Written by Wayne Close, General Manager, Bupa UK Health Services.
As we adjust to life in social isolation, it’s vital that we take time to look after our mental health. At the same time, many of our usual support networks won’t be as accessible during lock down and knowing where to turn for help can be difficult.
Across the UK over 70% of people are now working from home, meaning our day-to-day interactions with our friends, families and colleagues have predominantly changed to calls or video.
While these are great for keeping connected, they can’t replicate face-to-face contact, and it can make it harder to notice when someone might be struggling. Likewise, others may not feel as comfortable asking for help.
In times like this, support services such as employee assistance programmes (EAPs) really come into their own – offering confidential advice, guidance and support from qualified teams, at the end of a phone.
Typically, EAPs can support with a range of issues from legal, financial and family support, to bereavement and trauma support, as well as online Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) and nurse-led helplines for health advice.
An EAP can also support line managers with any concerns they might have about employment issues with a member of their team or about their employee’s mental health.
Looking at the service provided by Bupa, we’ve seen a range of calls to our EAPs since the COVID-19 crisis began.
Most frequently our teams are supporting with anxiety (including health anxiety), followed by calls relating to depression and stress. Given the impact that social isolation is having on our social networks, it’s perhaps unsurprising to see relationships and family problems next on the list.
For me, there are two key things to take from this: firstly that, no matter what you’re feeling, it’s normal. It seems trite to say that we’re living in uncertain times – but we are. This is an entirely new situation for everyone and we’ll all process it in different ways.
The second is that, despite their benefits, EAP services are still often overlooked. They’re easy to set up and are valuable tools to support employees with a number of factors, yet more than a third of companies still don’t offer them.
Our teams have been working hard to make sure our EAPs stay relevant to our customers as Covid-19 continues to develop. We have regular sessions scheduled for all the team to make sure they have up to date training on various topics, including domestic violence and grief – we are also introducing a webchat for people unable to make a private call.
Regardless of what you’re feeling, it’s reassuring that you have someone to speak to, without judgement, whenever you’re ready.
