Spectrum.Life takes on active role with the EAPA UK community
Spectrum.Life takes on active role with the EAPA UK community
Spectrum.Life has become the latest registered provider with the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) UK.
The Irish comprehensive wellbeing provider first started offering its EAP services in the UK in March 2019. Major clients include Accenture, Microsoft, NHS organisations and Vodafone.
Grainne O’Reilly, Head of Marketing at Spectrum.Life, said: “Becoming an EAPA UK member has been a requirement in terms of reputation in a new market for us – and to make sure we’re adhering to every standard of excellence.
“With this in mind, Spectrum’s clinical excellence lead is going to be involved in the EAPA panel looking at how the industry can adapt and evolve in the new workplace environment.”
The Spectrum.Life offering is grounded in clinical excellence and best practice: every interaction and points of contact to the EAP are with a qualified, accredited and experienced mental health professional; the bank of digital content, fitness videos and nutrition advice, is all clinically approved and reviewed regularly.
The EAP has an emphasis on pro-activity through preventative programmes and ensuring managers and HR are trained in mental health issues and providing support. With Spectrum.Life’s Workplace Wellbeing app, the healthy behaviours of staff lead to rewards and offers from online retailers.
Recent developments include the introduction of increased accessibility for employees and their dependants via SMS and WhatsApp, and a best in class online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to offer outcome based interventions alongside face to face and video counselling. The offerings are being internationalised and localised with clinical advisers available across multiple languages.
During the Pandemic, Spectrum.Life transformed its entire business to operate and deliver services remotely so that organisations can attend wellbeing events from their homes via live video link. The company has added over 200,000 users to its employee mental health services in Q2, increasing the number of users to 900,000.
“We do a great deal of training with HR and managers on staff mental wellbeing and this has needed to be carried out remotely,” explained Grainne. “All the one-to-ones with counsellors and all our services we provide have become digital. The business has needed to make sure we have updated and re-focused the online content available onto dealing with the specific challenges brought up by the pandemic. We’ve set up relevant weekly podcasts and tip sheets to support people through Covid-19 on topics like getting a good night’s sleep, parenting teenagers and working remotely.
“As a result of employees being at home at all times and having fewer opportunities to make a confidential phone call during the early stages of lockdown, Spectrum.Life identified a drop in utilisation from their service users, – as a response to this they introduced the new offer of access to qualified and experienced counsellors via WhatsApp and SMS, ensuring clients can access the services is paramount.
EAPA chair, Eugene Farrell, said: “We’re delighted that a growing, go-ahead business like Spectrum.Life has joined the EAPA membership.
“With EAPs in the spotlight as being such a fundamental service for employers in their re-building and recovery from Covid-19, the industry has both new challenges and opportunities, and all of our members are needed to help with the conversation and efforts to move forward together.”