Singapore is known to be one of the few southeast countries around the world that has, over the last few years, reported the longest working hours in their workforce of approximately 2317 hours. Today’s face-paced world has, on one side automated our struggles with the help of technological advancement, but on the other side forced us to work harder to prove our capability in the workforce today.
Given how automation has taken over human-run activities at work, especially in Asian countries like Singapore, human resources are finding it more challenging to prove their expertise. Due to the same reason, employees are taking up longer work shifts of approximately 48 hours/week.
Moreover, the elderly workforce is choosing to retire sooner than their retirement date. The work culture in Singapore consists of various cultures working together but at the top of the majority of companies’ hierarchical structure, the Chinese, who make up to 45% of the population in Singapore, still sit high.
What Is An Employee Assistance Program?
It is very crucial today to extend support to your employees to ensure their overall wellbeing, both social and psychological. An employee assistance program is one of a kind system wherein an employee can benefit from the availability of different counseling services ranging from personal issues like assault/abuse, family matters, etc. to professional issues like increased anxiety and stress.
Built on the foundation of trust, an employee assistance program is a guiding source of support for all employers to ensure all employees feel important at their job and at their houses. It is usually a part of a welfare benefits scheme. The need of the hour is to create a company culture that promotes mental health as a top priority.
5 Signs Why You Should Implement An Employee Assistance Program
Singapore, for the last few years, has been investing in uplifting the entire commercial sector in terms of better business opportunities and infrastructure. However, in times of need, especially now with the worldwide pandemic going on, a small helping hand to the employees, which is non-monetary, can bring up the low spirits of the employees.
With the current trend of work from home, some major companies have also made it mandatory for the Singaporean workforce to continue work from home even after a drop in the overall number of cases drastically. All these new changes as well as the history of an employee can greatly affect their overall efficiency.
1. Demotivated employees as long working hours
One major fact that contributes to the ineffective performance of an employee in Singapore is to have over 48 hours a week routine. This pattern of long working hours, in turn, causes major dissatisfaction for the employees as they get paid the same for putting in extra hard work, especially when living standards in Singapore are high. This causes immense demotivation among the employees which shows through their day-to-day operational work.
2. High absenteeism
Whether it be personal or professional, absenteeism is not a fair solution to avoid any kind of problem. If a company is noticing consecutive absent days from a particular employee, a group of employees’ attendance, or sudden disappearance of an employee/employees for a long period, or frequent half-day application, it is a clear sign that the employee/employees might require additional help.
This not only affects the overall team morale but also demotivates the other employees of the week as the work burden of the absent work staff is delegated to the available employees. This can be controlled with the help of an employee assistance program which will help the employee resolve any rising problems he/she might be facing.
3. Low productivity
One of the major signs that the workforce of your company is not working to its full capacity is the overall low productivity within the workers that is evident in the results achieved. This is a major sign that your company might need an employee assistance program in place as soon as possible.
This is because an employee assistance program handles all employee-related issues with targeted measures to ensure positive results. And a lack of an EAP and increased low productivity can negatively affect the overall company image and profitability.
4. Increase in the number of workplace conflicts
Do you sense a negative vibe when you enter the office? It may be due to the endless banters between the employees regarding their work as well as personal attacks like caste, religion, race, etc. that there is added heat in the atmosphere? It is important today to understand these pain points and resolve them to promote a healthy and positive workspace. An employee assistance program helps bridge such gaps between employees and resolve such conflicts in the workplace, making it a positive and accepting culture for all employees and employers.
5. Low retention rate
Are your employees leaving too soon or too suddenly? Or do you have to hire for similar positions within your company more frequently than others? One major reason why a company might need an effective employee assistance program is to build better personal and professional relationships with the employees.
It is important to convince the current workforce to stay with the company for long as it reflects the positive work culture of a company along with highlighting the employee-centric approach of the company as a whole.
Happy employees make a happier work environment. Support this direct correlation by bringing EAP to the workplace at the earliest.
Overall, with an effective employee assistance program in place, companies can benefit from reduced chances of workplace depression and low or no employee conflicts within the workplace. Additionally, EAP offers different kinds of services like one on one counseling sessions, referrals, group activities, virtual engagement meetups, etc. for any employee-related problems, both personal and professional.
As a result, the overall trust and input of an employee in the company and its welfare will increase. Lastly, the company will be able to adopt and promote mental health positivity successfully, which is very crucial today and is an added feather to a company’s brand image and market value. Learn more about EAP service providers in Singapore