half of the workforces themselves thought that their bosses understood the challenges. Just 56% believed that the C-suite cared about them and their wellbeing.

Early interventions

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “It’s true that the leadership and employees have been under different kinds of pressures in the Covid-19 age. Rapid adaptation and strategic re-working on one side, delivery and adaptability on the other. But both have affected wellbeing in serious ways.

“What matters is that C-suite executives take wellbeing seriously for themselves — and appreciate that less obvious responsibility really doesn’t mean there’s a carefree existence among their staff. No one is more deserving than anyone else, and ultimately a holistic approach to wellbeing, one where everyone is aware of its importance and understands different needs for support, is the healthiest environment for organisations and their performance.

“And if top execs are feeling isolated and removed from the rest of the business, coming together to share in wellbeing activities, whatever form they take, could be the best way to re-connect.”

Who struggles with wellbeing most — staff or bosses? – EAPA UK