Written Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower, to PQ on Companies That Do Not Offer Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)

NOTICE PAPER NO. 188 OF 2020 FOR THE SITTING ON 04 JANUARY 2021

QUESTION NO. 479 FOR ORAL ANSWER

MP: Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye

To ask the Minister for Manpower

(a) what is the current percentage of companies that do not offer Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) to their staff; and

(b) how does the Ministry intend to increase the EAP adoption rate given that it is a key intervention stated under the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-being at Workplaces.

Answer:

1. Awareness and understanding of mental health concerns at workplaces has been growing although there are no recent studies on the current level of provision of the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to their staff. The most recent study conducted by the National Council of Social Service was in 2017, which found that less than 5% of the employers surveyed offered the EAP to their staff. Nevertheless, the Tripartite Partners unanimously agree that it is important to include the provision of EAP in the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-being at Workplaces, which was released in November 2020. The aim is for more employers to adopt this progressive practice to provide employees an avenue to speak to a professional on their work and non-work related challenges.

2. EAP adoption requires collective efforts by key stakeholders. This is why we work with partners such as the Health Promotion Board, Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council, the Institute of Human Resource Professionals, unions and industry associations to educate employers on EAP services. For instance, WSH Council raises awareness on the need to take care of mental well-being at workplaces and promotes the Tripartite Advisory and EAP through talks conducted under its Total WSH Programme. We welcome the efforts of NTUC and its affiliated unions to also engage employers and promote its adoption.