Most people discover their company's wellbeing support at the exact moment they are least able to go looking for it. The Employee Assistance Programme that was mentioned once in an induction, the occupational health referral nobody explained - these exist quietly in the background until a hard week arrives and you cannot remember what any of them actually do. It is worth knowing the map before you need it.
What an EAP actually offers
An Employee Assistance Programme, or EAP, is a confidential service most medium and large UK employers buy in. It usually includes a free phone line, a handful of counselling sessions, and practical advice on everything from debt to legal questions - and crucially, your employer is not told you used it or what you discussed. The confidentiality is the whole point, and it is the bit people most often disbelieve. If you do not know whether your organisation has one, the contact details are usually buried in the intranet or printable from a poster in the kitchen nobody reads; ask HR, and you do not have to say why. Using it early, when something is a manageable worry rather than a crisis, is exactly what it is designed for, and the people who get the most from it are the ones who ring before things become unmanageable rather than after.
Occupational health
Occupational health is a different service, focused on the relationship between your health and your job. A referral - by you or your manager - leads to an assessment and a report recommending what support or adjustments would help. It is not your manager spying on you; the clinical detail stays confidential, and only the recommendations are shared.
Reasonable adjustments are a right, not a favour
Under the Equality Act 2010, if you have a condition that counts as a disability - and that definition is broader than most people assume, covering many long-term physical and mental health conditions - your employer has a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments. That might mean changed hours, different equipment, a phased return after time off, or a quieter space to work. You ask for it as an entitlement, not a personal favour, and a good employer treats it that way. Where to turn, in rough order:
- Your EAP for confidential counselling and immediate practical help.
- Occupational health for anything where your health and your role intersect.
- Mind, the mental health charity, runs an information line and resources you can use entirely outside of work, which matters if you would rather your employer had no part in it at all.
Find the EAP number today and save it in your phone. The version of you who needs it will be grateful you did the boring admin in advance.