Employee Wellness & Engagement – Employee Assistance Program
Client Context
A leading telecom organisation in India was experiencing high levels of burnout among young tele callers in its customer service operations. Most employees were early in their careers, handling high call volumes, demanding customer interactions, and extended shift schedules.
A critical incident involving a fatal road accident attributed to fatigue and overwork became a tipping point for leadership to examine employee wellbeing more closely. Initial conversations with employees revealed concerns around sleep deprivation, work related stress, and relationship pressures. The organisation sought external expertise to address these challenges.
Gemba was approached for its experience in mental health and wellness interventions, in addition to its corporate training and organisational development capabilities.
The Challenge
While the immediate request was for a stress management program, the underlying challenge was deeper.
Employees reported emotional exhaustion, disengagement from their roles, and a growing sense of helplessness in dealing with customer complaints. Despite competitive compensation, the lack of work–life balance and emotional support was impacting both morale and performance.
The organisation needed more than a onetime training intervention - it required a sustainable support mechanism that could address ongoing emotional and psychological needs.
Gemba’s Approach
Gemba began by delivering the requested stress management program across targeted employee groups. During these sessions, consistent themes emerged, pointing to the need for a structured and confidential “talking and support service” for young professionals navigating their first corporate roles.
Based on these insights, Gemba worked with the organisation to design and launch one of the early Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)in the country.
Qualified psychologists and counsellors, under the leadership of Dr. R. Karthikeyan, conducted both in person and online counselling sessions for employees who opted to use the service.
The intervention was supported by sensitisation sessions for managers and the integration of wellness and counselling modules into existing training programs. This helped normalise conversations around mental health and positioned wellbeing as a shared organisational responsibility rather than an individual issue.
Business Impact
Employee pulse surveys had earlier indicated a steady decline in engagement levels. Within a year of the intervention, engagement scores showed a significant improvement.
Customer satisfaction metrics also improved, reflecting better emotional resilience and responsiveness among service teams. Over time, key business performance indicators began to trend positively, demonstrating that a people centric wellness intervention delivered tangible business outcomes.