By Mashum Mollah
During the past year, we have faced a number of unprecedented struggles as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Whether it has been a change in routine, loss of a family member, becoming unemployed, or having to home school the kids- we have all been affected in one way or another.
If there was ever a time to put a spotlight on mental health issues- it is now. According to The Health Foundation, 69% of adults in the UK reported feeling somewhat or very worried about the effect COVID-19 is having on their life. Because of this, mental health has worsened by an average of 8.1% as a result of the pandemic.
As employers, there is a duty of care that you have to your employees to make sure that everything possible is done to ensure their health and wellbeing. Not only that but of course, we are going to care about our co-worker’s health regardless of rank.
One way to support your staff’s mental wellbeing is through an employee assistance programme, like the one offered by Lifeworks.
Here are 5 ways an Employee Assistance Programme can support your staff
Access to counseling
An Employee Assistance Programme gives your employees access to registered counselors for whatever issues they might be facing. These services are usually available 24/7. Counseling can be offered to help with common sources of stress, whether it is at home or in the workplace.
Work-life balance
As most of us have been working from home on and off, some for nearly a year now, it is only natural that we might struggle to strike a healthy work-life balance. If you do not have access to a home office, workstations might have invaded the spaces you use for relaxation. Employee Assistance Programmes can help to strike that healthy balance.
Mental wellbeing services
With the overall mental health of the population taking a knock because of the pandemic, your employees might benefit from wellness or wellbeing services. This might be something really simple like understanding triggers or finding a tool that serves as a distraction when you are overwhelmed.
Therapy, such as for grief
During the pandemic, we have lost a lot of people. If your employee has lost someone, this may have happened suddenly, and this is a very traumatic event. An Employee Assistance Programme will make sure they have access to the appropriate grief counseling to aid their recovery.
Physical wellbeing
When lockdown hits, we are all stuck inside, but this should not mean that we sit behind a screen all day and don’t move. An Employee Assistance Programme can help you to set physical wellness goals, such as step counts or exercising, it can even help you to stop smoking.
Overall, we must look after one another during this pandemic. As employers, your duty of care is more important now than ever as we struggle to navigate these unprecedented times. You may check care coordination vs care management and see which program is better for your employees. An Employee Assistance Programme can really help to support your employees through the pandemic.
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