The Benefits of Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Since April 2020, the EAP has recorded a high volume of calls, 89% of which were ‘Counselling’ related, and 11% of which were ‘Legal Advice’ related.

Anxiety questions for employees

32.4% of overall counselling engagement were telephone-based counselling sessions to help with Anxiety.

Divorce & Separation was recorded as the most common reason for the Legal Advice related calls, accounting for 22% of overall engagement.

As the call summary chart, below, illustrates, call volumes increased slightly between April 2020 and March 2021, with spikes in November 2020 and in March this year, which are potentially the result of restrictions being lifted and individuals returning to work.

Why your practice should take advantage of the EAP

There are clear benefits to your employees using the EAP service, as figures show that, after engaging in structured therapy, the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) average score reduced from 1.9 to 0.9.

The results show the value of the EAP and the positive impact that the service is having on employees.

They also show that at the start of therapy 23.3% of employees were absent from work, but after engaging in therapy this reduced to 10.0% with 57.0% of employees returning to work.

57% of those out of work at the start of therapy are back in work at the end:

Three main reasons why people do not use EAPs

Reports from Health Assured have shown the three main reasons why people do not take advantage of the EAP are:

• They are not aware of it - and therefore unsure how to access it
• They do not believe it is fully confidential – they fear others may obtain their information
• They believe the EAP is only for when in need (counselling being the obvious example), rather than offering proactive services too

Our Employee Assistance Programme is completely confidential and, as we can see from the findings above, in these uncertain times this service is more important than ever for employee wellbeing.

Speak to us if you would like to find out more about how the Employee Assistance Programme could benefit your practice.

Source: Health Assured, April 2020 - March 2021

A problem shared

The saying may sound cliché, but out of the 890 calls* received by our Employee Assistance Programme over the last 12 months, 825 were in respect of counselling.

Out of these, anxiety represented almost a quarter, making it the most common reason to call. Other reasons included depression, low mood, and concerns over health.

As we all know, mental health is a huge subject, none-more so for the teaching profession.

Anxiety in such a demanding occupation can lead to unease, distress and burn-out.

Such symptoms can ultimately lead to staff absence not a good situation for both teachers and pupils.

Health & Wellbeing Hub

Our Health & Wellbeing Hub comes as standard with our staff absence policy and is designed to help you with your ‘duty of care’ to your employees and colleagues. It’s there to assist your staff in improving or maintaining both their mental and physical health, in turn cultivating wellbeing in your school, and includes:

Employee Assistance Programme - ranging from online information to face-to-face and structured telephone counselling (up to 8 sessions per issue).

24-hour confidential helpline - to provide support for a variety of issues, including personal life, work issues, health, and retirement.

Health-checks for insured staff - performed at the insured academy, by professional health practitioners.

With the busy start of term upon us, now might be a good time to ensure your colleagues are making the most of this resource.

If you need help supporting your colleagues’ wellbeing, talk to us today on 0800 783 3500 or email us at info@TheEducationBroker.co.uk

*Source: Towergate Schools Insurance Employee Assistance Programme – 1 July 2021 to 30 June 22

Care and medical cover from Towergate

We can offer care and medical insurance policies designed to suit your needs and give you peace of mind. For more information visit our dedicated care and medical insurance page or speak to a specialist adviser on 0330 123 5264.

About the author

Carolyn Baker-Mellor is a respected industry leader with over 35 years' experience within the care insurance sector.

Carolyn currently works at Towergate as Head of Care Insurance.

*Source:

Towergate Schools Insurance Employee Assistance Programme – 1 July 2021 to 30 June 22

Disclaimer

This article is intended for your general knowledge and does not substitute for the advice of a medical professional. It should not be used to diagnose or treat a problem.