What is a subscription confidential counsellor?
A subscription confidential counselor offers employees always access to a confidential counsellor and his support. Instead of only receiving incidental assistance in the event of undesirable behaviour or integrity issues, employees with a subscription can contact the external confidential counselor at any time. In practice, most external confidential counsellors work with a subscription form.
What are the average costs for a confidential counselor subscription?
The average cost of subscribing to an external counselor can vary depending on several factors, such as the size of the organisation, the number of employees and the specific services offered. In general, there are two types of costs associated with a confidential counselor subscription:
Fixed costs for a confidential counselor subscription
Fixed costs in the confidential counselor's subscription are the periodic costs that an organisation pays to access the services of a confidential counselor. These costs can be charged monthly, quarterly or annually and are based on the subscription model chosen. Fixed costs can range from several hundred to several thousand euros per year, depending on the size and needs of the organisation.
Variable costs for confidential counselor subscription
In addition to the fixed subscription costs, additional costs may be charged for specific services, situations or hourly rate of the confidential counselor. These could, for example, be costs for additional training or workshops, costs for support in the event of incidents or costs for specific reports and reporting. These additional costs can be tailored based on the needs of the organisation and may vary depending on the services requested.
It is important to note that the exact costs for a confidential counselor subscription can vary greatly per provider and the specific agreements that are made. It is advisable to request quotes from different providers and look carefully at what is and is not included in the subscription. For example, a perhaps more expensive subscription may offer broader coverage and more services, ultimately saving you money. Agreements can be made about the subscription that are important for your organisation in an SLA service level agreement or a contract. Would you like more information about the costs?
Services and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) subscription confidential counselor
What topics can you make agreements about when concluding a subscription and contract with a confidential counselor?
Education and Outreach
As an employer you are obliged to implement a policy against Psychosocial Work Tax. The labor inspectorate checks whether there is information about undesirable behaviour for managers and employees. The confidential counselor is the perfect person to take on this task. Normally this information is not included in the subscription and an hourly rate is charged.
Directions
A quick response is very important for a reporter. Even if the confidential counselor does not have time immediately, receiving feedback can have a lot of meaning for the employee. As a good employer, you can make an agreement about this. A response is usually within 24 or 48 hours. A subscription is often taken out with an organisation, which must therefore facilitate a suitable replacement in the absence of the confidential counselor.
Confidentiality
Through it internal legal privilege it is legally established that a confidential counselor cannot be obliged to share confidential information with third parties, including management or the employer. This is an important part for the organisation to ensure that confidential information does not end up on the street and it is essential for the confidential counselor to build a confidential bond with employees. So always make sure that this is included in the contract with an external confidential counselor.
Visibility
Few agreements are made about the visibility of a confidential counselor. However, it is very important that this happens. Some providers send out some brochures and business cards at the start of the collaboration and that's it. Larger organisations often have a section on the intranet where the external confidential counselor is listed. However, it often happens that employees on the work floor do not know about the existence of the confidential counselor, let alone how to reach him. When there is the aforementioned information or introduction during a team meeting, the confidential counselor is more visible and this lowers the threshold.
Free consultation or a free consultation
In some subscriptions it is agreed that the first consultation is free or there is even a free consultation hour. A free consultation hour can have a barrier-lowering effect. Be sure to check the length of the free consultation hour. If this is less than an hour, experience shows that the necessary trust has not been gained and the situation has not been mapped out and the reporter has not been helped. A free first consultation is less effective for employees, because they do not know whether they are covered by the first free consultation. This can in fact be translated into 1 hour not billed as a discount for the employer.
Annual report of confidential counselor
Create a annual report is important because it provides insight into the activities and results of the confidential counselor and promotes accountability and transparency. Some subscriptions offer a free annual report. Please note that the quality is not lost. A large part of the advice to the organisation should be included in the report.
Miscellaneous
Agreements can also be made regarding annual evaluations, quality assurance, travel time and travel allowance, etc. Matters that are often not included in a subscription are training courses, social safety and leadership training, e-learning and other services.
Comparison of confidential counselor subscription
When you choose to collaborate with an external confidential counselor, it is important that you look at what services are included in the subscription and what is important for the organisation.
