ByMindSide

What is peer support?

Shared experience, trusted ears.

Peer supporters are trained to provide emotional, informational, and practical support to others by:

Creating a safe and non-judgemental environment where individuals can discuss their concerns

Promoting a sense of community and connection, reducing isolation and stigma often associated with specific issues

Serving as a valuable complement to professional services, providing a compassionate, and relatable form of aid that can foster personal growth, recovery, and a sense of belonging.

Why peer support?

Earlier intervention, enhanced engagement.

Safe and effective peer support programs in the workplace can help foster a sense of community and improve mental health and wellbeing by:

Promoting open communication, creating a more inclusive and supportive work environment where employees feel heard, and having a positive impact on organisational culture

Enhancing employee engagement, with each other and with professional support pathways such as Employee Assistance Providers (EAPs)

Reducing absenteeism and turnover rates by encouraging employees to address challenges early rather than escalating and leading to extended leaves or resignations.

85%
of employees are more productive and motivated when their peer connections are genuine

4x
revenue growth rate in companies where staff report a strong and supportive culture

41%
decrease in absenteeism in companies where staff are highly engaged and connected

Why not peer support?

It’s not all rainbows and unicorns

A bit leftfield, but we like that saying. And in this case, its apt. Done poorly, peer support programs may do more harm than good.

Keeping boundaries: Peers may become overly relied on, take on too much and blur the boundary of when professional support would be more suitable for the support receiver.
Keeping up learning: If training is only provided at one point in time, it may be better not done at all. Peer supporters benefit from regular learning in order to best support others.
Keeping it a secret: Conversations MUST remain confidential. Your peer support program shouldn’t. If it isn’t promoted, with leadership backing, it’s an uphill task from the start.
Keeping up peer wellbeing: Peer supporters may face emotional burnout from providing support to colleagues. Regular supervision and the ability to take a break is key for their own self-care.

Looking for tips on how to set up a
sustainable and effective peer support program?

Download our free
Peer Support Guide

How do I make sure it is effective?

Evaluate, Evolve.

If there is no data how do you know anything is functioning as intended? The same goes for peer support programs.

No one needs to know who is being supported. But certain de-identified data points can help with

Continuous Improvement
Providing insights into what is working well and what needs adjustment, leading to program refinement over time and where to allocate future resource.

Peer Feedback
Gathering feedback helps ensure that their needs are being met and they remain confident providing support, enhancing program relevance and engagement.

Demonstrating Value
Providing evidence of value to stakeholders, which may be crucial for securing ongoing support and inform choices about program continuation and expansion.

And here is where we fit into the world

Technology for peer support programs

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Peer support programs make sense. When they are done the right way.