Who’s Supporting Our Managers? The Manager Assist Program and Benefits to Leaders, Teams, and Organisations. 

At a glance:

• Manager Assist Programs give managers confidential access to psychologists and organisational psychologists for practical support with complex people issues.

• Support is available across two broad areas: employee mental health concerns and leadership coaching and development.

• Sessions focus on clear, actionable strategies and can be used at short notice without committing to a long-term coaching program. 

Today’s managers are expected to have quality feedback conversations, understand personality clashes in teams, address poor performance, manage psychosocial risk, and discuss employee mental health concerns. Each of these responsibilities are challenging to navigate, and many managers today find themselves responsible for managing without as much support as they would like. That’s why our Manager Assistance Program is here to support you.

What is a Manager Assist Program (MAP)?

The Manager Assistance Programs (or as we like to call them, MAPs) connect managers and people leaders of all levels with Psychologists and Organisational Psychologists who can provide the expertise, advice, and support that managers need to respond to a people issue.  

MAPs are included as part of our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which means the service is confidential, and payment is covered by employers at no cost to the individual. 

Our MAP service has two services depending on your needs; our Mental Health Support for Leaders MAPs, and our Leadership Coaching and Development MAPs.  

Manager Assist - Mental Health Support for Leaders sessions are a confidential and supportive space for you to discuss mental health challenges experienced by staff in the workplace with an expert.  

• Concerned about the wellbeing of someone in your team and need advice?  

• Has an employee disclosed a mental health diagnosis, and you’re not sure how to help?  

• Do you know how to best support an employee who is going through a difficult time?

• Has an employee disclosed a mental health diagnosis while you are trying to manage performance?  

Mental Health Support MAPS can provide tailored advice, guidance, support, and strategies on how to navigate these tricky challenges.  

Manager Assist - Leadership Coaching and Development sessions are a confidential and supportive space for you to discuss a wide range of leadership challenges you might be facing in your role.  

• Need to prepare for a performance management conversation with an employee? 

• Need to address some difficult behaviours, but aren’t sure how to have the conversation? 

• Have an upcoming change that you need to implement?  

The Leadership Development and Coaching MAPs connect you to Psychologists and Organisational Psychologists that can work with you to manage problems such as personality clashes in teams, feedback conversations, psychosocial risk, handling difficult behaviours, and change management. We adopt a solution orientated approach, so you leave your session with clear and actionable strategies.  

“I like to think of MAPs as like a leadership coach for managers, but grounded in organisational psychology principles. Managers are often balancing operational demands with responsibility for their team's wellbeing, performance, and development,” Abdo Mehyo, Psychologist and MAP Consultant at the PeopleSense: Psychology & Wellbeing by Altius, explained. 

“In times where leaders may have to make difficult decisions or need to decide on next steps, it can be difficult to know the most effective way forward.

Having access to practical, expert advice allows managers to approach these situations with greater confidence, make informed decisions, and provide the right support to their people while managing their own wellbeing.”

What does a typical MAP look like?

At the start of the session, the MAP consultant will talk you through the bounds of confidentiality, including what information discussed can remain private and what cannot. This ensures you feel informed and comfortable about the process.  

The MAP consultant will then work with you to explore your current situation, understand what's contributing to the challenges you're experiencing, and clarify what you'd like to get out of the session. Together, you'll cover practical strategies and develop an action plan to help you navigate the issue and achieve your goals. 

What are the benefits to utilising a MAP? 

MAP sessions have a wide range of benefits, but our clients tell us they benefit the most from: 

• When you need urgent help to make tough people calls at work, our MAP sessions are available at short notice and can usually be booked for within a few hours or days.

• When you need support to respond to tricky situations, such as accusations of bullying or poor behaviour

• When you need to speak to someone external to your organisation, our MAP Consultants provide an unbiased perspective on your problem. 

• When you need to speak to an expert, our MAP Consultants can share with you practical tools and strategies that are backed by research. 

• When you need a space for reflection, our MAP sessions are 1:1 coaching conversations, where the focus is on getting you the support you need without judgement. 

• When you just need a session or two, our MAP sessions don’t require you to lock into multiple-session coaching plans.

"The Manager Assistance Program is an invaluable resource that supports leaders to confidently navigate complex workplace and people-related challenges. Through expert guidance, practical strategies, and a structured approach, it helps leaders build confidence, strengthen decision-making, develop capability, in a way that creates lasting positive outcomes,” Sofia Alessandrini, Psychologist and MAP Consultant at PeopleSense: Psychology & Wellbeing by Altius, expounded. 

“It also encourages leaders to reflect on their own wellbeing, while strengthening their ability to effectively support others. Ultimately, the program contributes to healthier, more psychologically safe and productive teams." 

Why should organisations encourage the use of MAPs?

In two words, performance and wellbeing.  

MAPs can be used to increase manager performance as an informal leadership development tool. MAPs allow managers to access expert advice and support, particularly if an organisation does not have a structured leadership development program in place.  

Research has also linked managers who receive coaching as being better able to coach others, so MAPs can also be an effective tool to uplift the performance of a team. MAPs can also be used to promote the wellbeing of a manager and team.  

Managers also play a huge role in the wellbeing of their team.

The UKG Workforce Institute (2023) found that 69% of employees believed their manager has as much impact on their mental health as their spouse or partner. By allowing managers to seek support from an expert preventatively, without waiting for a problem to, we can intervene early and mitigate the potential negative impacts to wellbeing in the team.   

Want more information or to read out FAQs?  

Visit Manager Assistance Program for Workplace Support. 

Ready to book a session? 
You can register and book a session online: https://www.peoplesense.au/  

You can also email us at hello@peoplesense.au, or call us on 1300 307 912 (Australia), 0800 425 526 (NZ) or +61 8 9388 9000 (International).