Corporate jobs in the twenty-first century are not easy! They are filled with stress, anxiety, and distress. Employees are constantly under pressure to achieve targets and bring results. Often, they have to go through a lot of personal challenges, but need to showcase exemplary performance at work simultaneously. This takes a toll on their physical and mental health, affecting their individual as well as professional well-being.
Employee Assistance Programs, or EAPS, are designed for firm workers to provide them with opportunities to navigate emotional and psychological challenges arising from their work pressure. They ensure their performance is not affected by their emotions, and in case of a psychological issue, they are provided with the required therapies and counselling at the right time.
These employee assistance programs include expert psychologists and psychiatrists who ensure the mental health and well-being of all the firm’s workers. Employers’ efforts to invest in the mental well-being of employees exhibit an increasing dedication by Pakistani organizations to prioritize the mental well-being of their employees and promote healthier and supportive workplaces.
Companies like EFU Life Assurance, Nestlé Pakistan, and Pakistan International Airlines are notable examples of corporate companies that have used EAPS to provide several benefits to their employees. These programs played a vital role in making the employees feel validated and secure at their workplaces.
What Do EAPS Provide?
EAPS comes with a variety of services and benefits for employers and employees. Let’s discuss some of them here:
-
Provide Support for Work-Life Balance
The biggest stressor for corporate employees today is the negligible work-life balance. With extensive work tasks, a long commute to the office, working weekends, and endless deadlines, these employees are always under stress. Finding some moments of joy in the company of their kids seems like an impossible task. This leads to emotional lethargy, causing job burnout.
Psychologists and psychiatrists who are part of the EAPS help them get their work-life balance back on track. They train them to manage time properly so there is enough time for work and home, helping them lead a more fulfilling life.
-
Navigating Through Personal Challenges
A lot of times, personal challenges cause a lot of stress to the employees and during such situations, it is difficult for them to manage their work. They may be going through a divorce, a loss of parent, a ong-term illness or anything else. Mental health psychologists guide them on managing their personal challenges while dealing with work-related problems.
If we talk about the Pakistani society, personal problems, most of the times, spill over the professional growth. The problems associated with joint family systems, gender roles and expectations, property matters, financial losses and other personal challenges affect the performance of employees at work.
The mental health specialists play a significant role in helping these employees navigate through their personal problems smoothly without getting their work affected.
-
Organize Mental Health Workshops
The major problem in Pakistan is that mental health and well-being are not really given any importance. As a matter of fact, a lot of people don’t even realize that they are dealing with depression and anxiety. They continue with their work in the same phase, and it further aggravates their psychological problems.
Through their employee assistance programs, mental health specialists organize various workshops at workplaces, offering free-of-cost assistance to the attendees. The learnings in these workshops are an eye-opener for the employees and they realize the need for intervention.
Spreading awareness is the basic requirement, especially in the Pakistani society, where mental health is taken for granted. These workshops are a source of awareness and learning for a lot of people who consider psychological problems taboo!
-
Keep Things Confidential
One major reason the EAPS is considered a success in Pakistan is that it ensures confidentiality. Owing to being taboo, no one wants anyone to know about their mental health challenges. The promise of keeping everything secret is the only thing that gives the employees the much-needed courage to discuss their problems with a therapist.
Counselling sessions and everything discussed in therapy remain strictly between the therapist and the employees. Even the HR is kept aloof from what the employee discusses with the psychologist, even if that is regarding human resource policies or appraisals. No one gets to know what happened in the session, as the mental health practitioners are under oath to maintain privacy.
-
Reduce Absentism
EAPS in Pakistan have showcased a great reduction in corporate office absenteeism. This absenteeism is often owing to a work-life imbalance, an inability to manage personal and professional lives efficiently, or job burnout.
By helping employees deal with these problems efficiently, mental health specialists can reduce workplace absenteeism, which ultimately enhances workplace productivity.
-
Tailored Sessions For Men and Women
Male and female employees have entirely different issues in the workplace. At workshops and sessions, these issues are discussed generally. However, during one-on-one sessions, particular gender-specific issues are discussed. This way, relevant solutions are provided to the employees, and the EAP program turns out to be really effective.
-
Digital Accessibility
Not all employees work from offices! Some of them work from home, and they would also require EAP sessions to deal with their mental health issues. In such situations, the psychologists and psychiatrists from hybrid options to the employees. They can get consultations through online sessions as well as get them in the offices, as per their requirements.
SehatYab ensures that these employees are provided with beneficial online sessions. They can join these sessions from home and get therapy from the experts as needed.
Final Thoughts
Employee Assistance Programs are crucial when it comes to enhancing employee engagement, reducing job burnout, augmenting satisfaction level and keeping workers motivated. They provide confidential counselling and stress management at their finest. SehatYab comes with impressive stress management workshops, training sessions for leadership, and super-confidential counselling services that promote a healthier work environment. Hence, they benefit both employees and employers equally and should be taken up by more organizations.
