Seven ways in which EAP supports managers

Recent months have proved particularly challenging for managers. And apart from their management roles, they are also people struggling with the same hassles as most of us – like uncertainty about the future, concern about their health and the health of their close ones, lockdown weight gain, their children’s school backlog or tension in their relationships put to the test during isolation. On top of that – there have been corporate plans to verify, business opportunities to tap into, and at the same time threats to avoid, work to reorganise and the use of technology to increase at a never-before-envisaged pace. The emotional needs of the employees have also been included in the checklist.

Expectations in this regard may be viewed as relatively new, but they are becoming common. Already before the pandemic, 45% of Polish employees expected their employers to support them as regards their mental health. According to the research from May 2020, 70% of employees felt that such a support was of immense importance after the pandemic experience, and 74% declared that leadership based on empathy and supportive attitude was important to them. Although the majority of bosses still believe that emotions need to be left at the door, inclusion of the care for mental health into the objects and corporate organisational culture of businesses seems inevitable.

Psychologically speaking, this makes sense. People bring personal problems to work and this interferes with their professional functioning. In turn, they take their work problems home with them and are eventually unable to rest. That is a start of a vicious circle which is difficult to get out of on your own. Negative thoughts tend to come to the fore because this is how we have been shaped in the course of evolution: first, we deal with threats – real or imagined ones. While doing so, it is difficult to focus on tasks, foster creativity and be committed to goals.

In such a situation, it proves effective to entrust the care of the team’s psychological wellbeing to external specialists with the necessary experience and resources. So if you are a manager, find out how we can support you in order to contribute to your personal success and boost the effectiveness of your company:

With the launch of the EAP Program in your company, like all employees, you gain 24/7 access to immediate, unlimited and confidential psychological support – you can contact a specialist in seconds, whenever you need it. You can also benefit from a psychotherapy session upon appointment. We deal with issues such as chronic stress, fear and anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, loneliness, problems with children and teenagers, addictions and co-dependency, coping with illness, trauma and loss, providing support to close ones, lifestyle changes regarding nutrition, sleep and physical activity. The program also offers legal and financial counselling, useful if you want to sign a contract or avoid a mistake on your tax return.

Unresolved employee problems will sooner or later become your issue. You will feel the consequences such as more frequent lateness, increased absenteeism, lowered motivation, and reduced efficiency. If we get the chance to help people deal with their difficulties in time, their negative impact on work will be limited. It will be on us to discuss how to be more organised when working from home, how to take care of rest time, how to come to an agreement with a colleague or how to re-form relationships after a promotion.

An independent and experienced expert will be there for you to discuss different scenarios and prepare for conversations when: you are concerned about an employee’s behaviour, there are conflicts in the team and the atmosphere at work is deteriorating, there are signs of bullying, harassment and discrimination, motivation and efficiency are decreasing, you are facing difficult personnel-related decisions. We will also help you to develop your leadership competences through individual coaching sessions or work with a mentor.

In very challenging situations, such as an accident at work, a suicide of an employee or a serious illness of a team member, our specialists are ready to accompany you on site and provide direct support. We will navigate the meeting and moderate the conversation to provide space to share grief, doubts, and sometimes guilt. We will also work with the group when its ability to cooperate breaks down, when its members find themselves in a particularly difficult conflict-induced position, or one caused by crisis of trust or planned changes.

EAP is also an extensive educational programme. Its regular feature is wellbeing at work, including techniques for learning mindfulness, relaxation and ergonomics. We provide tips on how to improve the quality of life by taking care of rest, good sleep, proper nutrition, and activity. Our educational offer is based on the knowledge we have gained from the EAP Line talks, so we cover topics that are in tune with real, current needs. Regular participation in events prepares people to better cope with difficulties that come their way.

Business school curricula are still lacking in content on mental health. And yet, being able to recognise that something wrong is going on with an employee not only can help a business, but literally save someone’s life. Often, it is not the person affected, but others around them who first notice disturbing changes – unusual behaviour, unjustified mood swings, distorted perceptions of the world. As part of the EAP Program, you will learn which signs to look out for and how to best react to them.

The first effects of EAP are noticeable very quickly, but our goal and ambition is a long-term cooperation focused on effectiveness in good sense of the term – one that is not about a quick result at all cost. Together with you, we plan the implementation of the program and organise reminder actions, analyse statistics and observe trends, and respond to feedback from program participants. This way, EAP becomes a tailor-made solution and helps to foster a friendly work environment.