Employee Assistance Programs – An Effective, Inexpensive Wellbeing Benefit

While employers know that many of their employees’ mental wellbeing is suffering, a supportive workplace culture is simply not enough. Even when employees feel supported and are willing to seek help, there must be a tangible, accessible resource for them to get professional help. Oftentimes, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is the best option. And, an EAP is one of the most inexpensive benefits, usually around $2.00 PPM, that’s also open to employee family members.

Standalone Employee Assistance Program vs. “Free” Carrier Resource

An EAP eliminates the need to go through the health plan, there’s no out-of-pocket cost, and it’s quick and easy access for the employee. However, it is often the case that an employer thinks they have an EAP when really it is a “free” resource offered through one of their carriers (typically the disability carrier). These built-in resources pale in comparison to a standalone EAP.

• Standalone EAPs may be utilized by full- and part-time employees, as well as their family members; built-in carrier resources are typically only available to plan members.
• Standalone EAPs offer face-to-face counseling whether via video or in person and socially distanced; most employees want this, especially when discussing mental wellbeing.
• Employees also want to be able to connect with a local counselor, which is often only offered through a standalone EAP.
• Built-in carrier resources are underutilized because there is little communication support and no direct point of contact for employees. EAPs provide both.

3-Session vs. 6-Session Model

When you’re assessing a provider, look at the type of session model they offer. With a three-session model, it’s typically an assessment and referral. So when an employee speaks with a counselor with a presenting issue, the counselor will of course assess their needs, give them some coping tips and things of that nature. However, typically the issue is not resolved in three sessions, so the employee still has to go through your carriers for extended counseling. With a six-session model, presenting issues are typically resolved within that time and, therefore, the employee doesn’t have to utilize the health plan, which obviously saves health plan costs. In terms of cost, a six-session model is usually pennies on the PPM.

Work-Life Resources

Work-life resources embedded within an EAP provide assistance with things like:

• Help finding in-home tutoring, childcare or elder care
• Financial counseling
• Legal consultation
• Time management counseling

These resources are particularly important in the COVID environment. The EAP will identify the employee’s needs and their budget and actually call providers to find viable options and send the employee that list to choose from.

Trainings in Your Employee Assistance Program

Often you can build a certain number of trainings into the EAP’s PPM or you can pay for individual sessions. This year has seen an uptick in requests for trainings on topics such as setting work-life boundaries, coping with stress, building resiliency and balancing work with child and/or elder care. The EAP will bring in licensed counselors to do trainings via webinars. (These trainings were typically onsite pre-COVID.) The added bonus of these trainings is that oftentimes it’s the first time an employee is seeing the face of a potential counselor and this makes them more comfortable seeking one-on-one help in the future.