Boost productivity and satisfaction with an EAP

What exactly is EAP?

The abbreviation “EAP” stands for Employee Assistance Programme. In the USA, external employee counselling has long been a firm fixture of working life at successful companies. In Austria too, an increasing number of companies are turning to an external coaching service to provide their employees and managers with a platform to discuss and receive support for the issues causing them stress, both at work and at home, in an effort to promote mental health in the workplace. EAPs have proven successful in many different areas: not only can external experts assist with issues such as change processes, conflicts within teams and manager development, they can also provide support in relation to crises in employees’ private lives, e.g. if they are going through a divorce, want parental counselling or need help with parenting issues.

How does external employee counselling work in Austria? 

With more than 18 years of experience, Mavie is the largest domestic EAP provider in Austria, now serving 155 companies at eight locations across the country. In other words, more than 50,000 people can take advantage of the counselling, training and coaching services offered by Mavie. An EAP is generally implemented as follows: a company purchases the external coaching support for a certain period of time. Employees can then benefit from free and, if necessary, anonymous coaching sessions with counsellors, to be conducted either in person, over the telephone or via video call. The experts support clients through difficult stages of their professional or private lives and work together with them to come up with strategies for and solutions to the problems at hand.

What are the benefits of an EAP?

Higher productivity, more team spirit, faster problem-solving in the face of conflicts, less overburdening and burnout, and preventive support for physical and mental health. Employees can draw on the free coaching service to resolve stressful issues on their own initiative and feel invigorated and fit for work again in no time. 
Conflicts with colleagues, a lack of prospects in their job and issues such as bereavement, divorce and parenting quandaries can massively restrict an employee’s ability to work. This is where Mavie counsellors come in, providing professional and rapid support. Absenteeism and presenteeism are demonstrably reduced, the well-being and satisfaction of employees increase, and the costs are manageable: “We are the external partner for companies in all HR matters, taking a holistic approach and focusing on businesses and human beings alike,” says Beate Danczul from Mavie. “Over 18 years of experience have shown us that every company has very specific needs, which can vary according to size, organisational structure and other characteristic factors.”

EAP plus CAP: Mavie’s all-inclusive package

In addition to the EAP, Mavie also offers a CAP, a “Company Assistance Programme”: “We provide seminars, moderations, workshops and team training sessions individually tailored to the needs of our clients,” explains Beate Danczul. The benefit of this combination is that it presents the opportunity to work on issues that can sometimes arise with individual participants in a workshop, subsequently allowing them to resolve said issues independently through coaching within the framework of the EAP contract. This all-round support ensures that, among other things, corporate developments and change processes are championed more easily and fervently by employees.