Active Care for New Zealand Workplaces
Early, confidential support for employees experiencing stress or anxiety-related absence, with practical guidance to support recovery and a safe, sustainable return to work.
- The challenge:
Stress and anxiety-related absence can affect wellbeing, team capacity and business continuity.
- Early support:
A qualified clinician contacts the employee to understand their circumstances and provide practical support.
- Practical guidance:
With the employee’s consent, the employer receives guidance to support return-to-work planning.
Early Support for Stress and Anxiety-Related Absence
When an employee is away from work due to stress or anxiety, early support can help provide a clearer pathway forward.
Active Care connects eligible employees with a qualified clinician who can explore their circumstances, identify barriers to returning to work and provide practical guidance. Where appropriate, employees can also be directed to additional support.
For employers, Active Care provides a consistent referral pathway while maintaining employee consent, confidentiality and appropriate boundaries.
Active Care complements existing workplace processes. It is not a medical assessment and does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
How Active Care Works
Active Care follows a clear referral and support pathway:
- Employer referral: The employer discusses Active Care with the employee and, with their consent, makes a referral within two weeks of their first day of absence.
- Employee consent: Participation is voluntary. The employee can withdraw consent for their report to be shared at any stage. 3.Confidential consultation: A qualified clinician meets with the employee for a 30-minute Microsoft Teams consultation to understand their circumstances and barriers to returning to work. 4.Practical support: The clinician provides guidance and discusses appropriate support options, including counselling, the Wisdom App or primary healthcare. 5.Employee review: The employee reviews the written report and decides whether it can be shared with their employer. 6.Employer guidance: With explicit employee consent, the report is securely provided to the employer within two working days.
Benefits of Early Intervention
Early, supportive contact gives employees a clearer pathway to help while enabling employers to respond with greater care, consistency and clarity.
Earlier access to support: Employees can speak with a qualified clinician soon after referral rather than waiting for their concerns to escalate.
Practical guidance: Employees receive relevant guidance and information about support options suited to their circumstances.
Better-informed planning: With the employee’s consent, workplace considerations can help employers plan appropriate communication, support and potential return-to-work arrangements.
Consistent absence support: A defined referral pathway helps managers respond to stress and anxiety-related absence with appropriate boundaries.
Connection to further help: Employees can be directed towards counselling, the Wisdom App, their general practitioner or another appropriate support pathway.
WorkSafe New Zealand guidance should inform an employer’s broader approach to psychosocial risk. Active Care supports the individual employee but does not replace workplace risk management.
Who Is Active Care Suitable For?
Active Care may be suitable for an employee who:
- is currently off work;
- is absent because of stress or anxiety-related symptoms;
- is referred within two weeks of the first day of absence; and
- voluntarily consents to the referral.
Active Care may not be appropriate where an employee is experiencing suicidal thoughts, psychosis, physical health difficulties, or a condition requiring diagnosis, treatment or clinical monitoring.
Active Care does not provide medical, psychiatric or diagnostic assessment and does not replace professional medical advice or treatment.
If there is an immediate risk to the employee or another person, employers should follow their emergency or escalation procedures and contact emergency services where appropriate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Backed By Brands That Trust Us
