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An employee may tell a trusted colleague “I am struggling” long before approaching HR. That conversation can make seeking help feel possible. It can also become difficult if the colleague feels responsible for solving everything, promises absolute secrecy or has nowhere to refer the person.
A workplace peer-support programme needs more than a list of friendly volunteers. It needs a clear purpose, suitable preparation and a connection to professional services. Malaysia’s Ministry of Health offers a useful, specifically scoped example through HEARTS.
What HEARTS is designed to do
The Ministry’s 2024 HEARTS guidance concerns mental-health support groups for house officers. HEARTS stands for House Officer Encouragement and Reassurance Through Sharing & Support. It addresses helper preparation, role responsibilities, confidentiality and referral to professional care. This is a healthcare-training programme, not a universal private-sector EAP standard or an accreditation employers can claim by adopting similar ideas.
The discussion below draws a practical distinction: colleagues can help someone feel heard and find the next step, while professional services provide support within their qualifications and agreed remit. The workplace suggestions are our own, not instructions issued by MOH to all businesses.
Define what a peer supporter can offer
Write a short role description before recruiting volunteers. It might include listening without judgement, explaining available support and helping someone find the relevant contact. It should also state what is outside the role: diagnosing a condition, deciding fitness for work, investigating a grievance or providing therapy without the required professional qualifications.
For example, a colleague who hears about an overwhelming workload can listen and explain the available options. They cannot guarantee a transfer, promise that a complaint will succeed or decide what treatment someone needs. Keep the organisation’s management, complaint and clinical pathways clear.
Choose people employees can approach safely
Consider language, shift patterns, locations and potential conflicts of interest. A single daytime volunteer will be difficult to reach for a night-shift team. Someone may also prefer not to discuss a sensitive issue with the person who evaluates their performance.
Participation should not depend on disclosing personal experiences publicly. Offer alternatives for employees who prefer direct contact with EAP or another professional service. A peer-support programme should widen access, rather than make a colleague the gatekeeper to care.
Prepare helpers for boundaries and referral
Training should use realistic conversations, not only slides about being empathetic. Helpers need practice responding when someone asks them to keep a serious safety concern secret, describes harassment or needs help beyond their role. They should know how to consult a designated professional without circulating unnecessary personal information.
A useful opening could be: “I can listen and help you find support. I am not a therapist, and I will explain the limits of this role before we continue.” The exact wording should match the programme’s actual confidentiality and escalation arrangements. Do not promise that everything will remain secret under every circumstance.
Connect the programme to EAP without creating extra barriers
Give helpers accurate information about how employees book support, what is covered and which languages or appointment options are available. Confirm these details with the provider. Do not assume that an EAP contract includes round-the-clock crisis intervention or specialist services unless these are expressly available.
Where someone wants assistance making contact, agree what they wish to share. An introduction should not become an informal clinical handover by an unqualified colleague. Keep a separate, clearly communicated route for emergencies and immediate safety concerns.
Support the supporters and review the programme
Set reasonable availability and workload expectations for volunteers. Arrange professional consultation or supervision appropriate to their role, and a way to step back when needed. Someone offering support should not feel permanently on call or personally accountable for another employee’s recovery.
Review access, training completion, awareness of referral options and recurring organisational barriers using information that protects individuals. Avoid rewarding helpers for collecting personal disclosures or producing high referral counts. If repeated conversations concern the same work problem, management should examine that problem through an appropriate channel.
Peer support can be one part of a broader employee-support system. To explore how a professional service might complement it, see MY Psychology’s EAP services. Before introducing the programme, align its privacy explanation with the provider’s real arrangements, using our EAP confidentiality questions as a starting point.
References and further reading
Sources checked on 25 October 2026. This article provides general workplace education, not individual medical, legal or compliance advice. Scenarios are illustrative. The practical employer suggestions are original discussion points, not a government-prescribed procedure.
