19 hours ago
Workplace mental health support- do employers understand obligations?
Generic, stressed worker.
Photo:
RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Xero has confirmed it is dropping the employee assistance programme it offered free to businesses that use its software.
Those customers could use it to provide mental health support to their own staff, as an employee assistance scheme - or EAP.
When its offering winds up at the end of the month, Xero customers will still have the option to access professional wellbeing support for their employees, with the same international EAP provider, but they'll have to pay.
Businesses have a level of responsibility for staff physical and mental health, under the 2015 Health and Safety at work Act.
But do employers understand their obligations under the law?
Kathryn speaks to Peter Siminovich, chief executive of Mind Compass, which is contracted by the Employers and Manufacturers Association to train its members on stress and wellness management in their businesses.
She also speaks with Council of Trade Unions Legal Officer, Gayaal Iddamalgoda.
