Employers urged to 'go above and beyond' to make help accessible
Despite significant stress levels at work, nearly half of employees in Australia are reluctant to utilise available mental health resources, according to a new report.
The ELMO Employee Sentiment Index (ESI), which surveyed over 1,000 workers during the second quarter of 2024, found that while 84% of employees believe their employers offer mental health support, only 56% feel comfortable accessing it.
This comes as employees' mental wellbeing suffer from excessive workload and lack of resources (20%), difficulties in disconnecting from work (19%), and unrealistic expectations or goals from manager or organisation (13%).
Source: ELMO's Employee Sentiment Index
Joseph Lyons, Chief Executive Officer of ELMO Software, attributed the problem to a "perception problem" with Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP).
"Employee Assistance Programme services have suffered a bit of a perception problem with some workers only viewing them as a 'tick box' for employers and a last resort for employees going through major life events or redundancies," Lyons said in a statement.
However, Lyons also noted that this is a huge opportunity for employers to increase EAP adoption through better accessibility and improved communication.
"In today's working environment, businesses need to go above and beyond the EAP. It's imperative to deliver additional wellbeing resources that cater to the modern worker," he said.
"That means content that can be accessed confidentially from anywhere, at any time, and delivered in a way that resonates with employees, usually through short, concise video learning."
To make progress on making mental health help available, ELMO has launched an exclusive content that aims to support employee wellbeing.
"We are committed to driving real change and ensuring mental health resources are readily accessible and confidential for our customers," Lyons said.
"That's why we've partnered with Lifeline, the University of New South Wales and EQ Minds to launch our exclusive 'Your Mind Matters' content, a series of curated videos designed to help support the wellbeing of our customers' employees."
