Aviva has broadened its free Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for Group Income Protection clients.

This means that all employees within an organisation can now access counselling and information services. In addition, any employees with personal or professional concerns are now able to access more face-to-face counselling sessions as standard on their employer’s cover.

The EAP service, provided by Capita Health and Wellbeing, is now available to all staff who are directly employed by an organisation with an Aviva Group Income Protection (GIP) plan, not just those employees who are covered on the income protection policy.

Aviva has also increased the number of face-to-face professional counselling sessions available as standard for all employees whose company has a GIP plan, to support them with difficulties in their lives and aid absence from work. Now, six sessions rather than four are available alongside unlimited 24 hour telephone access to qualified advisers.

Aviva has seen a 75% increase in the use of the EAP service across its corporate customer portfolio in the last four years, with additional data1 from the provider Capita Health and Wellbeing evidencing the significant benefits of the service to both employees and their employers.

Before using the services, 47% of employees experiencing some difficulty in their life said that their ability to cope with the demands of their job was poor or very poor. After using the EAP services, only 4% still felt this way, with 64% saying their ability to cope with work was now good or very good.

Indeed, 52% of EAP users stated that without the counselling services, their concerns would have caused them to miss work. 67% said their worries would have caused difficulties in concentrating at work without the counselling they received.

Using the EAP service also helps improve employee’s satisfaction with their personal lives and ability to deal with their problems. For those with a difficulty, 59% of five employees stated their satisfaction with their personal life was poor or very poor before they had counselling. After, only 7% still felt dissatisfied, with 57% stating their satisfaction with their personal life was good or very good.

Similarly, 69% of employees with a difficulty said their ability to deal with their problems before having counselling was poor or very poor. Post counselling, 61% said their ability to deal with problems was good or very good, with only 4% still experiencing a poor ability to cope.

Steve Bridger, head of group risk at Aviva Health, said: “There is compelling evidence that EAP services make a significant difference to employees who need some support in managing life’s ups and downs. This in turn is demonstrably helping them cope with their work and prevent absence. We believe these services should be available to as many people as possible and we’re delighted to extend our free EAP offer to all employees who work directly for our GIP clients.

“The EAP counselling services are used alongside Aviva’s own in-house clinical rehabilitation expertise and last year, where we actively intervened early, we were able to return 87% of employees back to work.”

The EAP offers employees access to their own personal support system, professional advice or counselling on any aspect of their personal or professional life. Qualified counsellors provide confidential advice and support on any concerns and help deal with anxiety or stress. Medical services are also available to employees who need help or guidance on health problems, while information services are available to help with everyday work and personal challenges, including managing money, relationships and family life and retirement.