There has been a ton of emphasis put on employee well-being during the pandemic. Most studies show that employers and employees expect this emphasis to continue and grow as we move into the future.
The good news - your company probably already has a great tool to help managers with this.
The bad news - its use has a traditionally negative connotation, so much so that many managers aren't even aware it still exists.
I'm talking about the Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).
Many companies have these as part of the benefits packages. However, they have been branded as an emergency thing or a place of last resort. If you have an employee who has an issue that the manager doesn't want to (or can't) deal with, recommend the EAP.
We stress how it is private and confidential - another clue that it must be a big deal. After all, we only keep bad things private and confidential.
As a manager, from day 1, work to get rid of this stigma. EAPs shouldn't be a crisis place or a place of last resort. It should be a tool that we use whenever we need it. They offer all kinds of services, not just crisis services.
Talk with your HR team and learn more about what things your EAP does. Then start to encourage your team to use it. This will take time because of the negative connotations, but it is well worth it.
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