Benefits of EAP

Employee assistance programs benefit not only employees but employers too

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) allow employers to support their employees - and often their employees’ families - through confidential counselling sessions with psychologists. They help employees to deal with work-related and personal issues that may affect workplace attitudes, performance and productivity.

For employees suffering from issues that are causing difficulties in their personal or working lives, an Employee Assistance Program can be a godsend. They can also have substantial benefits for business.

Psychology Melbourne has developed innovative, cost-effective packages to reduce the cost of EAP, employers can cap their expenditure while enjoying lower-than-normal session fees.

Psychology Melbourne extends the usefulness of EAP by providing low-cost classes that can give employees a powerful toolbox of skills and strategies that can dramatically improve relations at work and at home. Psychology Melbourne also offers optional, secure tele-counselling facilities that can be accessed from the workplace or after hours from home, to avoid lost time. Research into the outcomes of tele-counselling has indicated high levels of success and client satisfaction

Support and Empowerment

Access to an EAP provides a safe, confidential environment to understand and resolve issues that might impact their performance at work. Employees can gain invaluable coping skills and strategies. Even the simple knowledge that they are valued enough to be provided with assistance improves morale

Problems down. Productivity up.

People coping with unresolved issues tend to lose sleep. They also lose concentration; have accidents; over-react and under-perform. Too often, the condition is infectious, spreading resentments and inflating molehills into mountainous problems. Access to an EAP can be the mental equivalent of a flu vaccine, keeping the workplace healthy and happy.

Reduced Absenteeism

How often do people call in “sick” when they’re under pressure? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, up to 30% of employee absenteeism is due to personal problems. And then there’s the less understood problem of “presentism” – when people drag themselves into work, carrying the burden of untreated physical and mental conditions. Depression, for instance, causes fatigue and irritability, among other things, with predictable consequences for people’s ability to work together. An EAP encourages employees to deal with problems that left untreated, can escalate with tragic consequences.

Dispensation vs. compensation

Research has shown that assistance programs are a form of dispensation – something freely offered to employees – that can significantly reduce WorkCover claims for issues such as work-related stress and accidents. And when problems get resolved earlier and outside of the workplace, there is less strain on team leaders, management and HR to try to address these issues during work hours.

Employee retention

Offering assistance to employees and their families can build loyalty. Employees who feel valued are much less likely to complain and to quit. The pay-off for EAP in reducing hiring and training costs can be significant.

Reduce Costs and Save

A 2014 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers analysing investment returns found that every dollar spent on creating a mentally healthy workplace returns an expected $2.30 in benefits. Other research puts expected returns of more than 500 per cent.

More than 250 Business and government organisations have taken advantage of Psychology Melbourne’s affordable, effective Employee Assistance Programs.

Contact Us

Your employees can make appointments directly with Psychology Melbourne, on a voluntary self-referral basis. We manage the number of sessions with a negotiated cap.

Appointments are available across our 10 locations in the CBD and suburbs. We offer after-hours and Saturday sessions in addition to normal office hours.

For more information or to arrange an appointment contact our reception team on our Live Chat or phone 1300 161 639 or send us an email via our contact form.