Best Workplace Counselling and EAP Counselling

WORKPLACE COUNSELLING – EAP COUNSELLING (EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME COUNSELLING)

What is Workplace counselling?

Workplace counselling is also known as EAP counselling is counselling which is offered by Chennai Minds to employees in a workplace as part of the Employee Assistance program. This is structured as an online counselling format by Chennai minds, a psychiatrist in Chennai.

Given that an average employee spends 900000 hours of his / her lifetime at work (In India, the millennials spend an average of 52 hours a week at work), it is not a surprising fact that they may need additional help to get through work-related stresses, increase productivity, reducing both absences and presenteeism and develop skills to enhance motivation, problem-solving, ensuring healthy work-life balance and maximize their potential.

Are employees at the workplace stressed?

It has been reported that almost every other employee in India suffers from depression or anxiety, making it a whopping 42%. Chronic and unregulated stress can predispose to mental illnesses including depression. It is known that 35% of India’s population is of age group 15-34 and that suicide is the leading cause of death in this age group.

Furthermore, 71% of adults reported at least one symptom of stress and around 38.5% of adults have sleep problems for less than 6 hours. Lack of sleep and good sleep hygiene is a risk factor for depression and metabolic disorders. Medically unexplained symptoms are present in up to 30 to 50% of the working-age group. It is a well-known fact that people with mental health disorders also need care for other physical health conditions (heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illness, and disorders that affect muscles, bones, and joints)

What are the real cost of stress and mental illness in working adults?

The cost of stress and mental illness to an employee is huge. It can hugely affect their quality of life, concentration, performance, work output, and relationships.

This in turn may lead to social difficulties and financial difficulties. Apart from absences (One in every ten work hours is lost to ‘unplanned time off’), it may lead to presenteeism (attending workplace but not performing optimally). Depression-affects physical job tasks about 20% of the time and reduces cognitive performance about 35% of the time.

What is the cost of loss of productivity due to mental illness?

$1 trillion of the global economy/year (between 2012 and 2030) is lost due to loss of productivity secondary to depression and anxiety (WHO).

What is the direct cost of healthcare?

When we consider the Mental Health Care Budget, India spends around 0.05 percent of the total healthcare budget on mental health care compared to 5% in the developed world. (That is 33 paisa per mental health patient per year allocated to mental health). However, estimated the approximate total cost required per month to be Rs.10,000 crores (US$ 100 billion). Insurance companies are now required by law to cover for mental health treatment however there are practical difficulties as reported from people in obtaining a complete cover.

Is the cost of the house?

Corporate companies are taking the brunt of the huge cost of mental illness, both direct costs and productivity costs. When companies are affected this way, this in turn affects the employee too.

As mentioned earlier, though insurance companies are expected by law to provide cover for mental health care it has many logistic difficulties.

Treating depression alone costs $110 billion annually, and half of that cost is shouldered by employers (Kaiser Family Foundation 2019). There has been an increase in Mental health expenses by more than 10 %year over 5 years versus an increase of 5 % for other medical costs (Aetna Behavioural Health).

However, the good news is that there is a return of US$ 4 in improved health and productivity for US$1 spent (Lancet 2016).

A 75 % return on investments.