It might not be an easy conversation to start, but it’s necessary
If an employee seems like she may be struggling, managers should let her know what help is available before it becomes a stress or mental health related disability.
“It’s great to say ‘If a personal issue is impacting you or your ability to meet your goals at work, do you know about our EAP program? Let me just tell you about that,’” said Estelle Morrison, director of health management at Ceridian Canada.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are services, accessible by phone, that can be used by employees with problems affecting work, including everything from depression to child care issues. Employees whose companies have an EAP can call the confidential program to be referred to a range of services.
After basic drug and dental coverage, health plan members said the third most widely available benefit to them is an employee assistance program (65 per cent), according to the 2011 sanofi-aventis healthcare survey. But the survey also found only 23 per cent of employees with access to an EAP report having used it within the last year.
“What we really recommend is for managers to do all the things that they do best,” she said. “One of those things is to manage performance.”
Managing performance includes noticing changes in behaviour. When someone used to be outgoing and now seems withdrawn, it’s time for managers to speak up, she said.
“Noticing the change and inquiring about that and seeing if the individual needs some support would be a manager’s role,” she said.
If an employee has had more absences than usual, has struggled to complete work or has stayed away from social work gatherings they would normally attend, those could all be signs they might need the support an EAP could provide.
“The good thing about the EAP is that there’s a range of services, so it’s really about if you have any sort of a challenge the EAP is there to help,” said Paula Allen, vice-president of health solutions and practice leader in health and benefits at Morneau Shepell.
The services provided by an EAP can help with a wide range of issues including parenting, career difficulties, physical issues, legal and financial problems.
“Sometimes those issues are either the cause of stress or not being able to manage those issues is really the consequence of the mental health issue,” she said.
Many EAPS also have supports in place for those who are having more dire and immediate problems, including in person, online and telephone counselling with a therapist.
“Every day we get people in deep crisis, every day we get people with deep depression, so you can get the type and level of supports that you need,” said Allen.
Dealing with mental health issues in the workplace isn’t new, but it’s come to the forefront in the past few years.
EAPs and economic issues
In the early 1990s, there was an exponential increase in the number of mental health disability claims, said Allen.
“So that’s when it first started to get a lot of attention,” she said.
The current economic insecurity might be what is bringing attention to mental health and stress related work problems now, said Warren Shepell, president of EAP Specialist Inc.
“I would say the stress issue is a big issue,” he said. “The economic conditions are still not stable so people are under pressure to perform, to hang on to their jobs and to do well and they’re stressed by handling a lot of tasks that they normally would not. But because of the economic pressures they’re taking on more tasks because the companies are trying to do more with less.”
“It’s great to say ‘If a personal issue is impacting you or your ability to meet your goals at work, do you know about our EAP program? Let me just tell you about that,’” said Estelle Morrison, director of health management at Ceridian Canada.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are services, accessible by phone, that can be used by employees with problems affecting work, including everything from depression to child care issues. Employees whose companies have an EAP can call the confidential program to be referred to a range of services.
After basic drug and dental coverage, health plan members said the third most widely available benefit to them is an employee assistance program (65 per cent), according to the 2011 sanofi-aventis healthcare survey. But the survey also found only 23 per cent of employees with access to an EAP report having used it within the last year.
“What we really recommend is for managers to do all the things that they do best,” she said. “One of those things is to manage performance.”
Managing performance includes noticing changes in behaviour. When someone used to be outgoing and now seems withdrawn, it’s time for managers to speak up, she said.
“Noticing the change and inquiring about that and seeing if the individual needs some support would be a manager’s role,” she said.
If an employee has had more absences than usual, has struggled to complete work or has stayed away from social work gatherings they would normally attend, those could all be signs they might need the support an EAP could provide.
“The good thing about the EAP is that there’s a range of services, so it’s really about if you have any sort of a challenge the EAP is there to help,” said Paula Allen, vice-president of health solutions and practice leader in health and benefits at Morneau Shepell.
The services provided by an EAP can help with a wide range of issues including parenting, career difficulties, physical issues, legal and financial problems.
“Sometimes those issues are either the cause of stress or not being able to manage those issues is really the consequence of the mental health issue,” she said.
Many EAPS also have supports in place for those who are having more dire and immediate problems, including in person, online and telephone counselling with a therapist.
“Every day we get people in deep crisis, every day we get people with deep depression, so you can get the type and level of supports that you need,” said Allen.
Dealing with mental health issues in the workplace isn’t new, but it’s come to the forefront in the past few years.
EAPs and economic issues
In the early 1990s, there was an exponential increase in the number of mental health disability claims, said Allen.
“So that’s when it first started to get a lot of attention,” she said.
The current economic insecurity might be what is bringing attention to mental health and stress related work problems now, said Warren Shepell, president of EAP Specialist Inc.
“I would say the stress issue is a big issue,” he said. “The economic conditions are still not stable so people are under pressure to perform, to hang on to their jobs and to do well and they’re stressed by handling a lot of tasks that they normally would not. But because of the economic pressures they’re taking on more tasks because the companies are trying to do more with less.”
