In many organisations, employee support programmes, and occupational health services exist as separate systems, each managed independently. While all three aim to protect and promote employee well-being, their lack of integration often leads to missed opportunities for more effective care. The connection between these elements is frequently overlooked, yet when aligned, they form a powerful framework that enhances both employee health and organisational performance.
Understanding the Three Foundations
Another key element of understanding the Three Foundations’ connection is to comprehend how each element functions.
- Support programmes are programmes that assist employees through mental health resources, counselling, wellness programmes, and flexible work situations for personal and or professional challenges.
- Occupational health provides an assessment of a workplace to identify potential hazards; provides an assessment of the physical and mental wellbeing of employees; and makes recommendations for providing a safe and effective work environment for employees.
Each of these systems adds value independently but will also leave a gap in quality and consistency of care if not combined.
In a situation like this, leads to a lack of connection between programmes; therefore will lead to a lack of continuity of care for employees.
How Disconnect Occurs and Possible Solutions
The organisational structure affects the connection of all three areas (employee support, and occupational health). Each department or area of responsibility is managed separately; therefore, the communication aspects of these areas might be limited due to this lack of coordinated approach.
Because of this disconnect, some employees may receive fragmented support when attempting to access care. For example, if an employee who is experiencing stress uses the Employee Assistance Programme to receive counselling, they may have no workplace accommodations or adjustments available to them because occupational health did not provide input. An employee who is recovering from an injury may have support that covers the medical costs related to their recovery but has no input or assistance from a third party in returning to work safely.
In addition to negatively impacting the well-being of employees, these gaps in service can create increased employee absenteeism, decreased employee productivity, and ultimately will increase long-term costs to the organisation.
Value of Integration
By integrating employee support services, and occupational health services, a more comprehensive and integrated system is established. Integration of these services provides employees with the ability to access a continuum of care that will promote their immediate and long-term health and well-being.
Employee Care in a Holistic Manner
Where all three parts work together to provide an employee with a holistic approach that addresses their entire health and wellness. i.e. Occupational health assessments can identify an employee from their job performance or personal evaluation of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their workplace/boss. An employee support programme can provide immediate help, and health coverage will sometimes cover the necessary treatment and/or therapy.
Communication and Coordination
Integrating all of these systems will help improve communication among the departments involved in the employee’s life, as well as between the service providers to each of the departments. The result will be better informed decision-making for the employee and service provider as well as consideration for all areas of the employee’s situation.
Faster Return to Work / Recovery
Coordinated support for an employee results in the ability to recover sooner from injury or illness so they may return to work faster. An occupational health provider may develop an appropriate return to work plan based on the present limitations. Support systems will help to pay for any treatment or rehabilitation required by the employee, and the employee support programme can meet the employee’s emotional and/or psychological needs.
Cost Effectiveness for the Organisation
Although integrating the above systems may require some startup investment to achieve, in the end, they will usually result in overall savings for the company. Any time that a company is able to address a problem or issue before it becomes a long-term absence, the company will be able to save money on healthcare costs and/or increase productivity.
Employee Experience
As an employee, having to deal with separate systems is overwhelming and can create more confusion when you’re already dealing with an illness or stressful situation. Having access to your support via a connected model will assist in reducing the complexity of this process as well as provide a clear route for you to obtain help so that you have less anxiety.
Employees are more likely to trust and engage with their employers when they believe that their employers genuinely care about their well-being. This can positively influence both the performance of individual employees and also the overall culture of the workplace.
While the relationship among employee support, and occupational health services is often overlooked, it is too vital to ignore. When considered together as a comprehensive system, they can help protect employees from harm, aid in their recovery from injury and promote their long-term health and well-being.
For help with your companies Occupational Health services, contact Workforce Wellbeing today
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