EXCLUSIVE: Nearly all (97%) employer respondents that have a strategy to support the mental health of their workforce cite an employee assistance programme (EAP) as part of this, according to research by Employee Benefits and Health Shield.
The Employee Benefits/Health Shield Healthcare research 2017, which surveyed 121 employer respondents in July 2017, also found that 61% of respondents offer flexible-working policies.
These mechanisms were also consistent features of employers’ stress reduction strategies in previous years’ Healthcare research findings. Five years ago, for example, 77% of respondents included flexible-working or work-life policies in their strategy to address workplace stress, rising to 80% in 2013.
Line managers are considered by many to play a key role in supporting the mental health of employees, whether that be signposting their reports to appropriate sources of help or the ability to have empathetic conversations about mental health conditions with their team. Yet just one-third (34%) of respondents’ organisations offer dedicated training for line managers in this area.
Other sources of support in the workplace include on-site occupational health (32%), specialist counselling services (36%), and the provision of education and guidance (44%), which might take the form of online resources or employee workshops, for example.
More than a quarter (27%) of employer respondents also have employee networks or champions in place to support mental health in the workplace. These employee-led initiatives can help to open up the conversation around mental health at work and break down perceived stigmas associated with mental health problems.
Read the full Employee Benefits/Health Shield Healthcare research 2017.
