Why every employer needs an EAP strategy – and six ways to get it right

Employee assistance programmes (EAP) have become a familiar component of many workplace benefits packages – either embedded within a core employee benefit such as private medical insurance, a cash plan or group risk policies or offered as a stand-alone benefit. Offering one, however, is not the same as having a strategy.

Used well, an EAP provides professional help to employees who are struggling in areas of their own lives, both in and out of work. From personal wellbeing to financial issues, an EAP is somewhere for your employees to seek confidential support. The services, however, are often underused.

Here are six ways employers can build an EAP strategy:

What’s an EAP?

EAPs give employees confidential access to professional support, often 24/7 coverage over a range of issues, from stress, anxiety and money worries to family problems, work challenges, relationship difficulties and legal queries.

1. Understand what employees need

Some employees might need mental health support, while others may have money worries, caring responsibilities or may even be going through a bereavement or divorce.

Understanding the pressures employees may be facing can help employers make sure the EAP is relevant and useful. Employers don’t have to guess what people need. Absence patterns, staff feedback, exit interviews and benefits data can all help show where extra support is needed.

This is not about prying into employees’ personal lives. It’s about understanding the pressures people may be facing, so an EAP feels useful and easy to access to employees.

2. Ensure employees know the limits of EAPs

For some, they are only there for a crisis, while others may not realise the wide range of everyday problems where they can help. EAPs have also evolved, with many now offering much more than a traditional telephone helpline, some programmes provide further accessible support through online platforms and apps.

It is also important to understand what an EAP cannot support, including more complex mental health challenges. Offering an EAP in isolation may not be the best strategy if data suggests more mental health support is needed and this needs to be sourced separately.

Employers should explain, in plain language, how the EAP can help, who can use it, how it works and how to access it.

This should not be a one-off message. EAP reminders can be built into wellbeing campaigns, internal newsletters, manager conversations, onboarding materials and awareness days.

3. Reassure employees about confidentiality

Confidentiality is at the heart of EAP success.

Employers need to be upfront about how confidentiality works. Employees should know that the details of their call or conversations will not be shared with the business, even if the employer receives general, anonymised usage information.

Managers, for their part, don’t have to know the details of an employee’s situation, but they should feel comfortable signposting people to the EAP, when appropriate. The same is true for mental health first aiders or wellbeing champions within the business.

4. Train managers to signpost

Managers are often the first to spot when someone’s having a difficult time. Their role is to listen, respond with care and point employees in the right direction for support.

EAPs give managers somewhere to direct employees when a conversation moves beyond what they feel able, or qualified, to deal with themselves.

Managers also need to know what their EAP offers and how to talk about this sensitively, in a way that’s not awkward or forced. They should also remember that they themselves can use it, both as an employee with life challenges but also if they need advice on handling difficult workplace situations as a manager.

5. Link the EAP to real workplace pressures

EAPs can help employees get support earlier, before problems start to affect their health or performance.

Absence can leave teams stretched, affecting service levels and increasing costs. Presenteeism, where employees are at work but struggling to perform at their best, can be harder to measure, but it can still affect productivity and engagement.

In addition, EAPs can help employees feel more supported, which can strengthen loyalty and retention.

They should be part of a wider culture of support however, sitting alongside good management, manageable workloads, clearly defined job roles and objectives, open conversations and other routes to support, such as occupational health or mental health first aid.

Used in this way, they demonstrate to employees that their employer is taking wellbeing seriously.

6. Measure impact and keep reviewing the service

Employers should keep tabs on whether an EAP is being used and what people are using it for. A lot of providers can share anonymous reports that reveal things such as call numbers, services being accessed and levels of engagement.

Other useful measures can include absence patterns, whether employees say they feel supported and whether wellbeing issues are having an impact on retention rates or workplace performance.

Furthermore, when reviewing an EAP, employers should look beyond price. They should ask what support is included, how employees access it, what management information is provided and how the provider helps employees with further support if it’s needed.

Reviewing benefits doesn’t have to be costly or complicated. It can simply mean asking whether the support already in place is being used effectively and whether it meets current workforce needs. Then you need to consider if you are communicating its existence clearly and regularly enough.