Covered topics include services and resources, physical location and aesthetic environment of EAP offices within agencies. Image: 3rdtimeluckystudio/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffOPM has issued a guide for agency leaders on employee wellness—including, but not limited to, formalized employee assistance programs—which it said is designed to “equip agency leaders with the information needed to ensure their employees are aware of and have access to the appropriate resources and aids needed to support them.”
The guide “promotes consistent, evidence-based approaches to EAP programming, expands the focus of EAPs to incorporate a more comprehensive employee wellness approach, and promotes equitable access to these support services across federal agencies,” says a memo on chcoc.gov. “It recognizes the EAP as a comprehensive and robust space for all employee wellness needs which include financial literacy, legal services, mental health counseling, dependent care, life-stage planning and more.”
Covered topics include services and resources, physical location and aesthetic environment of EAP offices within agencies, equality and inclusion, promotion and marketing, employee feedback and key performance indicators.
“OPM also encourages agencies to remind managers, supervisors, and employees about the importance of cultivating healthy wellness habits, which include caring for one’s mental health on a proactive rather than reactive basis. Leaders should be encouraged to initiate regular conversations surrounding mental well-being in efforts to normalize and destigmatize mental health treatment and to promote a healthier workforce,” it says.
“Leaders should also keep in mind that EAP’s should be promoted not only in the wake of tragedies or negative events, but also when needed to address other mental health needs since accessing mental health treatment (e.g., by participating in mental health counseling) and mental health-related resources promotes employees’ mental well-being. In some instances, EAP counseling services may be utilized in conjunction with FEHB health plan benefits to identify covered local care for federal employees,” it adds.
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