Traditional EAPs Are No Longer Fit For Purpose In The Modern Workplace And Incoming Legislations

29 August 2024

Australia continues to elevate psychosocial risk management regulation for employers following its work health and safety reforms last year, and Clearhead CEO Angela Lim says New Zealand businesses should watch closely.

This week, Australia’s new right to disconnect laws take effect, which gives employees the ability to refuse employer contact outside of working hours on reasonable grounds, and gives regulators teeth to enforce that right.

“In New Zealand the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 already states that employers must protect employees’ physical and psychological health and wellbeing, meaning that the path is already laid for regulatory updates of a similar nature at home.” says Lim.

Research shows that work-related psychosocial hazards are on the verge of surpassing many other occupational hazards in their contribution to ill-health, injury, disability, direct and indirect costs, and impact on business and national productivity, and globally, the World Health Organisation reports an estimated $1 trillion in productivity losses annually due to mental health issues. It is clear to see that investing in the mental wellbeing of employees is a critical issue at the forefront of any sustainable business practices.

Despite this urgency to tackle psychosocial risk in the workplace, many employers are feeling underequipped to implement meaningful change, especially with the surge in redundancies due to the current financial environment.

Clearhead, a mental health EAP services provider founded in New Zealand wants to help employers feel empowered to utilise their existing resources and risk management frameworks to their full potential.

“Employment Assistance Programs (EAP) can play a critical role in addressing psychosocial hazards in the workplace, but we don’t think the industry has kept up with the changing needs”.

Today, Clearhead released a whitepaper detailing the unique vantage point that EAPs have when harnessing the latest advancements in technology and workplace wellbeing frameworks.

Speaking at Australia’s Psychosocial Risk Management Conference in Sydney on Wednesday 28 August, Dr. Lim urged attending employers from Australia and New Zealand to seek more from their workplace wellness partners in 2024.

The whitepaper, titled Unlocking the Potential of EAP: A Vital Cog in Managing Psychosocial Risks, shares two core insights.

1. A proactive approach to preventing psychosocial harm is no longer a nice-to-have. 2. Health and Safety and Human Resource silos can be addressed via their EAP provider to unlock effective psychosocial risk management

“The whole ecosystem needs to level-up to support the hardworking HR leaders that are working to improve the workplace experience in New Zealand and abroad – for all the right reasons – and we are here for that.” says Lim.

The report can be downloaded for free here: https://www.myclearhead.com/psrm-whitepaper

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