EAPs - The pursuit of happiness

Employee assistance programmes (EAPs) were thrust into the headlines last year when a report from the Independent Office of Tax Simplification ­recommended that tax relief relating to welfare ­counselling be abolished. The announcement caused more than a ripple in the EAP industry because it implied that providing support and advice to employees in the form of counselling should be categorised as rewarding or incentivising staff. Under health and safety legislation, employers have a duty of care to protect employees’ health and manage risks, so the proposed change appeared to contradi...