Andrew Kinder

If you are developing an alcohol and drugs policy, this could be of some help:

www.cwunwdivision.com/Alcohol-DrugsPolicy-Guidance.pdf

I guess the answer is here – essentially provision is at best patchy.  Can still be 6 months wait for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.  This highlights the need for employers to provide therapy direct to their staff I think (what do you think?):

http://www.hi-mag.com/health-insurance/product-area/occupational-health/article376595.ece

Interesting report which shows that ‘stress’ is on the increase and females are slightly better at managing this.  Have a look:

http://www.orghealth.co.uk/uploads/articles/Managing%20stress%20in%20the%20workplace%20-%20OPP.pdf

Mind carry out some important campaigning about workplace stress and mental health issues.  In the link below they go into how employers can increase the wellbeing of their staff.  Worth a try?

http://www.mind.org.uk/employment/mind_week_2011/employees/five_ways_to_wellbeing

The Employee Assistance Professionals Association has published this guide which outlines how to purchase an Employee Assistance Programme and how to get the most out of them.

http://www.eapa.org.uk/page–eap-buyers-guide.html

Some interesting ideas here:

http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file52215.pdf

So this is more of a look at how EAPs and workplace counselling relate to Human Resources (HR).  Is bang up to date – 2010.  Worth a read…..

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/john+berridge/cary+l-+cooper/employee+assistance+and+workplace+counselling/7379942/

OK, so this is up to date – June 2010 – and is a review of the evidence around whether workplace counselling is effective.  The conclusion is that, yes, it is but also that more research is needed:

“Taken as a whole, the results of research suggest that counselling is generally effective in alleviating psychological problems, has a significant impact on sickness absence, and has a moderate effect on attitudes to work”.

http://www.bacp.co.uk/research/Systematic_Reviews_and_Publications/Workplace.php

Although published in the 1990s this is a full copy of the ground breaking study on workplace counselling and employee assistance programmes.  It is written for the Health and Safety Executive and a lot of the discussion in terms of economic issues and ‘stress related illness’ is as relevant today as in the 1990s.

www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_pdf/1998/crr98167.pdf

This is a good summary of the issues on stress in the workplace. It is a powerpoint presentation which talks around the evidence and is worth a look:

http://www.uk.sagepub.com/millward/files/slides/Chapter6_slide_1.ppt