Best ways to promote your EAP to your employees

If you have an employee assistance programme (EAP), you’ll be well aware of the value it offers both your business and employees.

Why employees may not use an EAP

From accessing exclusive resources to speaking to a counsellor – an EAP can be utilised in many ways. But just because so much is available for your people to access, it doesn’t mean they necessarily want to.

Without realising it, there may be barriers for accessing an EAP despite it being readily available. And before we dive into how to promote usage of an EAP, here are somej reasons why an employee may not use one:

Not knowing how to access the EAP

It’s all good and well saying you have an EAP, but do your people actually know how to access it? This simple yet significant blocker could be the reason employees do not use (or even forget) the EAP.

Not knowing how the EAP works either is also a blocker for your people. Do they ring a number? Do they need a referral code? Can they request online or in-person sessions? All of these things should be clearly and regularly signposted.

They may question an EAP’s confidentiality agreement

All structured counselling from your EAP is confidential. Though while an employer will not know exactly who has accessed the EAP, services such as CISM, EMDR or Occupational Health Assessments will require knowledge of your name and position to determine any additional costs that may be required to complete the referral.

Stigma

Mental health stigma is very much real, as reported in our latest whitepaper. While much progress has been made in accessing care as well as opening up about mental health struggles, there’s still quite the ways to go until the subject of mental health is completely normalised. This is especially true in men, hence why there is sadly a mental health stigma with men, who are often brought up to “be strong” and contain their emotions.

Lack of awareness

Are you as an employer truly making an effort to regularly promote your EAP? If the answer is no, then this could lead to employees genuinely being unaware that a company EAP exists. Including a mention in your employee onboarding process and circulating the occasional email isn’t enough. Regular sharing of content and services – particularly to individuals who are struggling- are key to ensuring an EAP is utilised as it should be.

EAP usage statistics in a nutshell

Based on our internal data, we uncovered the following:

• Our most popular contact method from all individuals is via telephone

• People aged 16-19 are most likely to use the Manager referral method with 39% of their contact coming through this method

• Individuals aged 60+ prefer the telephone contact method over others

So what does this tell us?

Young workers need further support

We saw an increase of almost 50% for manager referrals from 16-19 year old workers. This suggests a few things. Young workers may not feel fully confident in seeking out support on their own, and require support from their manager to refer them for support through their EAP. While it’s fantastic to see that managers are doing their due diligence, it also suggests that there could be more room for improvement when individuals in this age bracket need support outside of work, or may not have access to their manager for a referral.

Employees need more support than ever before

Again, our figures have almost doubled across the board in terms of contact methods and the age groups using our EAP. In line with product improvements and multiple contact methods to cater to various individuals, we’re clearly seeing the demand for mental health support – making EAPs a great investment for your business and people.

How to promote your EAP to employees

Promoting usage of your EAP subscription ensures you get the best value out of it. Here are some ways to promote your EAP internally to signpost support on a consistent basis that feels natural and unforced.

1. Signpost your EAP visually

Visually signpost your EAP around your office – think break rooms, banks of desks, bathrooms, kitchens and hallways. All of us need reminders from time to time, so be sure to place posters at eye level signposting what the EAP offers and clear contact details.

2. Provide additional manager training

From difficult conversations to mental health first aid training, there’s something for everyone to learn.

Training managers and leaders in key skills, as well as in promoting the company’s EAP, makes business sense. Not only does it help them spot the signs of distress, but it can help encourage EAP utilisation, boost employee morale, engagement and foster a caring environment. And when people know their managers care, they’re more likely to experience resilience and productivity at work.

3. Gather anonymous feedback on the EAP

Knowing whether the EAP is effective really comes down to the thoughts and feelings from your workforce. Offer to send out an anonymous survey to gather feedback on things like usage, effectiveness, customer service, utilisation of benefits and anything else the EAP offers. With this data, you can speak to your relationship manager and discuss how your service can be better tailored to your employee’s needs.

4. Use the EAP yourself

The standard is set from the top, so if you’re using the EAP yourself as a business leader or manager, then it can encourage others to use it too – especially if you find it beneficial. It’s also a great way to break any mental health stigma that may be present in your workforce, as you are actively showing you use the service to support your mental health and wellbeing.

5. Circulate content from your EAP provider

Each month, we send out a newsletter to individuals and leaders containing our latest content – but how often do you honestly circulate this information? Make it a point to do so, whether it’s by marking a reminder in your calendar, or having open discussions with your staff about the latest content. It encourages engagement, feedback and food for thought.

6. Rebrand your EAP to something that resonates with your people

We get it, “EAP” can be a bit of a buzzword with both positive and negative connotations – particularly if someone has had a bad experience with another provider. Instead, why not try calling your EAP a:

- Wellbeing programme

- Assistance programme

- Employee support specialists

- Employee wellbeing benefits

- Work stress management programme

7. Emphasise confidentiality and trust

We pride ourselves in confidentiality, and that’s something that should always be the norm in counselling practice. It’s important to communicate the written policy your EAP has provided, its boundaries, as well as train managers to uphold it.

It’s also important to let your people know that usage does not publish who has contacted the EAP, nor does it provide details of why they’ve reached out. With transparency, you can build trust and encourage employees to use the service. 

8. Ensure your on-boarding has an EAP session

When you onboard new employees, do they have a session about how the company’s EAP works? If not, this is a great time to implement a segment on this. Include details on who the EAP provider is, what they do, what they offer, how details are kept confidential, and methods of contact should they ever need it.

9. Collaborate with your EAP partner

Sarah Brimacombe, our Associate Director of Retention & Customer Solutions has a few words of wisdom when it comes to working with your relationship manager to promote EAP usage:

“Not only do you pay for an EAP – you pay for a relationship manager to help you get the best return on investment. One of the many ways we’ve collaborated with clients is by offering content with the company’s branding to ensure cohesiveness with their internal documents. We also advise clients on how they can promote usage, particularly if an individual has experienced a traumatic incident at work and requires intervention to facilitate recovery”.

Frequently asked questions about promoting your EAP internally

How often should I promote an EAP to employees?

You should promote an EAP to your employees as consistently as possible, but not to a point where it feels forced or overbearing. Many EAPs such as ours offer monthly round-ups of new content for our clients to reap the benefits from, and it may be this content you wish to circulate around your organisation at similar frequency too.

How can I find out if my employees are using the EAP?

Your relationship manager will be able to tell you how often your EAP is being utilised. They can set specific parameters, such as:

• Frequency of use over time

• Type of access (telephone, live chat, video call etc)

• A top-line reason e.g. Anxiety

How do I encourage employees to ask for help?

There are many ways to encourage your employee’s support. Besides advertising the EAP in your workplace, it’s worth discussing it in one-to-one meetings, when a colleague has confided about a mental health issue, or if you spot the signs of poor mental health in an individual.