Employee Assistance Specialist

Emirates

As the Employee Assistance Specialist, you will provide professional, practical, and emotional support to the Group employees and their dependents across a wide range of cases, while collaborating with key internal and external stakeholders. You will continually review, design, and deliver relevant educational programmes and training, ensuring that information remains current, accessible, and tailored to a multicultural audience across the Emirates Group, while staying aligned with corporate objectives.

In This Role, You Will

• Provide short-term, confidential emotional and practical support to employees and their dependants within the scope of EAP practice. Assess each case and work within the allotted time to formulate a plan, which may include further case management or referral to senior psychologists and/or Emirates Medical Services if specialist intervention is required. Case management includes, but is not limited to, emergency or crisis situations, triage of mental health, death in service cases, medical emergencies, terminations, and legal or police cases.
• Collaborate with a wide range of internal stakeholders, including Human Resources, line departments, Finance, Legal, and Medical Services. Provide accurate and timely advice and updates to stakeholders and clients, ensuring proper recording of case notes and documentation of processes and case meetings.
• Establish and maintain a network of contacts beneficial to case management, both internal (line departments) and external (embassies, consulates, local authorities). Liaise with relevant departments and external authorities to assist with issues such as hospitalisation, bill payment, travel and visa support for family members, arrests, custody, court cases, mortuary arrangements, and repatriations.
• Act as part of the Peer Support and Employee Assistance Programme Crisis Support Unit (CSU) team. Complete mandatory training to be an effective member of the team in preparedness for emergency situations in line with departmental and CSU plans. Respond as part of the Human Resources Incident Support Unit (HR ISU) to provide counselling support to colleagues and their families during and after operational or life-threatening incidents affecting the Group. Maintain ongoing familiarisation with Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) refresher training and ISU plans to remain prepared for such situations.
• Contribute to the design and continuous review of EAP and Peer Support induction and educational training materials, ensuring content is current and aligned with company policies, UAE guidelines, and local laws. Research, design, and develop effective learning programmes to meet international standards, applying a range of learning solutions including assessment and evaluation.
• Deliver Employee Assistance inductions to a multicultural audience within the Emirates Group and, on an ad hoc basis, deliver other EAP-related presentations. Continuously review, design, and update learning programmes to ensure all training aligns with corporate objectives.
• Provide basic budgeting guidance to colleagues and their families facing financial difficulties, assisting them to limit and save costs. Liaise with banks when appropriate to renegotiate loans, restructure repayments, and remove interest amounts.
• Serve as an on-call EAP Specialist outside office hours (24/7, including weekends and public holidays) on a rotational basis. Act as the primary point of contact for cases ranging from low-level to complex, working independently while adhering to policy, processes, and protocols. Collect and analyse case statistics and trends, providing recommendations to the manager on a regular basis.
• When required, escort employees back to their home country after a crisis, once stabilised and fit to travel. This may involve repatriation or accompanying someone receiving treatment overseas. Arrange and supervise the packing of personal belongings, providing both practical assistance and emotional support.
• Utilise effective influencing skills to assist with conflict resolution. Facilitate pre-booked mediation sessions between relevant parties to resolve communication issues or disputes, guide parties towards reasonable solutions or compromises, and obtain written agreement to abide by agreed outcomes.