Employee assistance programmes (EAPs) and unemployment in the era of COVID-19

Steven welcome to the communities.

I think you may well need to give us a little more to go on.

At first glance these are two different things that don’t really overlap ( as you have generally to be employed to benefit from an EAP so can’t see link to the unemployed).

What are you trying to establish?

Steven welcome to the communities.

I think you may well need to give us a little more to go on.

At first glance these are two different things that don’t really overlap ( as you have generally to be employed to benefit from an EAP so can’t see link to the unemployed).

What are you trying to establish?

I am looking at the effects of the pandemic, and it implication on both EAP and unemployment.

Hi Steven - along the same lines as Keith... do you have any more for us to 'bite' on?

I still can’t see a link between the two topics. So I maybe missing the point.

On unemployment. I think there is an interesting story. We all expected the situation to be much worse. Many were predicting the end of furlough to see mass unemployment. But the situation so far has been very much more nuanced.

Added to that the impact of Brexit. And we actually see record numbers of job vacancies and the unemployment levels no where near where expected. Indeed the government job placement schemes are running at much lower volumes than expected.

Additional factors are the changes in some peoples work /life choices. Some people who tried things out in lockdown/ furlough not going back to their original professions. Burnout in some professions. Changes in priorities leading to the “great resignation” etc etc.

It’s an interesting area and a position few people 18 months ago expected us to be in.

Not sure what you are looking for on EAPs. Certainly take up has been higher but not sure this is a structural change but more possibly a temporary one.

What ideas do you have in mind Keith. What if I was to change the title and use EAP's along side furlough ?

Steven said:

On EAP's, I was looking at the line's of stress, anxiety, mental health, wellbeing, due people being put onto furlough and businesses shutting down, rendering a vast amount of people becoming unemployed, due to redundancy, and companies going bust.

but the second part of thus hasn’t really happened to anywhere near the extent that people suspected it might. Partly due to the unprecedented government financial support and partly due to the structural changes brought about by Brexit.  So I am not sure this will be a productive line of enquiry. 

if this is for your CIPD level 5 or 7 I would limit your enquiry. Focus it to a simpler subject. Something like How have EAPs adapted and supported employee wellbeing during the covid pandemic. But you need to be sure there is enough material for that. 

This is for my masters degree in Human resource management. I will gain Cipd level 7.