Can counselling improve the happiness of your team?

When your employees are happy, they’re more productive and highly engaged. A 2022 survey showed that 20% of employees planned to change jobs for better benefits, improved job satisfaction or a better work-life balance. Engaged employees are more likely to stay, meaning you keep their valuable skills to help you grow your business.

Gallup research found that businesses with highly engaged employees benefited from reduced absenteeism, increased turnover and profitability, greater customer loyalty and fewer workplace accidents.

Improving productivity, turnover, and profitability has clear business benefits. However, happy employees also look after each other better, reducing workplace injuries, saving you time investigating accidents and keeping insurance premiums low. High levels of sickness absence can increase workplace stress as your team must absorb their absent colleague’s workload.

We’ve mentioned the benefits of happy, engaged employees, but taking care of your team’s mental health has other advantages. Mental health issues such as stress, depression and anxiety account for around 50% of all work-related ill health, with 17.9 million working days lost as a result.

Supporting your employees in feeling happy at work is only one part of the process. Helping them cope with life’s ups and downs and offering access to treatment for mental health conditions is also essential. A positive workplace culture combined with other benefits is vital, but what role can counselling play?

Counselling is usually described as a talking therapy. It gives patients a safe place to discuss their problems and any issues impacting their daily lives. Counsellors aim to support and advise their patients without judgment so they can be honest. Counselling gives you a place to talk, where your counsellor will help you find the solutions to your problems rather than provide easy answers that may not be appropriate to your circumstances.

Counselling won’t necessarily solve every problem, but it can make things easier to cope with. A counsellor should be registered and properly trained to use accredited techniques during counselling sessions.

We all need someone to talk to from time to time. Sometimes, chatting with a friend or relative is enough to leave you feeling heard and supported, making you feel happier. Creating a workplace culture that lets your team develop supportive relationships and friendships can provide peer-to-peer support.

However, sometimes, more robust support is needed. Your team may be reluctant to share their personal problems at work or hesitate to discuss workplace issues because it may negatively impact their careers. Equally, they may be struggling with a problem and can’t see a way forward. A friend or family member may be too close to offer constructive advice, but a professional counsellor has enough emotional distance to provide a fresh perspective.

What types of support can counselling provide?

Support during stressful life events

Life can throw various challenges our way, and your team members are no exception. Your employees may try to keep their work and personal lives separate. However, stress and mental health issues can cause difficulties in focusing, tiredness, and physical ill health, which can affect them at home and work.

Financial or legal worries, relationship issues, and bereavement can result in additional stress. Providing counselling that offers support for any problems your team may face demonstrates your commitment to their well-being, even if their challenges aren’t work-related. It can also help avoid overwhelming stress, resulting in them needing time off. A lack of routine and inactivity can make stress worse. By contrast, remaining in work where you and the rest of the team can provide additional support can help them feel happier in the long run.

Confidential advice on work-related issues

As we’ve mentioned, your team may be reluctant to share workplace worries with you or their colleagues because they’re worried about how it could impact their careers. Workplace relationships are complex, and they may have an issue with someone generally well-regarded within their team and fear being ostracized if they speak up. They may also fear that their concerns are unfounded or they’re overreacting due to their personal history. Confidentiality can also be a worry in a close-knit team or department.

Speaking with a third-party counsellor guarantees confidentiality and a nonjudgmental place to discuss their problems. A counsellor can consider any relevant history, help your employee understand their reaction, and decide how to proceed.

Tools to improve mental health

Counselling can’t solve every problem. However, it can help your team find ways to tackle issues and speak up when they experience difficulties in their relationships with others. A counsellor can also help clients find practical solutions and support when needed.

However, sometimes, employees may need to change how they view a challenge to make it easier to cope. A problem may not disappear, but counselling can help it feel smaller so your employee is happier overall. For example, they may feel stressed by office gossip. Counselling won’t make it stop, but it can give an employee the tools to ignore it and walk away. These tools can also benefit them in other stressful situations, improving their happiness and mental well-being.

If any team members experience mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety or schizophrenia, counselling can help and may be used alongside prescription medication if needed.

Support with physical health issues

Mental health issues don’t always happen in isolation. They can occur alongside, or as a result of, physical illnesses and injuries. It feels counter-intuitive to talk about happiness if your employee is going through cancer treatment, is struggling with chronic lower back pain or has been diagnosed with diabetes. However, counselling can help them cope better with their situation and improve their quality of life.

Their definition of happiness may alter, but counselling can support the process.

Counselling isn’t just for employees

We’ve mainly discussed ways to support your employees with counselling. However, it’s worth remembering that leadership roles can also be stressful. Counselling can support you and your management team when making business decisions or dealing with stressful life events.

If you own a small business, you may not have any peer support; counselling can provide a sounding board when needed.

There are two main ways to provide workplace counselling to your employees. You can choose a standalone Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or invest in health insurance offering access to counselling and other mental health benefits.

Whichever option you choose, the amount you pay will be an allowable business expense, meaning you can reduce your corporation tax bill. However, it would be best to speak with your accountant or financial advisor to discuss the tax implications for you and your staff. HMRC views health insurance as a benefit in kind that attracts additional income tax payments. A standalone EAP isn’t usually considered a benefit in kind, but it depends on how the scheme operates.

Employee Assistance Program

An Employee Assistance Program provides access to counselling, CBT sessions and telephone support. Depending on your chosen program, your team can have a fixed number of treatment sessions. Most programs let your employees self-refer so they don’t have to go through you or see their GP to access treatment. There are independent EAP providers, and some counselling services also offer a scheme. Some also allow employees to continue treatment at their own expense if they need more support than your funded sessions provide.

EAPs often include telephone support. This isn’t counselling but can signpost your staff towards self-help resources or other sources of support such as charities or their GP. Some also have legal advice or financial advice helplines that operate in the same way. The helplines provide more informal support but can help to ease an employee’s worries.

Health insurance

Health insurance is a highly valued employee benefit and provides your team access to treatment for various physical and mental health issues.

You can add an EAP to a business policy with most providers. Most policies also include 8-10 counselling sessions in their core coverage. Health insurance can also provide more extensive mental health treatment if needed. For example, an EAP won’t cover in-patient psychiatric treatment, but health insurance can. Enhanced mental health coverage can also provide access to prescription medications and a broader range of out-patient therapies.

At Globacare, we help our clients find the right health insurance for their team, including mental health support and counselling when needed. We’re qualified, regulated brokers with a wealth of experience supporting our clients to provide high-quality employee benefits via insurance. Contact us today for tailored advice.