Atherstone micro and small business employees are being offered free access to practical and emotional support to combat mental stress caused by coronavirus.

Warwickshire County Council is extending its own successful internal Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to owners of businesses with 10 or less employees across the county.

The local authority recognises that the upheaval and stress of the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on mental health and wellbeing.

And, while large businesses have the benefit of an HR department and a range of support services, many small and micro businesses do not have the in-house infrastructure to provide support to employees struggling with stress and anxiety - while coping with the pressure of keeping their business going.

The EAP provides access to practical and emotional support on a wide range of topics including work, career, relationship, family, money management, debt, health and wellbeing.

Cllr Isobel Seccombe, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: "Mental well-being is always an important area of concern, but we are aware that now more than ever, it's an issue businesses are facing.

"We recognise this has been a particularly difficult time for micro and small businesses.

"While small businesses will be aware of how Covid-19 has affected individuals, they won't have the HR support found in larger organisations and may struggle to provide the appropriate support around mental health and well-being to staff during this time of ongoing upheaval and stress.

"We hope the opportunity to access to the county council's own EmployeeAssistanceProgrammewill be a big help to employees and owners of micro and small businesses in our towns."

Business owners can register their interest in the free service, with no obligation to access the programme, by completing a simple online form.

Once registered they can make employees aware of the support and how to access the round-the-clock helpline.

The service can be accessed directly and confidentially without further manager involvement.

The new initiative is just one of a package of measures to support local businesses recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The county council has developed an economic recovery plan and allocated a budget of £6m to support the immediate recovery of the local economy through new, or extended, activities.