In the event that they fail to provide adequate care for the mental health of their employees, businesses stand to lose a great deal more than just the possibility of incurring a punishment. The presence of stress, burnout, and toxic attitudes in the workplace leads to decreased productivity among employees, an increase in the number of employees who skip work, and an increase in the cost to employers of responding to workers' compensation claims. The atmosphere of the workplace is to blame for these unsatisfactory results. According to Safe Work Australia, receiving treatment for mental health issues takes a significantly longer amount of time than recovering from injuries sustained in physical incidents. On average, the cost of a claim for mental health services is $45,900. If businesses do to address issues related to mental health, they run the risk of being held accountable for adverse health and safety conditions that occur in the workplace. In today's open world, damage to a company's reputation can swiftly spread thanks to websites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor. This is because employees have the ability to publicly critique unfavorable workplace cultures. These negative effects could quickly spread. Because of this, it could be more difficult to recruit new employees and to retain the ones you already have. In the end, failing to adhere to the rules is not only a failure of formality, but it is also a failure for the organization in terms of its performance over the course of the long run.

Employers in Australia are required by law to protect their workers from any potential dangers to their health and safety, including instances of psychological harm. This obligation extends to the protection of their employees. The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth), the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Psychological Health) Regulations 2022, which were implemented by WorkSafe Victoria, and the Code of Practice on managing psychosocial risks that was produced by Safe Work Australia all contribute to the enhancement of this requirement. Each and every employer is required to comply with these standards, regardless of the size of the organization that they do their duties for. It is possible to conduct an investigation, bring charges, impose penalties, and require the individual to carry out the appropriate activities in accordance with the applicable laws even if the individual breaks them by accident.

Through the provision of early intervention assistance and private counseling services, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) acts as a preventative compliance safeguard protecting against potential violations. Companies are able to demonstrate proactive risk management, which is an essential component of ensuring the health and safety of their employees in the workplace. Human resources and leadership are provided with the data they require to discover trends such as mental exhaustion, stress brought on by an excessive amount of work, and friction amongst coworkers through the use of regular use reports that are anonymous. It is because of this that they are able to handle problems before they grow more serious. Additionally, it is possible to use this paperwork as evidence of compliance, which would demonstrate to the authorities that the firm is continuously searching for and treating psychological and social threats that may be present in the workplace settings.

Not only do employee assistance programs, which are more often referred to as EAPs, fulfill legal obligations, but they also contribute to the transformation of workplaces from reactive to resilient environments. They are able to accomplish this by fostering trust among employees and demonstrating to them that the organization places a true priority on their happiness and well-being. Because of this, there is an increase in both the level of motivation and the amount of work that is accomplished. According to the findings of a number of studies, businesses that provide employee assistance programs (EAPs) see a decrease of up to 25 percent in the number of days of absence and an improvement in employee retention. This is the case for organizations that offer EAPs. Furthermore, employees who are provided with assistance are more likely to address their issues at an early stage, which helps to prevent minor issues from developing into more significant issues such as formal complaints, investigations, or resignations during the course of their employment. Because people who receive assistance are more likely to be willing to talk about their concerns, this is the result.

When the advantages of employee assistance programs (EAP) are weighed against the far greater costs of not offering them, it is easy to see why EAP is a worthwhile investment. According to a research that was issued by Deloitte in the year 2022, mental health initiatives provide a return of $4 for every $1 that is invested. Higher levels of productivity, lower rates of employee turnover, and fewer claims for compensation are the means by which this objective is achieved. Some businesses are hesitant to offer employee assistance programs (EAP) services because they fear that the costs associated with doing so would be prohibitive. In addition, employee assistance programs (EAPs) save managers time and mental energy by providing workers with a safe and well-organized setting in which they may seek support as needed. This helps to ease some of the tension that managers go through with their jobs.

WorkSafe inspectors in Perth, Western Australia, uncovered a gap in the psychosocial risk management skills of a medium-sized shipping company when they saw an increase in the number of absences that were ascribed to stress. Despite the fact that the firm had established standards, there were no meaningful support services in place. The number of complaints received by the firm dropped by forty percent within a period of six months after the implementation of an employee assistance program (EAP) and the instruction of managers on how to successfully promote the program. After some time had gone, the leaders declared that the whole cost of the program was "less than one penalty fine" that they might have been subjected to. This was a statement that was made available to the public. The organization's way of thinking about things underwent a meaningful shift as a result of this change; it was not simply a matter of adhering to the requirements.

Compliance can no longer be viewed as a duty that can be finished by ticking a box; the organizations that are successful are those who incorporate mental health into their culture rather than merely their regulations rather than the other way around. Specifically, this is due to the fact that the regulatory environment in Australia is likewise constantly expanding. With the provision of a safe space in which employees are able to freely express their thoughts and emotions, the reduction of stigma, and the alignment of individual well-being with organizational responsibility, employee assistance programs (EAPs) contribute to the formation of this cultural bridge. This ultimately results in compliance being a natural outcome of genuine care.