UK’S first automated mental health robot launched in Employee Assistance Programme

People with access to the Care first Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) will now get the chance to talk to an automated “Woebot®” for the first time.

Care first has teamed up with the American-made Woebot to provide employees with round-the-clock access to this mental health chat service. The wellbeing and counselling provider is the first in the UK to include Woebut in its EAP – which also includes phone and face-to-face counselling.

Woebot uses cognitive behavioural technology (CBT) to check in to the caller’s mood, before helping them ‘reframe’ negative thoughts with the aim of improving them. The idea is to provide a daily stimulus to help people think more positively, by supplying them with techniques that could help.

Woebot is currently used in more than 130 countries. The automated service is also trained to spot “crisis” language, which Care first says will then trigger the user to be directed to a counsellor accredited and employed by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Eugene Farrell, chair of UK EAPA, says Woebot is an interesting new development on the EAP scene.

“It will be fascinating to see how Woebot is used amongst staff who have access to this EAP provider,” he says. “Research shows that people are more likely to access mental health services in situations where they don’t feel vulnerable. An automated robot may be a less intimidating service to talk to than a person. The use of Woebot worldwide has also shown that it is particularly well used by male professionals aged between 25 to 34 – a group where we have traditionally not seen a great take-up of counselling services. It’s great that technology can step in and provide a safe environment which is clearly helping millions of people already.

“I hope that Woebot will prove to be a great addition to EAP services where it is being implemented. Whatever gets people to open up and talk about their mental health is a great boost in any workplace.”

Future proofing your EAP

In this second article from Tracey Paxton, EAPA executive board member and director of operations for Vivup EAP, she talks about how harnessing technology to create a fully integrated support system and h, with the EAP at the heart of it, is the best way to safeguard this vital service for the future of your organisation.

The challenge of how to increase employee engagement with EAPs is a very important one for organisations, but the next stage to retaining this highly valuable service is how to future-proof it properly.

After all, issues such as mental health, stress and anxiety are being increasingly recognised and show no signs of going away any time soon. If we all want to ensure that access to confidential counselling, as well as a plethora of other benefits, is kept going in an organisation, it’s important to consider how to plan ahead so that employees continue to engage with this service.

In a previous article, I talked about how to increase employee engagement with EAPs in the here and now. But how should we carry on doing so in the future?

Technology

Senior leaders who want to increase EAP engagement and safeguard it for the future should put themselves in the shoes of those who may be requiring these services, and consider how they would feel most comfortable doing so. Someone who is ready to seek help from a counselling service is generally in a vulnerable state, and would not choose to make the call in the middle of the working day in a busy office. They would prefer to access this service in such a way as to not attract attention, and which is easy for them to do.

Research shows technology actually increases engagement with an EAP from 10 to 30 per cent. Therefore, a great way of future proofing your organisation’s EAP is to ensure you have harnessed tech effectively so that employees are able to reach help via multiple channels. Consider different platforms and apps that will enable the whole workforce to be able to access help, preferably in the privacy of their own home or somewhere where they feel safe.

Embedding a sense of wellbeing

How to get more employees to access their EAP is a perennial head-scratcher for organisations. While take-up at company level is relatively high, engagement with users remains fairly low. That may be because EAPs have been seen in the past as being a service that is available for those who need help – essentially a ‘reactive’ service, in other words, rather than something that can offer general support. Those people who are feeling so up against it that they are prepared to ask for help are generally a small fraction of those who would probably benefit.

This divergence in take-up may present a problem in the future as organisations look upon their EAP with a chilly accountant’s eye, equating low take-up with low value.

The answer is to create a culture where staff health and wellbeing are actively encouraged and embedded, therefore encouraging higher take-up of available services such as an EAP. In this way, we can also help people who might not have asked for help by fostering a culture of general self-care rather than only asking for help when it’s really, really needed. What you want is for staff to feel empowered to think: ‘I am feeling a little stressed and a little low. I think I might engage with my EAP today, and ask if they have any tips as to how I can make myself feel better.’

So how can an organisation embed a holistic health and wellbeing culture at work?

The answer is to use the EAP to do the job. An EAP can often provide the centralised platform which provides a wealth of information and support for staff, from psychological wellbeing to physical fitness, plus financial and legal assistance. It’s very important that mental health is fully integrated within all these other strands of support so it is seen as being just as important. By ‘joining up’ these things, emotional support becomes part of the package. It becomes as normal to access help with mental health as it does to seek assistance with financial matters, say, or ask how to improve your fitness.

This is what we mean when we talk about ‘360 support’. EAPs should not operate in isolation from other support systems available in an organisation. Only by being fully integrated, can engagement increase in an organisation from bottom to top.

What should organisations do to encourage staff to use their EAP?

This week, Tracey Paxton, director of operations for Vivup EAP and executive board member of UK EAPA writes about how employers can encourage staff to use their EAP.

Offering Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) to staff continues to remain a popular option amongst UK organisations, who are keen to find ways of supporting their workforce. In turn, of course, this brings benefits to employers in terms of increased productivity with the reduction in days off work due to stress and other problems.

But while take-up of EAPs may be high when it comes to organisations choosing to opt for these services, it is also the case that take-up of their EAP by those whom it is intended to benefit – employees – is still low. Figures show that relatively few actually access their EAP despite it being on offer to the whole workforce.

Why is this? It isn’t as though problems such as financial worries, anxiety and stress have gone away: far from it, they are as real as ever and even on the rise. EAPs are often available 24/7 and always confidential, so are an ideal resource for people who need support. Why aren’t more people using their EAP and what can employers do about it?

The problem is often simply one of communication. Many employees are simply not aware that they had access to an EAP. As a former senior NHS manager and provider of EAP services, I can attest to this, often hearing staff say they did not know that an EAP was available to them.

So, whose responsibility is it to ensure that employees are aware that their EAP is ready and waiting to help them? While it may be tempting to say that this responsibility lies with the provider, in my view it is as much with the organisation itself.

If that’s the case, then what can employers do about it?

Making an EAP visible

An organisation always works best if everything about that organisation has ‘buy-in’ from senior management down. If you want to embed a culture where people feel confident to ask for help, then that support needs to be clearly visible right to the top.

Visibility of the EAP can be achieved very effectively in several ways. Consider hosting Health and Wellbeing Days for your staff. How often you have them is up to you but these days should allow employees to find out all about the benefits of their EAP and, most importantly, what they need to do to access them. You could time these days so they fall at the same time as key dates in the national health calendar such as World Mental Health Day.

If employees are going to engage with their EAP, they will benefit from information to take away and digest at their leisure. Information packs and presentations with clear visuals will really help boost awareness.

The next step is to ensure that all managers within the organisation are aware of how to have supportive conversations with their staff. Helping someone who is struggling takes patience and skills – a person asking for help is a person who is feeling vulnerable who will easily feel ‘brushed off’ if they are not dealt with sensitively. Managers should also have full awareness of support services to which they can direct vulnerable staff.

Accessing the EAP

Someone who needs help will easily feel put off if they are struggling to get hold of the person they need, and this will make them feel even lower and more rejected. Make sure that clear instructions on exactly how to access EAP provision are signposted via all communication methods within your organisation. Posters in clearly visible places; small cards available on public reception areas that can be picked up and put in wallets, plus any online platforms such as newsletters and intranet sites, are all places where EAP provision should be seen. Also add EAP contact details to all documentation that passes between hands in organisations, such as meeting agendas.

Confidentiality is key

As I said above, remember that one of the clear attractions of EAP services to employees is that it is confidential. When we have problems, we want to know they will reach no other ears than those in whom we are confiding. Research has shown that employees will tend to phone their EAP after hours – if that option is available to them – suggesting that people would prefer to be alone when they do this. Many people want to know whether their line manager or colleagues will find out that they have accessed the service. Make it clear that all lines of communication between employees and the EAP are confidential, that no reports are sent back and that there is no record of their use. Also, make it clear that the exception to this is a situation where a client wants to harm themselves or other people: in that circumstance, a professional must intervene.

Other services

Also helpful is for organisations to make it known to staff that although EAPs may be known for their counselling services, they also provide a lot of other things such as legal advice and help with financial problems, as well as welfare issues and psychological help. Often, these services are available round-the-clock.

In making EAPs clearly visible in every channel of the workplace, stating the range of services they provide and how they can be accessed, senior managers have a much better chance of encouraging greater take-up amongst their staff.

UK EAPA welcomes news that Bupa is providing 9,000 former Thomas Cook employees access to an EAP

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are becoming increasingly recognised for the wide scope of confidential help they give, from practical to emotional.

Less common is for one business to offer its EAP services to another … which is why Bupa’s recent announcement that they would be offering former employees of collapsed travel firm Thomas Cook an EAP was great to see.

In September, Thomas Cook ceased trading leading to large job losses and the biggest UK peacetime repatriation ever seen when around 150,000 passengers had to be brought back to Britain. In October, Bupa Health Services announced it was providing 9,000 Thomas Cook employees affected by the company’s collapse with an EAP. This free service includes confidential counselling on physical or mental health issues plus professional legal and financial advice.

This gesture by Bupa to so many staff impacted by the collapse of another firm is extremely encouraging to see, says UK EAPA chair Eugene Farrell.

“Here at UK EAPA, we are always looking for ways to promote the benefits of EAPs,” he says. “But it’s highly unusual to see a company offering these services to those for whom the benefits will bring them no financial reward as a business.

“We applaud the move by Bupa to support the thousands of staff affected by Thomas Cook’s collapse in this way. I am sure the gesture is very much appreciated by those who are able to benefit from it.”

Eugene added: “It’s clear from research that EAPs are still the preferred option for many businesses when it comes to looking after the health of their staff. EAPs provide wellbeing support which can help to keep staff happy and healthy both in their professional and personal lives. We encourage businesses to   promote a culture of encouraging staff to access their EAP rather than just alerting them to it in times of crisis.”

UK EAPA chair Eugene Farrell will be speaking a major mental health conference run by St John Ambulance this month as we join forces with the charity

The Embedding Mental Health Best Practice Conference is being held in Bristol on November 28.

Eugene will be talking about next generation EAP, its implementaton strategies, and extending EAP’s reach to transform the workplace environment.

As well as being chair of UK EAPA, Eugene is the mental health lead for health insurer AXA PPP.

He is one of a host of exciting speakers lined up to speak at the event.

Also speaking will be Nick Davison, head of health services at John Lewis; Julia Mazzafiore, mental health lead, diversity & inclusion, for the Department for Work & Pensions, and Suzie King, co-founder of an employee-led wellbeing network at Marks & Spencer.

The Embedding Mental Health conference, which is CPD registered, will focus on how businesses can implement mental health strategies, bringing this to life with top insights and case studies from leading organisations.

Speakers on the day will share practical tips on negotiating difficult areas of policy implementation, with the aim of improving mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

We are pleased to be able to extend a 10% discount on the registration fee to all UK EAPA members and their clients. To take up this offer, use the exclusive code – EAPA10 – and book your tickets by clicking on the green button below.

Your ticket includes refreshments, lunch and a drinks reception so you can network with the speakers and your fellow delegates.

Anyone who is unable to attend the Bristol conference may like to consider the following St John Ambulance event, to be held in Birmingham on February 27, 2020. Early bird tickets are now available until January 10. Find out more about the speakers and agenda here.

It’s official – EAPs really do improve workplace wellbeing and save money too

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) in the workplace significantly improve the wellbeing of those who use them, bringing about a measurable Return on Investment (ROI), important and comprehensive research has found.

Our EAPA counterparts in the US together with HR tech company, Morneau Shepell have produced their latest annual WOS (Workplace Outcome Suite) study that provides a fascinating insight into how much using the services of an EAP actually does significantly improve wellbeing amongst staff.

The study covered more than 30 Employee Assistance Programmes over 28 countries, and analysed the findings of more than 24,000 cases.

It found that:

• The amount of lost work time was reduced by about five working days as a result of the EAP
• The ROI for EAP counselling was around three times the amount of that invested* (read on for more detail)

Unlike much analysis of EAPs which is based purely on how much they cost, versus how much they are used, WOS research goes much deeper and produces results based on five different elements:

• Work absenteeism – measures absence from work in hours due to someone taking time off due to a personal problem
• Work presenteeism – measures a dip in productivity when a person is present at work but not functioning at their best due to a personal problem
• Workplace distress – measures a person’s anxiety due to work, eg: when they say they “dread” going in
• Work engagement – the extent to which an employee is keen to do their job
• Life satisfaction – general wellbeing in a person’s life

The WOS survey analysed data based on these five elements at the start of a person’s counselling with an EAP, and then after three months.

Across all the 24,363 cases analysed, the results were:

• Work absenteeism decreased by 27 percent
• Work presenteeism was reduced by 26 percent
• Life satisfaction was increased by 23 percent
• Workplace distress was decreased by 14 percent
• Work engagement was increased by 8 percent

Eugene Farrell, chair of UK EAPA, said: “We welcome this wide-ranging and in-depth research. It’s fascinating to see the extent to which an EAP clearly does benefit those staff who use it. It’s easy for company leaders just to base their analysis of the usefulness of an EAP with an accountants’ eye. But by reading this WOS report, we can see that an EAP genuinely does make those who use it feel much better about everything: their job and their life. And that can only be good for everyone: the employee, the employer, and the business’s bottom line. In fact, the research also proved that an EAP has a demonstrable cost saving, so it really is a win-win.”

Indeed, Paul Roberts, EAPA Executive Board member and Director of Enlighten, an EAP broker, draws on the example of a UK utility firm which reported normal usage with 289 calls from 2,500 people covered. Of those 289 calls,  235 were counselling calls. He explains that: “The value of the EAP and impact was considerable. The reduction in the General anxiety Disorder score moved down from 1.6 to 0.9 and more than three people a month, who started therapy and were off work, all returned to work after therapy demonstrating the vital role an EAP service can play in helping get people back into work.

Interestingly, the WOS report found that the improved outcomes across the five elements did not vary according to the age or sex of the employee, the different paths of referral to the EAP, different clinical issues, the industry of the employer, the business model for providing the EAP, the employer’s country or the year. EAP counselling was found to have consistent results no matter the variable.

*Other interesting findings were:

• The amount of lost productive time over the three-month episode of distress was reduced by about five work days as a result of the EAP
• Most of this improvement was from the reduction in unproductive time while on the job (around 79 per cent) with only 21 per cent from reducing time away from work
• The estimated cost burden to the employer was reduced by nearly US$1,731 per employee user of EAP counselling
• The return on investment for EAP counselling was $3.37 for every $1 invested.

“The results of the research demonstrate that there is a good reason for employers to use an EAP to support distressed employees and enhance overall employee wellbeing,” said Barb Veder, vice president and chief clinician, Morneau Shepell. “After use of EAP-provided counselling, problem rates were reduced for every aspect measured in the study where employees need support. Thus, EAPs help to reduce the risks associated with workplace problems.”

Here, you can click through to read the full report, as well as a press release which usefully summarises its findings: http://www.eapassn.org/WOS

The importance of supporting mental health first aiders

If your organisation’s wellbeing strategy includes mental health first aiders – it’s vital to remember they will need supporting too, says EAPA chair.

Mental Health First Aid training for employees in the workplace is a relatively new concept that has seen a large take-up in many organisations in the UK.

The idea is to train members of staff so they can be a “mental health first aider” – someone to whom another employee who is experiencing mental distress, or wants to talk about their mental health can turn for help.

Research by Employee Benefits/Health Shield Healthcare in 2019 found that 38 per cent of businesses surveyed were offering mental health first aiders as part of their mental health benefits support programme.

Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA) says that more than half a million people in the country have now been through one of its certified courses.

The idea of the mental health first aider course is to teach people how to spot signs of mental ill health, listen non-judgementally, provide mental health first aid to someone in crisis, and have the confidence to guide someone towards the right professional support. It is made clear in the programme that the training does not replace ongoing support, but is intended to provide a point of contact and reassurance for those experiencing emotional distress.

EAPA chair, Eugene Farrell says that any such measures in the workplace are of course a welcome sign that mental health is finally beginning to be seen as just as important as physical health – and that is a great step forward. But he also warns that with mental health first aiders undergoing a course that only last two days, it’s very important that they should be supported in their role – as the effects on them can be serious too.

“There are many options for mental health awareness,” he says. “Many organisations have in fact chosen products other than MHFA, and some are indeed developing their own. Peer support programmes may have their advantages in terms of generally encouraging a culture of awareness in the workplace, and reducing the stigma around mental health. However, they have their disadvantages too. Our advice to any company offering one of these mental health first aid courses to staff is to be very clear about the expectations of those trained.

“Organisations should also be aware that people who are naturally drawn to these types of mental health first aid courses may have suffered themselves with mental ill health. This, of course, has some plus points in terms of their ability to show compassion to others who may be going through the same thing. But it also makes them more vulnerable to being mentally ‘brought down’ themselves when trying to listen and help others. Particularly if they have a “helper” personality”

“When it comes to EAPs, any counsellors who are trained in these matters under EAP are supervised in their work. This is in contrast to the MHFA courses where those who have done the two-day course may be allowed to go ahead straight away.”

Offering mental health first aid to other people can affect first aiders, says Eugene: “We are starting to find out about EAPs who are now seeing people who have been impacted by being peer supporters and first aiders.”

Tips for businesses to reduce the pressure on mental health first aiders in the workplace:

• Set out a role expectation with boundaries
• Organisations should have a clear owner including who is responsible for the clinical governance of mental health supporters or first aiders.
• Talk to your EAP about clinical governance, your EAPs may be able to provide such governance and ensure there is effective integration with the internal support systems
• Supervision or consultative support sessions are vital (again, EAPs can provide)
• Employers should collect data on the number of conversations that are had with staff members and mental health supporters and ask what issues are discussed. This is NOT an attempt to spy on vulnerable people, but an important measure to protect those who are doing the listening, so they are properly supported too.
• Employers need to make sure that all peer supporters are absolutely crystal clear about when and where to get support themselves if they are feeling overwhelmed by the role.
• Employers should consider resting those who have a lot of interactions, or are showing signs of distress themselves.

Reporting from the 2019 Mad World summit in London

With such strong national and international focus on mental health, it was great to attend this year’s Mad World Summit in London which was bustling with good energy, ideas, and hope for the future.

EAPA was very proud to be a supporting partner of the Summit which took place last week on October 9.

With one of the speakers none other than comedy legend Ruby Wax, founder of the Frazzled Café – a space where “It’s OK not to be OK” – there was a real buzz of excitement in the room as representatives from a huge range of different sectors came together to discuss how to remove the stigma around mental health and foster a workplace culture where people feel able to talk about their mental state without fear of judgement.

Many who came along on the day were their organisation’s lead on wellbeing, with HR colleagues and board members also well represented.

Paul Roberts, executive board member of EAPA, who was at the summit, said one of the key takeaways from the day was the growth in digital app development.

“It’s a great event in a great location, with those interested in mental health participating, sharing and learning about mental health improvements,” he said.

“Digital app development is continuing to grow at a pace with one supplier reporting tens of thousands of online counselling sessions delivered to date. Another three-year-old firm now has a global reach covering 150,000 active subscribers for their real-time mental health score board and support platform.”

EAPA was very pleased and proud to be a supporter of this fantastic event, and we look forward to more in the future!

You can read more on this year’s summit here: https://www.madworldsummit.com/

EAPs shown to be most commonly offered benefit out of all mental health programmes in the workplace, according to new research

Support for employee mental health via an EAP is the most commonly offered benefit by employers, an interesting new survey has revealed.

The new research from Employee Benefits/Health Shield Healthcare shows that an EAP is now offered by 90% of employers surveyed and is one of the primary means of supporting employee mental health.

The EAP came in significantly higher than the next most popular offer mental health benefit: flexible working or work/life/balance priorities – at 71% – and was more than twice as popular as the third highest ranked benefit for mental health: Access to education and guidance, such as workshops and online information.

Interestingly, the research showed that flexible working had grown in popularity over recent years as employers had come to see its benefits to staff wellbeing.

A new option that has been added this year was trained mental health first aiders in the workplace, which had been taken up by 38% of respondents. On-site occupational health, on the other hand, was at the bottom of the take-up with only 14% opting for this particular service for their staff.

EAPA chair, Eugene Farrell, says: “EAPA welcomes this latest research. It’s a terrific endorsement of the work that we are all striving towards: getting all UK employers to recognise how important an EAP is to their staff’s mental and physical wellbeing.

“It’s great to see that so many employers clearly feel that an EAP is the single most important benefit they can offer to staff when it comes to looking after their mental health. The benefits of access to a confidential counselling service are obviously clear to the vast majority of business leaders who have taken part in this research, and it’s great to see.

“At EAPA we support anything that benefits people and their mental health that is provided by their employer – so it’s also interesting to see how many people value flexible working, for example, as a way of reducing stress and balancing work and personal life.”

You can read the full article here.

Charity boss encourages all charities to consider setting up an EAP for staff to help with mental health problems

Here at EAPA, we are always on the lookout for examples of excellent practice in companies which offer EAPs to their staff.

One of the things we particularly like to see is companies who not only offer an EAP to their employees as part of their benefits package, but who proactively encourage them to use it – not as a ‘perk’, but as a key part of their wellbeing.

That’s why we were delighted to read of Julia’s House, a charity which runs children’s hospices in Wiltshire and Dorset, whose boss Martin Edwards has written about why he recommended setting up an EAP for staff on joining the charity as chief executive more than ten years ago.

Writing for the Third Sector, Martin explains how the charity’s EAP offers a confidential counselling and specialist information helpline for staff and their immediate families, available 24/7, 365 days of the year. “We set up an employee assistance programme, and every charity leader should consider doing so,” he writes.

EAPA chair, Eugene Farrell, says: “It was great to read Martin Edwards’ article outlining his own personal reasons for wanting Julia’s House to have its own EAP. In the article, Martin talks of his own anorexia in the past and goes on to talk very candidly and bravely about mental health and how no employer should want to risk tragedies amongst their staff by not doing all they can to provide access to mental health support in the workplace.

“It’s a strong endorsement to read for those of us who are passionate about EAP and the support it can give to millions of UK employees.

You can read the full article here.