Stressed about Brexit? It’s up to employers to create an environment in which their staff are actively encouraged to use their EAP – not just rely on it as a last resort, says EAPA chair in national publication.

Stressed about Brexit? It’s up to employers to create an environment in which their staff are actively encouraged to use their EAP – not just rely on it as a last resort, says EAPA chair in national publication.

EAPA chair Eugene Farrell recently wrote a thoughtful article for theHRDirector outlining why EAPs are being under-used when it comes to mental health.

EAP is an “important Brexit safety net for employees”, our association chair Eugene Farrell has said.

In an article written for theHRDirector, a monthly publication aimed at HR directors and senior practitioners, Eugene said that despite mental health services being a key part of the EAP offering, they were being under-used and this was especially critical at a time when large parts of the UK workforce were being put under greater stress due to Brexit.

In the article, which you can read here, Eugene pointed to clear evidence that Brexit is indeed causing considerable mental health problems in the UK.

A study by the LSE (London School of Economics) has highlighted a growth in numbers of UK people reporting mental health problems since the 2016 referendum result, while another survey has suggested there has been an increase in prescriptions for antidepressants since the result.

All of which has made it all the more surprising – and worrying – that despite the fact nearly half of the UK workforce is covered by an EAP, offering confidential support services 24/7, access to help seems to be low on take-up when it comes to mental health.

Eugene says: “As I tried to make clear in the article, the difference between an EAP and other forms of counselling is generally that it tries to help people deal with any mental health issues they may be struggling with earlier so they don’t then become bigger problems that are harder to deal with.”

Eugene argued in the article that employers need to first of all be aware of exactly what their EAP services offered to staff, and make sure this was widely and properly communicated, rather than positioning EAP as a last resort.

He says: “Brexit stress has clearly added to the nation’s mental health problems and I would really urge employers to ensure their employees are taking advantage of the help they can get through their EAP. We all know that many people struggle to ask for help when they are suffering mentally – it’s really up to employers to create an atmosphere in which asking for help is not just enabled, it’s positively encouraged.”