'It's a commercial imperative for every organisation,' expert says
An expert has underscored the need for organisations to roll out an employee assistance programme (EAP) as part of their wellbeing strategy amid mental health challenges in the workplace.
Jamie MacLennan, senior vice president at TELUS Health, said an EAP is a "commercial imperative" and an absolute baseline to have in place.
"We've long since passed the time where an EAP is a 'nice to have.' It's a commercial imperative for every organisation," MacLennan said in a previous exclusive feature with HRD.
"There is a need to address mental health in the workplace, and having an EAP service as part of a wellbeing strategy is critical to delivering that."
What are EAPs?
EAPs provide psychological counselling and assistance in various aspects of wellbeing, which can be utilised as a preventative short-term measure for stress, anxiety, and burnout.
The availability of EAPs is essential for employees who may be seeking support, according to MacLennan.
"It's really positioned to deal with those daily stressors before they deteriorate into something much bigger, and to offer tools and techniques to help people get back on track," he said.
"If you don't deal with them, they won't improve. You'll reach the point where someone needs to be off for a very long period of time and doesn't have the ability to perform at work."
In rolling out EAPs, MacLennan also underscored the need for managers to be trained about these resources.
While they don't have to be psychologists or counsellors, managers have to know how to carry out an initial conversation and point people in the direction where they can get support.
MacLennan said an EAP is one of the most vital elements of a broader wellbeing strategy that will address poor mental health in the workplace.
Learn more about EAPs and where to get started with them in this exclusive feature from HRD in collaboration with TELUS Health.