The non-profit U.S. organisation Mental Health America has designated May as Mental Health Awareness Month. The aim is to reduce the stigma of mental illness, educate people about mental illness and raise awareness of the importance of mental health.
As a leading eap provider, it is also of great concern to us to promote and raise awareness of mental health - especially in workplaces and companies, as this brings benefits for everyone involved.
Studies show that support services and counselling within the framework of an "employee assistance programme" - eap for short - can significantly improve the work productivity of employees.
Mental illness is not uncommon and nothing to be ashamed of. Many people go through a phase at least once in their lives in which they have to deal with mental stress.
We want to create an environment in which mental illness is not taboo and suitable contact points are available for talks and counselling.
Why should companies pay attention to the mental health of their employees?
Studies on EAP counselling
Mental health problems are not only a burden for the affected person and their family, but also for colleagues and employers. This is why companies are increasingly looking to support their employees' mental health in the best possible way. Employers have several options to address the increasing cost burden of mental health absenteeism. One option for holistic psychosocial health management is the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
The aim of EAP is to provide individual personal counselling and supportive resources for employees in situations of psychological, family and professional stress.
In the US, 84% of large companies already organise support programmes for their employees and their family members (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). A 2019 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (2019) found that 79% of the 2,700 US employers surveyed choose to use EAP.
The EAP approach is particularly popular with organisations as it promotes more open discussion about mental health (Greer, 2021) and can demonstrate rapid positive changes in client health outcomes (Attridge et al., 2013). EAP counselling also leads to reductions in absenteeism due to mental health problems and significant improvements in work productivity (Attridge, 2016; Attridge et al., 2018; Richmond et al.,2015).
In their recent study, Mark Attridge and Steven P. Dickens (2022) examined the effectiveness of employee assistance programmes, the potential cost savings for employers and client satisfaction with EAP counselling. and client satisfaction with EAP counselling.
Surveys of 830 workers who had used EAP counselling services were analysed. Changes in anxiety, depression, health status, life satisfaction and work productivity were analysed.
Most respondents (82%) rated their experience with EAP as positive and helpful overall. This satisfaction increased slightly again with increasing frequency of EAP counselling. After EAP counselling, a significant reduction in health risk was achieved for all respondents. The research showed that employees experienced improvements in depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, work productivity and overall health after receiving EAP. Improvements in health correlated with improvements in work productivity. Thus, a significant correlation was found between this improved health and improved work performance after counselling. This increase in productivity is particularly remarkable as only 14% of the respondents stated "solving work problems" as a counselling goal at the beginning. Thus, although most workers initially sought EAP counselling because of personal problems, their work productivity was also improved in the course of counselling.
Original title of the study:
Health and Work Outcomes of Brief Counseling From an EAP in Vermont: Follow-Up Survey Results, Client Satisfaction, and Estimated Cost Savings
Authors: Mark Attridge and Steven P. Dickens
Original: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21582440221087278
