[:de]EAP by KI.M[:]

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Pressure to perform, stress, exhaustion – no fear of stigmatization

When the alarm goes off, most of us don't take long to check our phones. Who texted? What's on the agenda today? Which emails need to be answered? What are the current coronavirus regulations, and how is the war in Ukraine developing?

Since the end of February, refugee crisis, fear, and powerlessness have dominated news coverage in Europe. After more than two years of the pandemic, this is particularly difficult to cope with – many people feel helpless and exhausted. Nevertheless, everyday life continues. For employees, this can mean being under constant stress, both privately and at work. social isolation in the home office, economic uncertainties and Pressure to perform on concern about the War in Ukraine, the psychosocial stress enormous.

Stress potential increases continuously

We've been under increasing pressure for years. According to a recent stress study by Techniker Krankenkasse, only 20% of respondents frequently felt stressed in 2013. Today, the number is over 25%.¹ The reasons for this are mostly related to work or private life: At the top of the list of stress causes are, for example,

• Social isolation in the home office
• Lack of compatibility between work and family
• Fears of existence / economic uncertainty
• Loss of income (due to short-time work)
• Private conflicts
• Overwhelm
• Care of relatives
• bullying
• Pressure to perform and meet deadlines and much more.

If such problems are not addressed in the company for fear of stigmatization, stress can become a serious burden in the long run: In 2021, “[…] mental illnesses led to most sickness-related absences in Germany."² This often goes with falling productivity, rising fluctuation and frustration in the teams.

Anonymous and low-threshold: EAP by KI.M

We support employers when their internal stress and pressure management systems reach their limits. Together, we analyze the situation, open up dialogue within the company, and offer all employees anonymous consultations. If necessary, we can draw on our network of experts, such as psychologists, at any time to provide customized support.

Case: EAP for employees

A case like Mr. Finks shows how we help employees:

For the past two weeks, Mr. Fink has been feeling overwhelmed every day by work and his daughter's homeschooling at elementary school. When he also forgets an important client appointment, the constant tension turns into massive stress and overwhelm.

Mr. Fink wants to seek help because the mood in his team and family is deteriorating. With KI.M's psychosocial employee support service, he has contacts who can provide him with independent and anonymous advice. He finds a sympathetic ear on the service hotline!

Our team of experts recognizes that Mr. Fink is exhibiting mild depressive symptoms. Through an initial consultation and a description of the problem, the severity is assessed. After two short-term counseling sessions, Mr. Fink is inclined to complete an initial questionnaire at an outpatient therapy clinic and accept this help as well. He no longer fears being stigmatized.

Together with our EAP team, he has developed constructive strategies that he can use to reduce stress in his daily life. The therapeutic support is also having an impact: Mr. Fink enjoys working again and is successfully protecting himself from overwork.

Case: EAP for employers

A case like Ms. Gerber’s shows what our support looks like in concrete terms:

Ms. Gerber has noticed that the number of sick days in her company has increased significantly. At the same time, productivity in some teams has decreased.

She wants to get to the bottom of the matter and takes the psychosocial risk situation seriously. To also reach employees who tend to keep sensitive topics such as overwork or personal crises (e.g., care needs, deaths, illness diagnoses) to themselves, she brings in an independent contact person and expert.

Through personal contact with her KI.M EAP colleagues, it is easier for both Ms. Gerber and her staff to address problems. It turns out that, among other things, the shift work model needs to be optimized.

Ms. Gerber now knows how to urgently improve the situation for her employees. She also receives a regular report on the use of consultation hours and the topics discussed there—anonymously, of course. Together with our team of experts, further operational steps will be determined.

Through the cooperation with KI.M, the employees feel relieved and Ms. Gerber records fewer sick days, and the quality of work also increases again.

Our team of experts specializes in intervening in challenging situations and providing the necessary support. Through our collaboration, we break down counterproductive workflows and establish a new way of working together. A good internal communications strategy ultimately benefits everyone involved – employees, managers, and the entire team. Through the use of our EAP consultants, the affected company emerges stronger from crisis situations and avoids long-term mental health problems for its employees.

Because: Seeking help does not mean showing weakness, but rather demonstrating courage.

All information about our psychosocial employee support can be found here:

EAP by KI.M[:]