6 Ways to Maximize the Value of Your Employee Assistance Programme

Now more than ever, there is a strong business need to have an engaged Employee Assistance Programme partner to proactively address new workplace issues. Here are 6 ways to get more value from your EAP service. Together we can make EAP great again.

Promote your EAP effectively

Often, employee simply aren’t aware their employer had an EAP – never mind being aware of the range of services they can access through it. This is a great marketing activity. Using leaflets, the intranet and a company wide newsletter will help to raise awareness of your EAP and its services. These should be ongoing promotional campaigns to ensure that your employees are up to speed.

It’s all about trust

EAP’s most of the time are dealing with highly personal issues. If your employee doesn’t trust yours, they won’t seek help. Therefore, the best way to build trust ins to give your employees direct exposure. It might be a good idea to arrange an onsite workshop/ presentation to allow your team to hear in detail what services it can offer. This will allow them to raise any concerns they have, particularly about confidentiality, and have them addressed properly.

Communication is key

EAPs are often viewed by employee’s primality as providers of counselling. When in fact, they provide a range of practical assistance such as legal advice, support on debt and caring issues. Most EAPs are available 24/7, which is important for employees to be aware of as many prefer to discuss their problems outside of work. Ensure that the full range of services and how they can be access are made clear in marketing campaigns.

Promote any wellbeing information offer by your EAP

If your EAP has is focussed around wellbeing, ensure that you promote this across your business. These are often rich information and interactive tools that can help people address certain issues at an early stage. It may also contain materials that help your employees look after their health and wellbeing in a proactive way. Some EAPs have apps that allow your employees to make the most out of them.

Switch key people on to your EAP

Often the best way to improve employee uptake of your EAP is to boost awareness of it among people in your business who employees tend to approach when they are struggling. These could include your HR department and occupational health departments, as well as your organisational line managers and trade unions if you have them. Give them a comprehensive understanding of your EAP, what it offers and how it works so that they are more likely to refer staff with confidence.

Get more from your EAP data

Whilst EAP’s operate confidentially, they can usually provide you with anonymised data on the overall state of your employees’ wellbeing. This will give you great insight into areas where there is uptake or whether it is low and non-existent, allowing you to promote it to employees who might not be aware that it exists. The data can also highlight areas of your business experiencing issues like greater than normal stress levels, enabling you to offer some targeted intervention.

Promoting your EAP effectively and using its usage and impact data wisely will maximise the value you get from having it. The great thing about this is that not only is your business getting a better return on its EAP spend, more of your employees are getting the support they need as well – good news for everyone.