Why adding an EAP makes you an Employer of Choice

Why adding an EAP makes you an Employer of Choice

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate enough to have worked with a number of employers who have all offered a workplace environment that has believed in the importance of employee wellbeing; investing in providing help and support for employees when needed. They have all offered attractive employee benefits which has included access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

EAP’s play a significant role in showing how much employers’ emphasise the importance of their employees’ health and wellbeing in the workplace. Employee Assistance Programmes can be a literal lifesaver for employees who are under severe personal and professional stress, as they provide assistance, support and guidance with personal problems and/or work related problems that may impact on their job performance, health and mental and emotional wellbeing.

EAP’s are among the most commonly used employee wellbeing interventions in the UK. Data from (2013), suggests that 71 percent of employees in the UK are making use of EAP’s and identify that almost 12 million employees in the UK alone are covered by an EAP provision. An EAP supports your employees by giving them a way to cope with personal issues that have a negative impact on their job performance, such as work related stress or problems outside of the workplace. The primary goal of an Employee Assistance Programme is to support the mental and emotional health of employees.  Work performance is greatly affected by stress and personal problems often escalate into professional problems. EAP’s can support an organisation to provide appropriate and relevant support in many areas – everything  from mental illness, stress related illness, drug and alcohol addiction issues to family related stress, marital problems, therapy and many other additional options.

EAP’s provide organisations with prevention techniques, assessment protocols and health and management services. This means that organisations are playing an active part in helping employees deal with all of life’s ups and downs that we all know are unavoidable. Offering an EAP service to employees can also result in various benefits for employers – lower medical costs, reduced turnover and absenteeism and higher employer productivity and increased employee morale.

An organisation that has an Employee Assistance Program becomes an “Employer of Choice” as employees are attracted to and more likely to show loyalty to an organisation that actively demonstrates that it cares supports and invests in their overall health and wellbeing.

Written by Taiwo Olaiya, EAP Counsellor.