The role of EAP in building organisational resilience
The role of EAP in building organisational resilience
Peter Kelly, Senior Psychologist, Health & Safety Executive
Now’s the time for a re-think of what EAPs are for. It’s an opportunity for EAPs to play a much broader role in building organisational resilience – moving away from being a service for people who have reached the stage of illness, to become the pro-active platform of prevention; from a tertiary treatment role to a secondary and primary role.
The initial shock of the pandemic crisis, the shift to remote working and extreme pressures on key workers, was only the first phase. The post-lockdown period and attempts to return to ‘normality’ in countries like China, Italy and Spain has included reports of high anxiety levels in those populations. It’s a perfect storm, the ongoing risks to health from pandemic accompanied by threats posed to the economy. Similar to the consequences of the Second World War, the implications of Covid-19 will be felt for years to come.
The mass return-to-work means a new peak in terms of stress and anxieties for the UK workforce. There are two broad groupings, but everyone is affected. There are the key workers who took on the burden of risk to work through the pandemic period. They had been championed, given extra attention and support, who will start to find themselves still working but without the same recognition. And the other group who’d been feeling safe at home, working or furloughed, who are now going back to a workplace and are feeling newly exposed and vulnerable. If they need to rely on public transport then there’s heightened anxiety even before they get there. There’s a basic sense of relying on the compliance of their employer to guidance and advice, as well as compliance by colleagues and other people around them.
It all means the need for much more than just barriers, screens and more workspace around desks. There’s the need for working environments based around mutual trust and support in order for organisations to be resilient: a workforce willing and able to be adaptable and work through more change and risks and challenges. A psychological safety. Not box-ticking around compliance but a shared sense of responsibility. Employers who are being authentic in their attitudes to staff, willing to listen to concerns and needs, who ensure there’s social distancing but are able to be creative in also making sure there’s still social connection. Putting people and a sense of humanity first.
In this context, EAPs clearly have an important job to do. While the support in respect of tertiary treatment and advice is a given now and for the long-term, secondary level support in training more line managers to improve competence and understanding of mental health issues and in providing the right kind of support is fundamentally important. At a primary level, helping organisations to develop preventative measures, identify and address particular threats to employees mental health and wellbeing will help to build organisational resilience.