Duty of care: How can an employee assistance plan help?

Duty of care means all employers should take steps to ensure their employees' health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace, both physical and psychological. 

Not all employers are aware of the implications of the Duty of Care. It doesn't matter how small a business happens to be - where there's a member of staff, there's a duty of care responsibility.

The requirements under an employer's Duty of Care are wide-ranging and may manifest themselves in many different ways, such as ensuring a safe work environment, protecting staff from discrimination and more.

An employer can be deemed to have breached their Duty of Care by failing to do everything that was reasonable in the circumstances to keep the employee safe from harm.

How can employers be supported towards their Duty of Care to staff?

One tool that can support employers in the duty of care is an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This can support staff on issues whether they are personal issues or work-related, and include services such as:

• An employee telephone helpline with 24-hour support
• 24/7 Online support
• Counselling services
• Legal Advice EAP services can also go a stage further and in addition to the above include:
• One-to-one counselling services (either remote or face to face).

EAPs can also support an employer by providing advice to line managers to help an employer identify and tackle workplace problems. By assisting employees with their personal problems, employers can in turn, cultivate a workplace environment with fewer distractions, leading to increased productivity.

How should Duty of Care be managed in the workplace?

The starting point for an employer in managing duty of care is to appoint a member of staff who deals with health and safety matters. A medium-sized or large organisation may have a trained member of staff who acts as the competent health and safety representative.

In a small organisation, it is likely that an owner or director will take on the role. This is why many businesses look to get support from employee benefit providers for services such as EAPs.

Demonstrating concern for the physical and mental health of your workers shouldn't just be seen as a legal duty - there's a clear business case, too. It can be a key factor in building trust and reinforcing your commitment to your employees, and can help improve staff retention, boost productivity and pave the way for greater employee engagement.

So, what is the role of EAP and what are your next steps?

The key is to view EAP and similar programmes as a worthwhile investment that will benefit your business in the long run. It is also crucial that the service is voluntary.

An EAP can therefore be a very good tool for an employer to demonstrate their duty of care for employees. A good EAP service will offer an easily accessible confidential service that is supported by service centres staffed with qualified consultants and clinicians based in the UK that function 365/24/7 days a year.

If your staff feel supported and valued, they're likely to apply the same value to their role in your workplace. This is why an EAP makes perfect business sense.

This article was provided by Busy Bees Benefits.