The non-profit U.S. organization "Mental Health America" has designated the month of May as "Mental Health Awareness Month". The aim is to reduce the stigmatization of mental illness, educate people about mental illness and raise public awareness of the importance of mental health.
As a leading eap provider, it is also very important to us to promote and raise awareness of mental health - especially in companies and organizations, as this benefits everyone involved.
Studies show that support and advice offered as part of an employee assistance program - eap for short - can significantly improve employee productivity.
Mental illness is not uncommon and nothing to be ashamed of. Many people go through a phase at least once in their lives in which they have to deal with mental stress.
We want to create an environment in which mental illness is not taboo and suitable contact points are available for discussions and advice.
Why should companies pay attention to the mental health of their employees?
Studies on EAP counseling
Mental health problems are not only a burden for those affected and their families, but also for colleagues and employers. This is why companies are increasingly striving to support the mental health of their employees in the best possible way. Employers have various options to counter the rising cost burden of mental illness absences. One option for holistic psychosocial health management is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
The aim of EAP is to provide individual personal counseling and supportive resources for employees in situations of psychological, family and professional stress.
In the USA, 84% of large companies already organize support programs for their employees and their family members (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). A survey conducted in 2019 by the Society for Human Resource Management (2019) found that 79% of the 2,700 US employers surveyed opt for EAPs.
The EAP approach is particularly popular with organizations as it encourages a more open discussion about mental health (Greer, 2021) and can demonstrate rapid positive changes in clients' health outcomes (Attridge et al., 2013). EAP counseling also leads to reductions in days of absence due to mental health problems and significant improvements in work productivity (Attridge, 2016; Attridge et al., 2018; Richmond et al., 2015).
In their recent study, Mark Attridge and Steven P. Dickens (2022) examined the effectiveness of Employee Assistance Programs, the potential cost savings for employers and client satisfaction with EAP counseling.
Surveys of 830 employees who made use of EAP counseling services were evaluated. Changes in anxiety, depression, health status, life satisfaction and work productivity were analyzed.
Most respondents (82%) rated their overall experience with EAP as positive and helpful. This satisfaction increased again slightly with increasing frequency of EAP counseling. A significant reduction in health risk was achieved for all respondents after EAP counseling. The research showed that employees experienced improvements in depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, work productivity and general health after using EAP. Improvements in health correlated with improvements in work productivity. Thus, a significant correlation was found between this improved health and improved work performance after counseling. This increase in productivity is particularly remarkable, as only 14% of respondents stated "solving work problems" as a counseling goal at the beginning. So although most employees initially sought EAP counseling because of private problems, their work productivity also improved in the course of the counseling.
Original study title:
Health and Work Outcomes of Brief Counseling From an EAP in Vermont: Follow-Up Survey Results, Client Satisfaction, and Estimated Cost Savings
Authors: Mark Attridge and Steven P. Dickens
Original: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21582440221087278
