Public employees going through a particularly tough time or fighting burnout now have a shoulder to lean on – courtesy of the government.

Launching the Employee Support Programme, which forms part of the public sector’s human resources office, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said “training alone is not enough” for workers to reach their full potential and they needed a support system for difficult times.

The service being provided was aimed at workers going through a difficult period, enabling them to seek professional help and restore balance in their life, be it “the death of a relative or a pressure induced burnout”, Dr Gonzi said.

“When a person seeks help in these moments it should never be considered a sign of weakness. Rather, it is a sign of maturity, will and determination,” he added.

The service will be complementing the Centre For Development, Research and Training and is “confirmation of how the government puts people at the centre of its policies”.

The public sector already provides family-friendly measures and Dr Gonzi said the government would keep on striving to be a model to other employers and “other workers, who all view public administration as an advanced model of a live and dynamic enterprise”.

“To keep investing in our country’s economy and to have a strong economy, we have to have a healthy public administration,” Dr Gonzi concluded.