Maturus in the work place

Health and Safety at work regulations (1999) imposes an obligation on employers to protect their staff from stress related illnesses resulting from their work.

The Contract

Maturus is an organisation providing employers with access to professionally trained and qualified counsellors/psychotherapists to ensure that their employees are well cared for.

These practitioners are trained to facilitate the employee in all aspects of work-related and non-work related issues, e.g. stress, bereavement, bullying, relationship difficulties, etc.

As each organisation is unique, we offer a bespoke package to cover your specific counselling and training needs.

How does this work?

• We send an introductory leaflet to each employee (and any future employees) advising them of their new benefit which explains how the scheme works.
• We provide posters for display on staff notice boards
• At each annual review we send a questionnaire to each member of staff and management to obtain feedback about Maturus to enable us to improve our service to meet our client's needs and expectations. It also acts as a reminder to the staff of the facility.
• Access to bespoke training packages to meet your organisations needs.
• We commit to providing one of our practitioners at your place of work within one week of the request.
• Where appropriate, we agree further sessions with the client (employee) subject to the maximum annual session limit set by the employer. (usually 6 sessions)
• Should employees wish to continue the counselling beyond the annual limit, they may negotiate this with the practitioner within the agreed confidentiality boundaries, see our Ethical Statement.
• It is the responsibility of the employee to agree with their manager an appropriate time and place if within working hours.

Fees

Fees are set by negotiation and are based upon time spent.

Why your organisation needs this service?

•  Protection from expensive litigation by employees for unfair dismissal

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill.

“Of the 40.2 million days lost to UK business in 2001/2002, 13.4 million were caused by stress, anxiety or depression.” HSE

The long term damage caused by excessive stress can be significantly reduced or eliminated by counselling if carried out early.

Having a counselling service on board can minimize your risk of being sued for workplace stress. In February 2002 the Court of Appeal issued groundbreaking new advice that:

“Employers who provide a confidential counselling service to their staff will significantly reduce their risk of being sued for causing workplace stress.”

•  Improved staff retention from higher employee loyalty and morale

Many employers are now increasingly aware of the costs and risks associated with loss of production due to workplace stress and absenteeism.

Whether employees use the service or not, its availability gives employees a sense of being cared for which leads to an increase in staff retention and loyalty.

•  A reduction in sickness from stress related illnesses

There is direct evidence showing a reduction in absenteeism by employees within an organisation when comparing years in which the Maturus counselling service was available to the previous years in which no such service was on offer.

Training

Our experienced trainers can deliver tailored courses for managers and staff on a wide range of topics relating to staff welfare. E.g.

• Building better relationships at work
• Empowering the Employee
• Managing Stress
• Work Life Balance – Getting it Right
• Managing Change
• Diversity and Equal Opportunity
• Interviewing Techniques
• Trauma Management
• Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
• Team Building
• Communication Skills – Listening and Being Heard.

If you would like to talk to us about the difference that Maturus could make to your Organisation then please do not hesitate to contact us at

The Cartwheel, London Road East , Amersham, Bucks, HP7 9DT
tel/fax: 01494 766246, e-mail: [email protected] , web: www.maturus.co.uk