During and after the pandemic, we all have gone through difficult times and our mental health has suffered in several ways.
For employees, it has been a challenge to balance work and personal life.
All these factors tend to affect work and productivity and can cost organizations a lot.
Employee Assistance Programs are common strategic interventions and programs that can help organizations in overall employee well-being.
Investing in such programs and services can actually help organizations save money which might otherwise be a lot due to lesser productivity and employee engagement.
Here Is What You Need To Know:
The World Health Organization estimates that “India will suffer economic losses amounting to a staggering 1.03 trillion dollars from mental health conditions between 2012 and 2030″.
The pandemic has already taken a toll on the mental health of all of us in some or the other way and it has been quite challenging to manage work from home and now return to the office.
Organizations are becoming aware of the challenges employees are facing and thus, are becoming flexible about the work pattern.
But are organizations doing even the bare minimum when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
As ASSOCHAM states, “42.5% of employees in the private sector in India suffer from depression or some form of anxiety disorder.”
According to GI Group India, “94% of employers are aware of mental health issues, 15% are sensitive to mental health concerns but only 9% take awareness to action.”
When employee well-being in organizations is overlooked, it can cost a lot of money due to employees losing their productivity. The major reasons are poor mental health, burnout, stress, depression, and anxiety. This might, in the long run, interfere with the success and growth of the company.
One way to help employees in their well-being is to work with an Employee Assistance Program.
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a work-based intervention program designed to assist employees in resolving personal problems that may be adversely affecting the employee’s performance (Definition by Society for Human Resource Management – SHRM).
EAPs can help with stress reduction, anxiety, and depression, critical incidents, grief and bereavement, substance abuse, developmental programs, team building, personal relationships, abuse, and trauma.
EAP Benefits The Organizations In Several Ways:
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– Lesser Costs of Poor Performance:
With the help of EAPs, organizations start focusing on challenges that employees face at the workplace and support them. Employees might feel less stressed and it may be easier for them to talk about their problems. When this happens, employees can focus more on work and thus, enhance their performance.
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– Low Absenteeism:
When the workplace becomes less stressful and more supportive, it becomes easier for employees to talk or work on their personal or professional problems. This makes them feel less overwhelmed which might eventually lead to a reduced number of leaves from work.
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– More Productivity and Morale:
When employers provide employees with supportive and open work culture, employees are motivated to work to their full potential. This will lead to enhanced performance, productivity and morale.
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– Helps Retention:
When employees feel fulfilled, valued, heard, and motivated at their workplace, they prefer to stay.
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– Better Overall Workplace Health:
When employees are looked after, the culture becomes healthy, interactive and leads to better health overall.
Remember, employees are the foundation of your organization and their mental health and well-being should be a priority at your organization which can also bring a great deal of growth and success for your organization and saves you a lot of money.
