"I'm strong today. I'm okay. And that's a good place to be", says Susan Mulderrig.
Susan has worked for TELUS Health for 12 years as the Executive Receptionist. Often, she serves as the first point of contact for a client looking for support.
Susan explains that a lot of the phone calls she receives are from end users of TELUS Health's wellbeing programmes, specifically the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
"They could be calling about their recently deceased mother's pension," she says, "or they could be enquiring about medical prescriptions, or how to access their EAP or case worker."
In Susan's eyes, her role goes beyond directing a client to the right department.
"My role has evolved over the years into what I call a support triage," she says. "When clients call, they're often under a lot of stress. It could be the loss of a loved one, or someone struggling with their own mental health."
Susan needs to have a deep understanding of the business in order to perform her role, however, if you ask her what she thinks the most important quality she possesses is – her answer may surprise you.
"Empathy is essential," she says, "when I get on the phone with someone I tell them my name, I say I'm here for them, and that we're going to work this out together."
Susan meets callers where they are and reassures them that they will find a solution together. She serves as a vital, personal touchpoint that connects clients to TELUS Health.
But how did Susan get so good at it? Fielding calls with high emotions, and navigating the complexity of departments, referrals and more?
Susan credits her ability to empathise with people to a particularly meaningful call she had with a case manager – when she, herself, needed the assistance of the EAP.
"I wish I knew her name," says Susan, "she changed my life."
Susan's journey
Before Susan joined TELUS Health she was struggling. Her work and her personal life had seemingly imploded – and as we know, people's work and personal lives are deeply intertwined.
In fact, according to the TELUS Mental Health Index, one in three Canadians report that their mental health is negatively affecting their productivity at work – and in the U.S., one in four workers report the same.
Susan's mother had passed away, she had been recently made redundant from her job and was navigating the complexities of a particularly difficult breakup. "I was mentally, emotionally, financially and physically broken," she says.
When she was made redundant, the company she worked for handed her a pamphlet for the TELUS Health EAP, as a means of supporting her during this transition.
"I was desolate, but I called the number," she says. Little did Susan know that this phone call would help set her on a new path. "When I called, the EAP operator stayed on the phone with me for hours when I was at my lowest," says Susan. "I was a mess...but she stuck with me, and I felt like she really cared."
The EAP operator demonstrated empathy and unwavering support at a time when Susan needed it the most, and she also helped Susan look for employment opportunities, referring her to a career counsellor that eventually led her to finding her current position with TELUS Health.
Susan credits the EAP with helping her gain employment at TELUS Health. Her newfound job helped alleviate her financial stress, and also helped improve her mental health. "I love my colleagues," she says "and every day I feel like I am helping others. I know how much the EAP operator meant to me, so everyday I try to pay that forward when a caller needs support."
EAPs and employee mental health
The fact that Susan received such invaluable support from the EAP suggests that it is critical that employers not only provide these wellbeing supports, but ensure that their existence is communicated to employees continually.
According to the TELUS Health Mental Health Index, EAP awareness alone boosts mental health scores by two points in the UK, and one and a half points in the U.S. Unfortunately when it comes to communication about health benefits, workers around the world report being unsure about what's available to them. For example, nine in 10 German and French workers report that their organisation's communication about health and wellbeing programmes is unclear.
Personalised, preventive support across the wellbeing continuum
The wellbeing continuum is a framework for conceptualising mental health that moves away from the idea that people are either "mentally well" or "mentally unwell", and instead recognises that wellbeing exists on a continuous scale that ranges from optimal wellbeing to serious mental health issues.
For employers, this means providing the right tools to meet employees where they are on the continuum – well, struggling or unwell.
Whilst Susan had found some relief with her career at TELUS Health, a few years into her employment she began to have some issues with a family member. Knowing that she had resources available like her EAP, she called right away to receive counselling support.
"The best thing about the EAP is that it's always there for you when you need it – the support that mental health professionals provide also teaches you how to cope with future problems when they eventually arise." "I feel a lot more resilient now," says Susan.
Together, Susan and her counsellor worked through her feelings about her situation, how to cope with them and how to communicate going forward with the family member.
"The tools I learned at counselling have become invaluable to me," she says with tears in her eyes. "Life can be challenging, but I now know I can rely on myself, with the support of my counsellor, my social worker, my community and my faith."
Susan's journey with the EAP underscores the importance of preventive care that provides support throughout the wellbeing continuum. Not only did the EAP coach Susan on coping strategies going forward, but relying on the support of the EAP helped get her back on track before more serious problems arose that could potentially affect her ability to live and work.
What employers need to know: The value of EAP
Susan is a strong advocate for the EAP, and her passion for this programme highlights how important employee wellbeing supports are. Without the support of her employer and the EAP, Susan would not be able to pay it forward, and provide such high quality, meaningful support to other people on the end of the phone.
"I want people to know that there is hope for them, that TELUS Health's programmes work," she says.
At one point in her tenure with TELUS Health, Susan broke her wrist. She worked with her manager to ensure her workload and working day were manageable. This included the flexibility to work from home until her wrist was healed enough to go back into the office, as well as health benefits that ensured her physiotherapy and rehabilitation expenses were covered.
Around the world we see that employees who rate their employer-provided physical, mental and financial support as excellent have higher mental health scores than those who rate employer-provided support as poor. For example, Canadians who rate employer-provided physical support as excellent have mental health scores 28 points higher than those reporting poor support – and in the UK, workers who rate their employer's support for mental wellbeing as excellent have a mental health score 23 points higher than those who rate it as poor.
If there's one call-out that Susan wants to make to employers, it's that: "your people are human, and if they're not doing well, their minds will be elsewhere." "It's essential that you support your people's holistic wellbeing not only for the success of your company", she says, "but for the greater health and wellbeing of families and communities everywhere."
More ways to support employee wellbeing
Discover our blog for more on supporting holistic employee health.
Read more
