Care before crisis: how proactive wellbeing support can revolutionise your workplace

From family concerns to financial struggles, menopause symptoms to mental health challenges – life’s everyday pressures can quickly build into overwhelming roadblocks to wellbeing.

With many traditional means of support – particularly for mental health – becoming inundated with users in recent years, more and more employees are now turning to their organisations for access to support pathways. In fact, research has found that the number of employees using their workplace’s Employee Assistance Programme as a primary means of sourcing mental health and wellbeing support is on the rise, with the estimated ROI of such programmes now peaking at a staggering £10.85 per every £1 spent by employers (EAPA, 2023).

Historically however, many workplace support systems and wellbeing strategies suffer from the same downfall – forgetting that prevention is always better than cure and becoming a reactive, rather than proactive, treatment. With many wellbeing strategies being designed to offer help after employees reach crisis, EAPs (Employee Assistance Programmes) can be a key factor in helping workplaces avoid both absent- and presenteeism, as well as stress and health related absences.

So, how is a proactive, holistic approach to wellbeing so innovative in the workplace? Namely, by actively seeking to prevent mental health challenges before they become serious problems. By acknowledging the full range of mental and physical wellbeing needs that make up our overall health and seeking to address these needs before they become a concern, proactively healthy organisations are able to promote an inclusive, long-term health strategy that keeps their workforce happy, healthy, and motivated.

This innovative approach to employee health and wellbeing became the guiding principle of Medicash and Health@Work’s new partnership with award-winning wellbeing service provider Vivup, recently launched this autumn. This new provision was designed to improve the inclusivity and holistic nature of their EAPs, incorporating new services and tools such as self-assessments for better health awareness, a dedicated menopause support line, and even access to a clinically moderated peer support network for opening up mental health discussions.

To find out more about the range of wellbeing services available, visit https://www.medicash.org/eap-services