An employee assistance program (EAP) can reduce absenteeism by up to 70%. It can also improve presenteeism, life satisfaction, workplace distress, and employee engagement.
But, on average, only around 10% of employees use EAPs.
Prior to the pandemic, this number was even lower at just 5%.
Why is this? Let’s explore what an employee assistance program is, how to encourage employees to use it, and how to increase its impact.
What is an EAP?
An employee assistance program is a type of benefit some businesses offer their employees. Through it, team members can get a handful of counseling or therapy sessions.
It’s designed to support employees’ mental health at work.
And given that a fifth of US adults are estimated to experience mental health challenges, it could have a huge impact on your employee engagement and productivity.
How to get more value from your EAP
Having an employee assistance program and experiencing its benefits are two different things. If your employees don’t use it (and as the numbers show, most don’t) then it’s not only a waste of money that you could invest elsewhere, but it also means your employees suffer needlessly.
So, what can you do to get more value from your EAP and ensure it’s money well spent?
Make sure you’re using the right provider for you
Just like with any other business you work with, you want to ensure your EAP provider aligns with your company values.
The way some companies offer support, even down to the language they use when talking to employees, may not be compatible with your business.
If you choose to keep your employee assistance program in-house, consider whether your employees will feel comfortable sharing private information with someone internal.
When discussing personal information, there’s always a chance employees will prefer to remain anonymous. Or that they’d rather discuss challenges with someone external and objective.
Especially when most people assume HR is there to protect the business, not its people.
These small differences can influence whether employees feel comfortable using your EAP and if it’s a success for your organization.
Tell employees about it
If team members don’t know about your employee assistance program, or how to access it, they’re not going to use it. So you won’t get your money’s worth and they won’t get the support they need.
Make sure to remind employees that it’s there regularly—in all-hands/town hall meetings, company-wide emails, on Workrowd, etc. The more places they can see it, the more likely they are to use it.
It can also help to remind employees that the support is there during challenging times such as mergers or layoffs. That way they know there’s support out there for when they feel like they’re on shaky ground. It can offer them techniques to support their mental health, prioritize their workload, manage survivor’s guilt, and more.
Make it accessible to everyone
Data shows that 75% of employees in the highest quarter of earners have access to an EAP. In contrast, just a third of the lowest quarter of earners have access.
But someone can experience challenges regardless of what they earn or where they are in their career. So why not make it accessible to everyone?
Especially in the current climate, when so much of what’s happening economically, politically, technologically, and environmentally is unpredictable and will inevitably impact employee well-being.
Your employee assistance program could provide team members with the tools they need to overcome obstacles and progress in their careers.
Create a culture where people are open about using an employee assistance plan
There’s still a lot of stigma out there around asking for help or having mental health struggles. Creating a culture where people feel open to admitting that they’ve used, or are using, your employee assistance program can help remove some of this stigma.
It can be particularly useful if your leaders share their journeys with similar initiatives. Whether that’s therapy, counseling, coaching, an EAP, etc. It shows they really do understand that it’s both necessary and helpful to get mental health support, and they won’t judge anyone for using it.
Share successes
Sharing successes—such as employees being able to better handle problems or even getting a promotion because of the guidance they received—can encourage other people to use the employee assistance program. It gives them a concrete example of what they could achieve if they used it, too.
These successes could be internal successes from current or past employees, or, if the program is new, external case studies provided by the provider you choose.
Ask employees what they need help with
The only way you can help employees effectively is if you know what they really need help with. How do you find that out? Ask them!
Using Workrowd, you can automate feedback surveys to see what is and isn’t working across your employee experience. This data can then help you make more informed decisions about how best to support your employees now and in the future.
Collect data
When you ask employees what they need help with, it can be useful to do so in a quantitative, rather than qualitative, way. This makes it easier for you to visualize how your employees feel and what they need from you.
For instance, you could ask them if they’d prefer an internal, external, or hybrid employee assistance program. Collecting information on this will help you create a program that’s more likely to be successful. Or it will allow you to pivot to improve employee participation rates.
Conclusion
An employee assistance program can be a vital tool to help you provide an exceptional employee experience. If used the right way, it can create a culture of support and openness that helps employees overcome barriers. That way, they can progress in their careers and help your business stay ahead of the competition.
Support your employees from day one
If you’d like help finding out how best to support your employees, why not try Workrowd?
You can use our tools to collect employee feedback and share everything they need to know about your employee assistance program in one place. Get in touch today to book your free demo.
