The next crisis is bound to come - how can companies help?

"The burdens are increasing"

Charlyne Hochreiter-Götz, an expert for employee assistance and company assistance at Mavie, sees in everyday counselling that the crises of recent years - the Covid pandemic, war, inflation - are leaving their mark. “The burdens are increasing and they will remain. We learn in our very performance-oriented society: you have to manage your life. When you get to a point where you can’t get any further on your own, it’s difficult for many to say: I need help now, I can’t get any further.”
 
Support employees mentally
Takeda in Austria has been using the services of Mavie, formerly Consentiv, for many years. The EAP offer gives all employees the opportunity to take advantage of free and anonymous counselling and coaching, which is carried out by Mavie experts either in person, via video call or by telephone. It is also particularly appreciated that partners and children who live in the same household can also use the counselling.
 
Relief in private crises
“We have found that it doesn't always have to be the major crises that are a burden. It's also the small individual crises, especially in the private sector, where counseling can provide support and relief," says Stefan Pohl, Employee Experience Lead. Low-threshold access to the offer is crucial.

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Keep the hurdles as small as possible

Stefan Pohl: “The hurdle has to be as small as possible. There is no manager who has to agree. It only takes a phone call or an email. I can contact and speak to a trustworthy person. As Takeda, we appreciate that about Mavie’s offer.” Charlyne Hochreiter-Götz adds: “It often helps when a colleague has already used the counselling and says in confidence: Take a look, that helped me. "
 
Good feedback despite anonymity
Since the counselling is anonymous, Takeda does not learn who is using the offer and what is being discussed in detail. The company only receives a performance report on utilization once a year. “There are individual employees who come to us voluntarily and dare to say that they have used Mavie and that it has helped them. That is very nice feedback,” says Stefan Pohl.
 
Personal responsibility
Of course, there must also be a certain willingness to face challenges. Charlyne Hochreiter-Götz from Mavie: "Personal responsibility is very important in counselling and coaching, because you need the willingness to work on a topic. No company can help with that. Coaching doesn't work with 'you should' and 'you have to'. Companies can only create the opportunity for advice and remind employees of the offer.”

What does EAP bring to the company?

Since EAP programs are a major financial investment for companies, the question naturally arises: What does this support bring to the company? Stefan Pohl has a differentiated answer to this: "If you only look at the cost-benefit calculation, you would have to say: We have to cancel EAP immediately. These are very expensive coaching hours. But with this topic you can't draw up a purely business calculation. It supports the health of employees and is therefore important for us as a company.”
 
Three reasons for EAP (Employee Assistance Programs)
As Employee Experience Lead at Takeda in Austria, Pohl sees three good reasons for EAP: “1. It shows employees that they are taken care of. 2. People who need support are given urgent help. 3. Large companies can no longer evade this responsibility, especially in regards to employer branding.”