Workplace counselling

Employee Counselling Service

When employees take sick leave, the rest of the workforce becomes affected; however when that absenteeism becomes medium to long term the business becomes affected and this in turn lowers productivity as well as staff morale. 

Stress and the Law

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the health (including mental health), safety and welfare of employees whilst at work. Equally, the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires employers to assess the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities, and to take measures to control identified risks.

The cost of stress in the work place

• Stress-related sickness is widely reported to be a major cause of absence for UK businesses. It is estimated that 13.4 million working days a year are lost through stress, anxiety, and depression, with sickness absence costing over £12 billion, according to the CBI.

   Recent compensation awarded against employers in breach of these duties includes:

  • £100,000 paid by a High Street bank group to one of their financial advisors
  • £67,000 paid by Birmingham City Council to a former employee who retired early due to ill health caused by stress
  • £203,000 paid by Worcester County Council to a former employee made ill by work related stress.

Why should you offer counselling?

Employees experiencing stress at work create a serious problem for any size organisation, the additional pressure of work demands and tighter budgets are constantly increasing and such stress can reduce the efficiency of your staff. 

Some employees may have personal problems, which are beginning to affect their level of functioning, this leads to a knock on effect at work and their problems become yours. 

Your employees are a valuable asset, which need to be nurtured and supported.  By providing counselling to employees you will be protecting your bottom line and improving staff morale.  However, this will only work if the employer ensures that seeking help through counselling is an accepted company wide policy and does not create stigma for the employee requiring help.

How many sessions will my staff need?

I recommend 6 sessions per employee, during which a large number of personal and work problems can be resolved, or significantly helped.  Should an employee require further sessions, this can either be discussed with the employer or the employee can continue to fund them personally.  By knowing at the outset the number of sessions allocated, you are able to budget accordingly.

Confidentiality

The issues discussed within the counselling session are confidential to the individual and the therapist.  No information will be passed to the employer unless specifically authorised by the employee.

Costs

To be discussed on request.