The organisation operates in high physical-risk environments, in remote locations. They had identified that the psychological health of employees was a prime risk to physical health and safety. i.e. distraction while operating heavy machinery. 

The previous EAP had extremely low uptake, just 3% of staff per year. HR reported that the employees were too stoic and resistant to seek support. 

We spoke with a variety of staff and leaders and learned that many were skeptical of mental health and assumed it was a sign of weakness and feared the stigma of being labelled with a diagnosis

We were optimistic because we avoid clinical jargon and instead use relatable human stories. Plus, our humanistic approach doesn't focus on diagnosis. To make sure we made maximum impact, we teamed up with WHS and toured worksites and spoke about the importance of ‘keeping a clear head’ to stay safe at work. This, in addition to the face-to-face time, cut through the misapprehensions and built trust. 

The result; EAP usage over the first 6 months was 12% (annualised). Staff were pleasantly surprised by our down-to-earth approach and several of their ‘at-risk’ employees have sought support and since shown marked improvement in their mood and focus and overall presenteeism and absenteeism had dropped. 

Our monitoring also identified a pattern of bully-like behaviours at a particular site. We introduced HR to one of our subject matter experts in the field of bullying prevention and a solutions-focused program was introduced shortly after.  

A senior employee who had worked with the organisation for 20+ years disagreed with changes to their role. 

Their frustration led to increasing levels of disengagement and conflict. The organisation reached out to Allos for assistance.

Allos contacted the employee to hear their perspective. Initially the employee wanted to “make the company pay” by pursuing a vexatious WorkCover claim, however, over a series of counselling sessions, they came to the realisation that what they really wanted was to take a less painful and more constructive route. From there, they decided that their goal was to 'leave with grace' and 'start fresh' elsewhere because would lead to the best outcome for them, both psychologically and professionally. 

Allos mediated an agreement between the employer and employee. The employee received a generous payout and freedom to move forward with their life quickly and easily.

The employer, by their own calculations, estimated they saved $300,000 and untold stress on the rest of the organisation.