Your how-to: Integrating peer support into existing wellness programs
Integrating peer support into existing wellness programs refers to the concept of integrating peer support into your organisation's existing wellness programs. Essentially, this means adding a layer of peer-to-peer assistance and support to any mental health and wellness initiatives you already have in place within your organisation.
Peer support is a system where employees, often with shared experiences, provide emotional, social and practical help to each other. These relationships can foster trust and empathy, and can often serve as an effective method to reduce stress, improve resilience and encourage a psychologically safe working environment.
Plugging this into existing frameworks involves training chosen employees to volunteer as peer supporters who can help their colleagues cope with the stresses and strains of the workplace or personal issues that may be affecting their performance at work. The integration could take various forms such as structured peer support meetings, informal one-to-one sessions, or even digital platforms designed to facilitate remote support.
For Australian businesses, integrating peer support into existing wellness programmes can be an effective way to fulfil their legal obligations under the Fair Work Act (2009) and the Safe Work Australia Act (2008). Both these pieces of legislation highlight the importance of implementing mental health and wellbeing solutions in the workplace and underline the employer’s duty of care towards employees.
Step by step instructions
Assess Current Wellness Programs: Begin by assessing your company's existing wellness programs. Discover what’s currently in place in terms of mental wellbeing support, understand the key elements of your program and identify whether any aspect of peer support is already in place. Understand its effectiveness and areas where improvements can be made.
Select and Train Peer Supporters: Identify employees who could function effectively as peer supporters. Peer supporters should ideally be individuals who are seen as approachable, empathetic and trustworthy by their colleagues. Once chosen, provide them with comprehensive training in areas such as communication skills, confidentiality, and responding to peers' mental health challenges.
Develop Guidelines and Procedures: Establish detailed guidelines and standard procedures for peer support. This may include protocols for maintaining confidentiality, procedures for escalating situations when necessary, and establishing the boundaries of the peer supporter's role.
Monitor and Evaluate: Set up protocols to regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the peer support initiative. This could involve conducting anonymous employee surveys or monitoring the overall mental health metrics in the organisation. Feedback should be used to make ongoing improvements to the programme.
Define Objectives of Peer Support Integration: Concretely identify what you hope to achieve with the integration of peer support into your existing wellness programs. This could include reducing stress levels, improving mental health awareness, enhancing interpersonal relationships among the workforce, or perhaps meeting your responsibilities under the Fair Work Act (2009) and the Safe Work Australia Act (2008).
Determine Support Methodologies: Decide on the form the peer support will take. This could be in the form of regular group meetings, informal one-on-one sessions, or digital platforms for remote support. The choice should be driven by the unique needs and logistics of your company.
Communicate the Initiative: Once the framework is ready, plan and implement an effective communication strategy to disseminate information about the peer support programme across the organisation. It’s crucial that all employees are aware of the program, understand the reasons behind it, and appreciate the benefits the initiative can provide.
Remember to continually have a time in the diary for reviewing this whether it be every 12 months or longer.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
Peer support cannot be effective if the peers assigned to offer support are not properly trained. Peer supporters require appropriate training in active listening, confidentiality, empathy, and boundaries. Failing to provide this can lead to poor delivery of support and can inadvertently damage relationships between employees.
Maintaining confidentiality is a crucial aspect of a successful peer support programme in the workplace. If peers feel that their situations will be gossiped about or spread around the office, they will be less likely to seek help. Breaching confidentiality can cause significant harm to the peer support programme and the workplace environment as a whole.
Australia is a multicultural society. Ignoring the cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds of employees during the formation of peer support programs can lead to disengagement. It's essential to consider these aspects to ensure inclusivity and effectiveness.
Peer supporters often lack professional training. Without the correct guidance and support, they could feel overwhelmed with their responsibilities or feel unqualified to help. Failing to supervise and support peer supporters can lead to burnout and attrition, decreasing the effectiveness of the programme.
Employers might anticipate high levels of participation from their employees and may feel disappointed or consider the program a failure when engagement levels are low. It's essential to remember that not every employee will feel comfortable opening up or may not feel the need for support at a given time.
Ensure that you have well-defined goals for your peer support programme. Aimless initiatives may lead to confusion among employees and can eventually lead to the failure of the programme. Having clear, outlined objectives ensures everyone knows the purpose of the scheme and what is expected of them.