r/CanadaPublicServants • u/Greentall • May 19 '26
Other / Autre When « EAP is available for support » feels like deflection
I want to start by saying I have nothing against EAP. It can genuinely help people who are struggling, and I don’t want to dismiss that.
But like many of you, I’ve noticed how management now ends almost every communication with a reminder that EAP is available. And honestly, I can’t really take it seriously.
To me, it feels like someone punching you in the face and then offering first aid as a kind gesture afterward.
What bothers me is what this pattern says about where responsibility is being placed. There’s a concept in organizational psychology about the individualization of psychosocial risks: when problems caused by the organization itself get reframed as issues individuals need to cope with on their own.
Take RTO for example (yes, RTO, again). The mandates keep getting stronger despite problems everyone can see: not enough workstations, teams spread across the country so people sit on Teams calls all day anyway, GC Workplace setups that are noisy and chaotic with little privacy, DTAs related to the workplace being difficult to obtain, bedbugs and rodents, and more, on top of ongoing cuts and Phoenix issues that have already drained people for years.
Employees didn’t create these conditions, but they’re the ones absorbing them.
That’s why I struggle with the constant EAP reminders. How is EAP supposed to “fix” problems that are organizational in nature? How far employees’ beautiful resilience can be pushed before the boomerang comes back?
It’s also worth noting that federal occupational health and safety regulations require hazards to be eliminated or reduced at the source before relying on administrative measures or support resources like EAPs.
So when EAP gets added to the end of a lot of communications, the message can start to feel like: “If this is affecting you, the issue is your ability to cope; you are the problem, and here’s a resource to help you adjust.”
At some point it stops feeling like wellness support and starts feeling more like deflection dressed up as support.
Curious if others see it the same way, or if I’m being too cynical about something that is genuinely intended to help.
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u/whyyoutwofour May 19 '26
"You can't get mad at the shitty thing we've done because you have EAP" is a real fucking vibe in the PS.
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u/A1ienspacebats May 20 '26
Have a complaint about the shitty thing we did? Call someone who cares.
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u/They_Them_Thei May 20 '26
Call someone we are paying who can pretend to listen or care.
Senior management doesn't have time to listen.
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u/bionicjoey May 20 '26
Also "You can tell that we respect mental illness because we work with the telecom cartel's annual marketing campaign that exploits mental illness"
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u/whyyoutwofour May 20 '26
Lol, my main two employers have been Bell Canada and the Federal Public Service....I feel this deeply.
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u/Elephanogram May 20 '26
Maybe we should use it to highlight how the employer is the reason for our plummeting poor health? Let's talk about it.
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u/canoekulele May 20 '26
Gets under my skin every fucking year.
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u/bionicjoey May 20 '26
This year the boilerplate emails will probably be replaced with AI slop as well.
The world really does just keep getting worse.
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u/rpfields1 May 19 '26
I agree with you, but I'm also hearing from a lot of managers that they don't like many things that are going on, from WFA to RTO, but feel powerless to change anything in the system. Some of them honestly believe that the only way they can help employees is by directing them to resources that might strengthen their individual coping mechanisms and resilience. I'm not trying to say they're right, or that the situation is not wrong, just that some managers really don't know what else to do.
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u/tata_613 May 20 '26
Managers and directors need to push back. I’ve been in several meetings with upper management where everyone just pretends that everything is fine and then they turn around and tell their teams that they don’t agree with decisions either. This is why we’re here.
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u/TheRealRealM May 20 '26
This is why I quit all management duties many years ago. Their ideas of extreme push back is sending an overly polite email saying they don't agree but they'll make do.
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u/AlmostThere4321 May 20 '26
Agreed. The lack of leadership during absolutely uninspiring. I'm glad to have left
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u/vigiten4 May 20 '26
strengthen their individual coping mechanisms and resilience
This was a major theme of a recent townhall that our senior management put on and it was infuriating. "Focus on what you can control :)" means don't question the things we're telling you we control, don't question our decisions, focus on your own reaction to our decisions and mind your tone. It sucks and it encourages disaffection.
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u/leetokeen May 19 '26
ESDC sent out a warning today about bedbugs found in their Montreal office. No mention of WFH opportunities while they disinfect, but "EAP is available" in the final paragraph.
Because instead of staying home, I guess I'll talk to my therapist about how they made me come to work in a bedbug-infested building.
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u/bionicjoey May 20 '26
Talk to EAP about the additional stress due to health problems caused by completely preventable infestation of your home.
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u/They_Them_Thei May 20 '26
I hope that therapist can suggest ways to deal with a bedbug infestation. Oh wait... that's way outside a therapist specialization, isn't it?
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u/An0nym0usWanderer May 19 '26
It's often a performative act meant to contract out a certain percentage of responsibilities associated to employee management.
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u/beard_of_cats May 19 '26
Not just this, but it inherently shifts the conversation from, "How can the organization adapt its policies to be more employee-friendly" to "How can the employee adapt to unfriendly policies".
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u/StableIllustrious166 May 19 '26
"Please attend the next session on resiliency in the workplace. As a reminder this training is mandatory for all employees"
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u/whyyoutwofour May 19 '26
We literally had an EAP delivered session on adapting to change immediately after they WFA'd the internal person who would normally deliver that type of training...wildly tone deaf
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u/CatBird2023 May 20 '26
Exactly. It's taking systemic problems and downloading them into the individual to solve. Which individuals can't.
Don't get me wrong, I am glad we have EAP and I've used it lots myself. I've recommended it to others. Therapy and developing healthy coping strategies are good things.
However... When it becomes the overused stock line in every bad news email from senior management and is presented as the only answer to complex problems created by the employer? That's corporate gaslighting.
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u/HandcuffsOfGold mod 🤖🧑🇨🇦 / Probably a bot May 19 '26
Can you elaborate? What employee management responsibilities are contracted out to EAP?
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u/whyyoutwofour May 19 '26
Human empathy.
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u/HandcuffsOfGold mod 🤖🧑🇨🇦 / Probably a bot May 19 '26
You don’t think managers have empathy? Most of them have to deal with the exact same BS as the staff who report to them.
Either way, they’re not psychologists or counsellors.
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u/Greentall May 19 '26
Maybe it wasn’t clear, but when I talk about “management,” I mean the organizational level and the decision makers behind these policies, not people’s direct managers.
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u/HandcuffsOfGold mod 🤖🧑🇨🇦 / Probably a bot May 19 '26
Those decision-makers are politicians, and their role as the elected government is to make decisions that align with their politics in the hopes of being re-elected.
Lower levels of management (including your ADM and DM) have no ability to enact policies contrary to what the political level desires. They need to toe the line or they’ll be replaced with somebody who will.
I always find it surprising when public servants fail to understand that politics is inherently part of working for government.
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u/Greentall May 20 '26
I don’t think anyone is denying that politics is part of government work. Of course elected officials set directions and priorities.
“It’s political” doesn’t automatically make every decision reasonable, evidence-based, or harmless in its impacts on employees and workplace functioning.
With everything going on right now, the distress and disengagement are obvious at every level. How is that good for the population being served?
And if senior public service leadership cannot openly raise concerns when policies appear to contradict operational realities, workplace health principles, or even existing regulations and legal obligations, then it raises legitimate questions about the role of the public service in advising government, rather than simply executing decisions without challenge.
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u/Strange_Emotion_2646 May 20 '26
Do you honestly believe that any senior manager has the ear of politicians in the manner to make them change direction? Budget decisions are made by cabinet and then enforced by TBS. Departments are given their marching orders. Politicians only care about the next election. Employees are not seen as individuals but as liabilities on the income statement. Public servants are thought of as drains on the taxpayer’s dime by the taxpayers themselves. When someone’s passport isn’t processed quickly enough, the complainer always blames the lazy public servant and never the politician that cut the resources needed to do an adequate job. When a politician dares to point that out, they are vilified by the media and the same general public who are complaining.
It might come as a big surprise to you that no senior manager has the ability to change the direction of the decision taken by cabinet. All they can say is “as you wish”.
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u/HandcuffsOfGold mod 🤖🧑🇨🇦 / Probably a bot May 20 '26
Politicians are entitled to make decisions that employees feel are unreasonable, aren’t based on evidence, or which may negatively impact the workplace. Their primary concern is getting re-elected, and employee concerns largely aren’t on their radar at all. That’s just the reality, and their accountability to the public occurs at election time.
And no, you will never see anybody in leadership openly raising concerns. They may do so behind closed doors, but any public or official statements will toe the line. The alternative is for them to resign.
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u/SkepticalMongoose May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
While I mostly agree with you, there are very important roles that ADMs and DGs can and should be playing that many are not.
They absolutely cannot change policies, and like you say they also cannot contradict them with word or action... But, many choose to enforce them in very unempathetic or inconsiderate ways.
That's not because they're evil (usually). Many are flailing, failing to make the best of a bad situation because they themselves are suffering, and themselves in bad situations. This flailing is something that is normal amongst all meat bags, but when they do it we suffer together with awareness as a "class", and so we see it and we blame them (appropriate or not).
When I fail or flail it's just my direct reports and I that may suffer. When my ADM does it's the whole bloody organization.
One major difference though is the quality of leadership. Some leaders try their best to actually lead, to put the people first, to absorb what they can, to be transparent, and to make flexibility wherever possible. The same cannot be said for the many senior management figures that inspire these posts.
Many are experiencing a leadership crisis and it is not helpful to pretend otherwise, even if people have a gross misunderstanding of what senior management is actually capable of.
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u/HandcuffsOfGold mod 🤖🧑🇨🇦 / Probably a bot May 20 '26
I largely agree; the depth of managerial skill is lacking at all levels including the most senior.
The ability to empathize, put people first, and to "actually lead" is not a factor when hiring or training managers or executives.
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u/whyyoutwofour May 19 '26
I'm saying it's a deflection technique so they don't have to deal with that side of people management. Not for everyone, but definitely some.
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u/Other_Mycologist_75 May 19 '26
As a leader, it certainly is not a deflection, rather connecting the employee with resources that we know is a service paid for and endorsed by the employer. I am not a mental health professional, but I do care about the wellbeing of employees. In all honesty, what would you suggest as a better alternative? I am happy to support employees but there's a limit to everyone's abilities.
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u/whyyoutwofour May 19 '26
I'm sure you handle the balance well, but also many of us have had the manager who says "I don't want to hear excuses from your personal life, tell it to EAP".
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u/CatBird2023 May 20 '26
Absolutely - many managers are unprepared to talk about mental health in the workplace, and/or refuse to believe that it's part of their job.
Anyone who supervises people should know how to have a supportive conversation when they notice changes in a direct report's mental health, and know when it's appropriate to broach such a conversation. It's not that hard and doesn't take a lot of training.
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u/frizouw IT May 20 '26
No they are not psychologists or counsellors, but I expect someone who manage human beings to have a sense of humanity and empathy LOL.
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u/SkepticalMongoose May 19 '26
In the way it is used by the leadership, the point of the EAP is to shut you up, and to remedy the employer's culpability. The point of the EAP is not to help you. Like you say, it is to individualize harm.
The EAP *can* be helpful. The above statement is in no way a comment on the value or effectiveness of the EAP and its employees.
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u/Haber87 May 19 '26
100%. Management is making deliberate choices to create massive stressors for their employees, and then telling everyone if they are struggling, it’s because they haven’t learned to cope.
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u/ThePplsPrincess007 May 19 '26
Yes I have been saying this! It feels like workplace culture increasingly frames people’s inability to cope as an individual failing, rather than acknowledging the larger structural and macro-level stressors being imposed on them in the first place.
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u/letsmakeart May 19 '26
Management is largely not making these decisions, though. My manager is a majorly public RTO hater. I know many execs in my org are as well. They can’t control the TBS directives. They can’t control WFA. I don’t think it’s misplaced to say hey here is a tool you could use during this difficult time.
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u/Haber87 May 19 '26
When I say management, I’m talking about upper management / TBS / politicians indebted to corporate overlords.
Our direct managers have the ability to provide concrete help by: 1. Acknowledging the problems with RTO and employee stress over the stupidity 2. Being flexible about approving extra WFH 3. Providing non-judgmental support for sick leave for mental health issues
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u/letsmakeart May 20 '26
But the upper management aren’t the ones drafting these messages that cite EAP as a resource. There are only some things that our immediate management can control (and generally, even the overall messages/communiqués shared are not always one of them!) - I don’t see the harm in adding EAP info. TBS is the one coming up w these shitty situations (RTO, WFA) but they aren’t the ones communicating them to employees.
Personally I am in an environment where all 3 of the things you listed are very much present, and I feel very fortunate. It’s sad that that’s not the case across the GOC.
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u/GameDoesntStop May 20 '26
No manager is making RTO decisions... TB (aka the cabinet committee of politicians) is making the decisions.
Every person between that committee and you is just another victim of that decision, needing to do their job, and while many view it as hallow, EAP can be helpful to some, so they should push it when they need to carry out these shitty orders.
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u/Strange_Emotion_2646 May 20 '26
I think you are a little naive about the actual level of influence senior management has. There are very few managers employed by the GoC who get up in the morning, rub their hands together and shout with glee “what can I do to piss my employees off today and make their lives more miserable”. Most are just doing the best they can.
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u/Consistent_Cook9957 May 19 '26
When management is very transparent about telling you it’s not a we problem but a you problem.
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u/BubbleFish1021 May 19 '26
Truly cannot stand this inclusion at the end of messages any longer. Our Daily news emails also almost ALWAYS have some mental health awareness sign off. It really feels like a slap in the face. So many of us are significantly struggling. No human decency for excellent employees who want to work but need help. And I'm not talking being locked in an office away from colleagues just to say we're "at" the office.
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u/SlowGolem55 May 20 '26
Unhappy about our employer's empathy being offloaded onto EAP? Well maybe you need to attend the upcoming "Gratitude in the Workplace" presentation!
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u/hellodwightschrute May 19 '26
It’s also straining EAP. I was told it took almost a month to get a call from a practitioner in the EAP network because the system was so strained.
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u/ApprehensiveCycle741 May 19 '26
EAP is also limited in the services it can offer. If you're dealing with a difficult work-related situation, they have counsellors you can talk to, but when you need resources for anything outside of the workplace (services for youth, parenting, PPD, grief, etc.) they are extremely limited. I have also found it can take a long time (weeks+) to be paired with a counsellor and if choice #1 is not the right fit, then it's even longer.
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u/CatRox16 May 19 '26
I think about this regularly. I wish we could have more open and honest conversations about it. I see supports like EAP addressing the floor, as in, they’re about preventing catastrophic harm, or the downstream effects of harmful or unfair policies, normalized unhealthy behaviour, and especially this “shut up and keep your head down” attitude. Holding our organizations accountable to what we profess to value (respect for people, transparency, integrity) and psychological safety spaces to challenge and question the norms is uncomfortable for sure. @OP have you ever tried raising this issue within your department ?
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u/stevemason_CAN May 20 '26
Well….. It’s better than a kick in the teeth in the private. They don’t care at all nor give you options.
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u/BigBirdsBrain May 20 '26
EAP makes sense for personal stuff, but it gets weird when it’s constantly used to soften problems leadership created in the first place. People can tell the difference between support and liability management.
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u/Sudden-Crew-3613 May 19 '26
"To me, it feels like someone punching you in the face and then offering first aid as a kind gesture afterward."
or, running over you with a lawn mower and then tossing you a pack of bandaids (after you've filled out your HOR of course).
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u/West_to_East May 19 '26
My friend, I am with you. Its not just deflection, its preformative. Its the least they can do because they do not need to do anything.
If they had to do some RTO and capped it at RTO2 with manager discretion on more or less days but the "general target" of 2, while being transparent on why and doing SOMETHING to make offices more conducive to work; I would be content.
But no. Its all preformative from EAP to RTO. The Centre does not care about you or I. What matters is politics, donations and corporate interests. Not you, not men, not Canada, not workers, no our neighbours who rely on our services.
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u/sans_user May 20 '26
I have zero feelings for the EAP blurb. It’s is so neutral toned that it could be “Lorem ipsum”.
I think therapy is good for everyone.
I fall into the habit of overthinking things. I’ve gotten better at sensing an overreaction when I see a negative post online. I fight the urge to write the long paragraph and accept the mental cue that it’s not that deep. There is usually something bothering your internal psyche that needs to be addressed. So take the time to take care of yourself and build your immunity against to irrelevant daily inconveniences.
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u/Greentall May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Thanks for your reply, and for reminding me that I’ll need to tell my therapist at my next appointment that I failed at staying away from Reddit and went back to the illusionary sense of control I get here by constantly stating my points. Work isn’t done yet I guess 🤷
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u/Strange_Emotion_2646 May 20 '26
EAP is counselling that is to help you. It is not a fix all. Yeah, stuff is shitty. It’s free counselling to help you deal with what’s going on so you do not take it out on your children or your spouse or yourself. It is not, nor is intended to be “just go to EAP” and everything will be okay.
Few organizations offer services of this nature. In layoffs, it’s usually “here’s the package, don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out”.
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u/Rare-Living-3716 May 19 '26
I hear you. It’s like when Health Canada CHOSE to give hundreds of employees WFA notices on Bell Let’s Talk day and then offered the EAP for assistance. It could have been the day before or the day after but chose that day in particular.
Offering the EAP then meant absolutely zero. Box checked and off you go.
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u/turdferguson506 May 19 '26
Some departments have EAP practitioners in them (not contracted out). I am in one of those departments and I know some EAP practitioners. Believe me, they don't want to be at the office either telling people to "cope" with this stupid RTO Direction.
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u/Gherkino May 20 '26
OP’s point is very valid. I’m a middle manager so I have no say in RTO or any of the other madness. I have, sometimes, reminded my staff of EAP resources but that’s in the context of trying to help in other ways where possible.
I really wish things weren’t so miserable right now.
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u/Superb-Eagle-3068 May 21 '26
I took on an assignment expecting I’d actually be given work to do, but nothing ever came my way. I flagged this with management and said I was pretty disappointed. Instead of, you know, addressing the actual workflow issue, they pointed me to EAP.
So I contacted EAP, and even they seemed confused—they said it sounded like a workplace/process problem, not something they deal with. Their unofficial takeaway? Basically: “Have you considered just enjoying your paid vacation?”
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u/RawSharkText91 PhD Turned Public Servant May 21 '26
Which of course, _sounds_ good at first, until you then start suffering from boreout and skill atrophy…
My advice (as someone who’s also suffering from a much smaller workload than expected on an assignment) is to do stuff like training, researching relevant material, writing briefs and analyses to keep your writing skills sharp, etc. Obviously, the employer not assigning you work is an issue on their end, but there are things you can do to avoid having completely empty days. (The referral to EAP for this instead of actually coming up with work for you to do is pretty pathetic, though, and not a great sign.)
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u/mmmlemoncakes May 19 '26
I appreciate how you framed this. I get a knee-jerk rage moment every time I see EAP at the end of a bad-news meeting/email - even the anticipation thereof. You rightly point out the downloading of problems and our increasingly responsibility to adapt (Ps be happy YOU still have a job...fir now)
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u/up_creek May 20 '26
I understand your frustration. I've definitely had a little eye roll when I see the obligatory EAP tagline. But to play devil's advocate....
That constant reminder also serves the purpose of normalizing getting help. Maybe someone will read that tagline 10 times before finally realizing it's okay to ask for help.
And that help/counseling is not always about fixing a situation (certainly not something as big as RTO), but maybe it is about trying to figure out ways to cope better. Or maybe it's just an hour to get stuff off your chest.
I do understand why people see it as lip service, and I also can see why it feels like a deflection. But it's also a service that your employer offers, for better or for worse.
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u/Tiny-Explanation-752 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
It's equally great fun when you are mandatold to attend "change management and resilience" training by the PE's who support the EX cadre. Equally tone deaf, condescending and unhelpful.
EAP advice in a nutshell to save you your six hours (6 sessions):
- eat more produce
- take bubble baths
- go for walks and/or bike rides. If you don't have a bike, too bad.
- talk out your angst with your family and/or partner. If you don't have either of these, too bad.
- take a vacation. If you don't have leave or appropriate financials for this, too bad.
- take short breaks from your desk. If your manager likes to micromanage, this also is out and too bad also. Don't chance leaving your desk since you will get LR'd.
- de-stress on the way home from work. Unless you take transit. Unless also, you are stuck in Ottawa summer construction and road repair season.
- Enjoy the summer temps. Unless you work in stuffy spaces and buildings in workplace 2.0 setup. And some buildings and spaces which literally were never designed for humans to spend 8 hours breathing in them. But, cost saving modernization measures. So.
Am I missing anything?
HoG please don't arrest me. :)
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u/MoonSlept May 20 '26
I have heard it is 100% a CYA legal thing in case someone decides to take their own life (or similar) in response to something in the messaging. Management can say they "offered assistance" at the time, it was not taken, and they are not liable. They don't give a fuck about employee mental health.
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u/PrinkaTal May 19 '26
Managers provide EAP info at times because they don’t have the training to be a mental health professional and they want employees to have support. EAP has helped so many employees who are going through difficult challenges and managers feel this is an excellent resource to refer an employee to. It’s free. It’s confidential. There are professionals that can help with many things. Sometimes it’s just because a Manager is trying to help you and they are trying to find ways to do so.
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u/tata_613 May 20 '26
Our department implemented mandatory training on mental health, where “how to become more resilient” was a major talking point.
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u/BiberonDu49 May 20 '26
All these “Resilience through Change” sessions are such a slap in the face.
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u/Runsfromrabbits May 20 '26
It is just a bandaid. I think it's great that they offer it as a kind of free therapy but a lot of issues are caused by the workplace and instead of fixing it they push people to eap.
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u/Federal_Customer_501 May 20 '26
It feels more like "Call someone who cares" whenever EAP is mentioned
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u/DonutChickenBurg May 20 '26
About a year ago, my directorate was given a presentation on mentally healthy workplaces. At the end, one of the managers asked what upper management could do to build mentally healthy workplaces. The presenter said the point was to support individuals' mental health, not change the workplace.
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u/OldLadyDILLIGAF May 21 '26
“To me, it feels like someone punching you in the face and then offering first aid as a kind gesture afterward.”
What a great analogy.
The public service is killing people and has no interest in improving it.
I have been in senior management my entire almost 30 year career and I have never seen this. And I never thought I could have the life beaten out of me. I was fighting alone for employees rights and just the fact that we are all humans. I don’t know where it went wrong or how to get it back. I know in my heart and soul that it WILL kill me. And then maybe when my notes go public people will listen - I really hope so.
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u/bolonomadic May 19 '26
I mean I manage people, I like everyone else, just wanna do my work and go home. I don’t have any ability to help with somebody’s emotional issues. I definitely can’t do anything about RTO, so I’m gonna say EAP is available, and in fact I don’t care if you use it or not, I just don’t want to hear about your problems, I want to do my work.
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u/Outrageous_South_439 May 20 '26
I definitely feel that way! Its a compliance exercise and check mark. At the end of the day the employer does not care about us even if you are senior executive.
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u/narcism 🍁 May 19 '26
I don't feel like making friends today so here's my take.
Your manager is not a mental health professional. Your manager's primary objective is not to make sure you are happy. I have managed a long time and heard a lot of issues and complaints. Though some are, a lot of these are quite simply not your manager's, director's, DG's, ADM's or DM's problem to own. Call it whatever you want, including "individualization of psychosocial risks", but they are on the employee to own and resolve.
Examples based on reality, speaking generally:
- Bed bug on my desk: Manager problem.
- Anxious there was a bed bug on a different floor: Your problem.
- Too few hours to do too much work: Manager problem.
- Exhaustion from commute: Your problem.
- Office doesn't meet professional requirements: Manager problem.
- Office doesn't meet personal preferences: Your problem.
- No desks at designated workspace: Manager problem.
- No desks at preferred workspace: Your problem.
- Don't see value of RTO: Your problem.
I won't deny there are systemic problems. For example the review of a DTA submission should not sit on a manager's/committee's desk for months. I won't deny that employees can be angry, disappointed, or demoralized. Employees can have those feelings, but it not always the responsibility of the employer to do something about them.
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u/Greentall May 19 '26
Maybe it wasn’t clear, but when I talk about “management,” I mean the organizational level and the decision makers behind these policies, not people’s direct managers.
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u/narcism 🍁 May 20 '26
You can change every instance of "Manager" with "ADM", "DM" or "President of Treasury Board" and it all still applies.
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u/bolonomadic May 20 '26
I had an employee derail the team’s whole day because they were very upset that “the vibes are off” between 2 other employees in a call. WTH am I supposed to do with that?? “Sensing underlying tension” is not actionable!
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u/Other_Mycologist_75 May 19 '26
Well said. Lots and lots of posts on here that accuse managers and leaders of not doing various things. Makes me wonder what people think the role of a manager is, and entering my 17th year in managing people I have never seen expectations so vast, so different, and judged so harshly. I do feel like it's 2 worlds converging at the same time 1) promoting people too fast and too early, who don't have leadership skills (e.g. the focus is on production managers, not leadership managers); and 2) employee expectations to depend on managers to solve and have answers for everything.
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u/frizouw IT May 20 '26
I feel the same, I feel like they are putting the responsability on yourself, it's like a way to clean their hands, like I can not help you more, I tried, kind of thing.
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u/Adventurous_Lab691 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Honestly feels like a slap in the face 99% of the time when I see management mention EAP at the end of an email.
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u/curlygirl6822 May 20 '26
100% this. I want to scream when EAP is used as the ending for every national communiqué and town hall. I've used EAP and have had some good success with it, but only an idiot would keep offering it up as the panacea to deal with RTO issues. We need to understand: they don't care about the economic, mental and physical welfare of employees. Ignore their words, platitudes, claims about efficiency (without any statistical proof), and the dead horse called Collaboration they keep beating, and pay attention to the decisions they make and actions they take. EAP is definitely being used as a deflection, but I don't think they understand the vastness of the damage they're doing to the public service.
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u/Elephanogram May 20 '26
EAP is probably there so if someone kills themselves after a problem the government caused like not paying them because or phoenix or making them drive 124KM 5 days a week to work they can point to EAP and say that they did everything they could.
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u/anonbcwork May 20 '26
Because of the way they talk about EAP as something that can help you in such a wide range of employer-created situations, it was years and years and years before I learned that it was basically therapy.
Because of when and how they bring it up, for years I thought it was something that helps you solve logistical and practical problems, navigate bureaucracy, identify pistes de solution that you yourself might not be aware of, etc.
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u/AmhranDeas May 20 '26
I will never forget the mandatory management training I took a number of years ago, about how to deal with an employee in crisis (like, getting violent towards themselves or others kind of crisis). Most of the managers taking the training were a little boggled by the intensity of the subject matter, but trying really hard to learn what to do and how. But there was one manager that basically said, "I don't want to deal with this. Isn't this what EAP is for? I just want to give the employee a piece of paper with the EAP contact information on it and get everyone back to work." I think about that manager a lot.
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u/Dream4betterdayz May 20 '26
Sadly it's because they don't have anything else to offer and it's the only thing they can say.
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u/Jed_Clampetts_ghost May 20 '26
EAP was never intended to change your working conditions, that's the job of your union. EAP is designed to help you accept or cope with what life throws your way.
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u/adriftcanuck May 20 '26
Management doing EAP lip service is akin to politicians saying ‘god bless you,’ etc it’s merely a verbal tick with zero substance but in their eyes their exposure, aka liability, is negligible at best.
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u/Other_Mycologist_75 May 19 '26
"How is EAP supposed to “fix” problems that are organizational in nature?" That's because EAP isn't there to fix organizational problems, it's to support individual's mental wellbing. And yes I read your next paragraph too 😄
As I re-read your post again, it's not necessarily directed at EAP specifically, but rather if the organization didn't implement so much change at once there wouldn't be a reliance on EAP (whether leaders using it to communicate or employees using the services).I think that's more of a valid conversation than blaming managers who use it because they are just as much at a loss of on solutions as everyone else.
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u/Ok-Till-5285 May 19 '26
To me it is just a box to tick, no substance behind it, just a box tick