There are many benefits available to employees at New Directions through using the free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Life can offer many challenges and the health and wellbeing of our staff are important to us, so we provide access to services that can help at the most difficult times such as emotional, financial, or legal advice.
For emotional issues we provide a 24/7 telephone helpline advice service with Health Assured. There is the option to receive 6 face to face sessions, telephone, or email chat with further confidential and compassionate support from expert counsellors and advisors. This assistance helps our staff to manage the pressures of their home and work life with short-term goal-oriented counselling and a professional listening ear. There is also a mobile app available to staff with confidential live chat, resources and relevant articles such as the latest laws about renter’s protections during the pandemic.
Alongside counselling services, the EAP offers our staff access to legal advice on a wide range of subjects. There is a helpline for general advice on family law, landlord and tenant advice, education, housing, bereavement and probate, medical negligence, personal injury and property with no limit to the amount of contact. Debt management is also provided as a part of Health Assured’s signposting services.
Therefore, New Directions can help employees deal with personal issues that might negatively affect their work performance, health and wellbeing. EAP trained counsellors can also deliver a range of trauma-specific interventions, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). Employees can either contact the EAP directly themselves (tel: 0800 047 4097) or with their consent, their manager will make the referral for them and arrange for a counsellor to call them.
“I used the EAP legal advice services when my mother passed away. I had no idea about probate and found myself in a Googling frenzy at one of the worst times in my life. I needed to know that I was doing the right thing and my line manager suggested the EAP. It was an emotional challenge every day, however I received the best advice and they walked me through every step that I needed to take. The support was both professional and empathetic which meant that I could rely on the EAP to get me through the process. Some things about working at New Directions are priceless, and this was one of them.”