# Irish employers urged to strengthen workplace mental health support

- Link: https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/irish-employers-urged-to-strengthen-workplace-mental-health-support/4121266339
- Published: 2026-10-14T12:25:00+01:00
- Author: Amilia Stone

Irish employers are being encouraged to combine employee assistance programmes (
EAPs) with earlier identification of workplace mental health risks, helping them
address problems before they affect staff wellbeing, attendance and retention.

Under Ireland’s Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers must protect
employees’ physical and mental health so far as is reasonably practicable. This 
includes identifying workplace hazards, assessing risks and implementing appropriate
controls.

Potential risks include excessive workloads, bullying, fatigue and pressures associated
with remote working. Employers must review their assessments when working conditions
change or existing measures prove inadequate.

EAPs provide confidential counselling, urgent support and referrals to further care.
However, these services rely on employees seeking help, meaning wider workforce 
issues may remain unidentified until they affect performance or attendance.

Champion Health advocates combining individual support with workforce-level risk
assessment. Confidential assessments and aggregated data can help identify patterns
linked to workload pressure, poor sleep and limited managerial support, enabling
employers to target preventative measures.

The company recommends auditing existing EAP provision, including accessibility,
utilisation, waiting times, employee feedback and referral outcomes. It notes that
no verified Irish EAP utilisation benchmark is available, so employers should assess
performance against their own historical data rather than relying on overseas comparisons.

Providing an EAP alone does not demonstrate that an employer has adequately identified
and addressed workplace mental health risks. Services should complement measures
such as workload reviews, management training and clear referral pathways, while
protecting employee confidentiality and personal data.

_**[Physitrack plc](https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/company/physitrack-plc/ptrk.st)**(
PTRK.ST), together with its subsidiaries, provides digital healthcare solutions 
in the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and internationally. It operates through
two segments, Lifecare and Wellness. _

Share on: