Sydney Opera House is seeking responses for employee counseling service.

Project goals

The Sydney Opera House (SOH) is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of its employees and to ensure that other persons are not put at risk from work carried out arising from the business or undertaking. To control these risks that may arise, EAP counselling is one tool that is available for employees and their immediate family members to access for early intervention and for P&D to deploy at their discretion.

The Sydney Opera House requires innovative model approaches, emerging trends and evidence-based practice insights and recommendations are encouraged to ensure the EAP offering is flexible, relevant and proactive.

Scope

Background

The Sydney Opera House (SOH) is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of its employees and to ensure that other persons are not put at risk from work carried out arising from the business or undertaking. To control these risks that may arise, EAP counselling is one tool that is available for employees and their immediate family members to access for early intervention and for P&D to deploy at their discretion.

With regard to this SOH is seeking proposals from organisations to provide an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This will include offering SOH employees and their immediate family members access to 6 free confidential face-to-face or phone counselling sessions per year at a time and location of their choosing. The psychological wellbeing of employees has a significant impact on productivity, quality of work and interactions in the workplace. Providing an EAP tangibly demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to employee wellbeing and boosts its profile as an employer of choice.

The SOH also currently offers fortnightly onsite counselling for a 4 hour period for employees to attend during work hours. The continuation of this offering is to be assessed with consideration for staff needs and service model, provider locations, operational hours and after-hours access for shift workers.

With recent psychosocial hazard legislation, rising mental health issues, increased workplace stress and a changing landscape there is the requirement to support managers/supervisors by providing confidential coaching and advice. This is particularly relevant to Managers when dealing with challenging workplace issues, such as managing performance, having difficult conversations, dealing with interpersonal and team conflict, managing change and supporting team development. The EAP Manager Assist may assist in identifying and resolving people management issues before they emerge or escalate. In addition to assessing and managing their team and employee needs, managers/supervisors are to assess the impact on themselves and access the EAP individually to ensure their own well-being. It is expected Managers are supported by senior EAP Counsellors experienced in this area.

The successful EAP Provider should be able demonstrate a service model that supports a positive user experience from the initial time of contact and triage to the identification of a counsellor with the capability and experience to support a diverse range of individuals with consideration for the following:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

• People with a disability

• LGBTIQ+

• People with caring responsibilities

• Older people / Ageing workforce

• People from specific (e.g., high-risk) occupations

• People experiencing domestic or family violence

• People with complex mental health issues, medical conditions or illness that may extend to career counselling

• People experiencing financial stress and homelessness.

To ensure the effectiveness of the service, the successful provider should provide regular data and reporting that covers utilisation, the user experience, and emerging concerns. It would be beneficial that the EAP provider deliver insights to the SOH to develop preventative and intervention strategies, training recommendations and wellbeing initiatives for improved psychological safety, staff wellbeing and the streamlining of ongoing service improvement. The EAP may recommend and provide wellbeing training programs and additional resources to improve the wellbeing of staff and psychological safety for all.

The Sydney Opera House requires innovative model approaches, emerging trends and evidence-based practice insights and recommendations are encouraged to ensure the EAP offering is flexible, relevant and proactive.