We all know that a company’s biggest asset is their people. Without people, deals can’t be made, meetings can’t be held, accounts can’t be managed, and on and on it goes. Even in today’s AI world, we still need people.
The business world can be competitive, and while many people thrive in this environment, many don’t. Company’s need employees who are healthy and focused on the job, and for that reason, employers need to take into consideration mental health. In fact, employers have a legal duty of care for the physical and mental health of their teams.
High stress in the workplace comes in many shapes and forms. Approaching deadlines, sales targets to meet, challenging colleagues, fatigue from working long hours, leading and managing teams and new challenges faced by working from home are some of the reasons why employees feel they are on the edge.
Getting the best from people means putting time and effort into people. Caring for the workforce is not only a legal requirement, it can reap massive rewards.
Corporate counselling has become a very important way for companies to support the mental health of their teams. A recent survey indicated that over 60% of companies have put in place some form of corporate counselling support. The same survey suggests that 79% of UK employees feel close to burnout!
I like to think about corporate counselling as one piece in the health and safety jigsaw. Business leaders should consider it as being equally important as policies, or risk assessment or technical training. It is a vital piece in the jigsaw because it will help employees who are struggling and it will lead to better productivity and a better working environment. In fact, a win, win for all.
How does corporate counselling work? Firstly, it needs to be bespoke to each company, because each company has different needs and aspirations. Generally, there are five key elements.
Raising awareness
The first step in the corporate counselling journey is to raise awareness of mental health in the workplace. This can be done by running short awareness sessions for employees, often lunch and learn sessions work well.
The review
It is always useful to have a review of where the company is in relation to mental health at work. Therefore, the second part of the process is to review the company and to set a baseline for improvement. This can be done by sampling the workforce and discussing mental health with leaders and managers.
Engagement
Moving on from the review stage, more detailed engagement sessions can be arranged so that solutions for improvement can be identified and put in place.
Providing support
This is the crux of corporate counselling. Employees are offered a 24/7 helpline to call if they need support, and they are offered one-to-one counselling if needed. A triage system works well because some people just need someone to listen to while others need tangible solutions.
One very important aspect of corporate counselling is that it is completely confidential, and must always be so.
Improvement
Let’s be realistic, employers need to find a benefit in everything they do. Corporate counselling costs money so it is vitally important that improvements can be seen. An important stage in the corporate counselling journey is to report on improvement, usually through KPIs or other indicators.
Although there are five distinct stages in corporate counselling, not all of them have to be done. It is recommended that a structured approach be taken, but if an employer decides to implement, for example, only the ‘providing support’ element, that is okay. The important thing is to do something.
Corporate counselling can help reduce absenteeism and turnover rates by providing employees with the support they need to manage personal and work-related issues. It will increase job satisfaction and motivation.
Here is one final thought. If a company car were to break down, the employer would take it to the garage to get it fixed. In fact, regular servicing and maintenance of the car may well reduce the risk of it breaking down. Don’t employees warrant the same care and attention?
If you would like to discuss corporate counselling in more detail, please get in contact.
By Norman Thomson