Sodexo UK and Ireland has engaged Spectrum.Life to provide a revamped employee assistance programme (EAP) digital wellbeing service for the organisation’s staff.
Sodexo has provided an EAP to staff since 2015. However the new service will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from 1 February, providing staff and their immediate family members with confidential, free counselling and wellbeing support, which can be accessed through a freephone helpline, live chat, WhatsApp, SMS, and email.
In addition to counselling, Spectrum.Life will also offer support with experts on a range of topics through the EAP, including:
- Guidance on financial, legal, and medical issues
- Life coaching
- Autism spectrum conditions
- Meditation
- Infertility and pregnancy loss
- Parent and elder care support
- Career guidance
- Cancer support
Spectrum.Life will also offer a digital support service to improve the general wellbeing of the user through their EAP, which provides access to:
- A digital gym with an extensive range of live gym classes each week and on-demand access to 500 fitness classes
- A digital wellbeing seminar series
- Nutrition information with more than 200 recipes
- Mental health e-learning with courses created by clinicians
- Self-guided mindfulness and meditation courses, focussing on a range of topics
Mental health responders
As part of the agreement, Sodexo and Spectrum.Life have committed to delivering a fully funded mental health first responder course for every five that Sodexo purchase, to SMEs, clients and partners of Sodexo, to expand the reach of mental health support and support social impact.
Ryan Candy, head of change, employee experience and people performance at Sodexo, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Spectrum.Life to offer all colleagues access to a comprehensive suite of health, wellness, legal and financial support.
“The wellbeing of our people is critical to us and an integral part of our culture, and we understand balancing everyday life with the requirements of work, and personal life can create pressures for all.”
Angela Halliday, director of social impact at Sodexo, said: “We are living through challenging times, and our commitment to the welfare of everybody in the organisation will be enhanced by the introduction of this support, which we encourage any colleague to use should they need it.”
Dr Sarah O’Neill, chief clinical officer and co-founder of Spectrum.Life, added: “Proactive employers know their organisation is only as strong as its people, so taking steps to encourage a holistic approach to wellbeing in the management of colleagues’ health is something businesses can’t afford to overlook.
“We’re confident that our suite of services strengthens Sodexo’s employee wellbeing offering by providing supportive, clinician-led, early intervention methods for those who need it, whenever and wherever they need support.”
