The UK Employee Assistance Professionals Association has elected Axa PPP healthcare’s Eugene Farrell as its new chair.
Farrell is Axa PPP’s mental health lead for corporate healthcare, and the company said this appointment showed the insurer’s commitment to supporting mental health at work.
Axa PPP healthcare’s head of corporate sales and strategic account Soraya Chamberlain says: “This is a timely appointment. With growing demand for mental health support, the need for a strong, clear voice to secure employer buy-in to employee assistance has never been greater.”
She says that Farrell, with over 30 years of experience in supporting workplace wellbeing, is well placed to take the UK EAPA forward and strengthen its reputation as the trusted voice of employee assistance professionals.
Farrell adds: “There has never been a time where mental health has been talked about and promoted as much as it is now. EAP’s have a very important role to play in the promotion and support of mental health in the workplace, and are a key component of mental wellbeing for many organisations.”
Farrell adds: “It’s an honour to be entrusted with leading the profession to the next stage of its development.”
He says he looked forward to meeting the challenge of finding better ways for employers and their advisers to help their people to deal more effectively with the pressure of modern working lives.
He says there were a number of challenges facing the industry, with awareness creating greater demand upon wellbeing services and their delivery.
“Workplace demographics are changing with increasing numbers of young professionals joining the workforce. Having grown up using the internet, mobile devices and social media, they expect to be able to access support services via mobile apps and web-based platforms as well as more traditional routes.”