Although most U.S. employers offer employee assistance programs (EAPs), these programs do not always provide the value they claim to on paper.
Many organizations still view selecting their EAP as a box-checking exercise, failing to invest their resources in finding a program that balances their budget with employees’ health care needs. As a result, HR leaders are challenged by high rates of employee burnout and mental health demands. Yet, traditional EAPs maintain critically low utilization rates, highlighting their lack of alignment with real employee needs.
One-size-fits-all approaches to employee well-being are no longer acceptable. Employers have an increasing responsibility to find an EAP partner that offers whole health support and impactful, personalized solutions.
If you want to know how to choose an employee assistance program that complements your workforce and drives high utilization, explore what makes the best EAPs so successful.
1. Evaluate the Scope of “Whole Health” Support
EAPs that offer whole health support do more than offer treatment for mental health challenges. The best programs provide a holistic approach to employee health care that goes beyond traditional counseling — it encompasses the physical, mental, financial, and social health of your employees.
Unlike traditional EAPs, which gloss over employee well-being challenges with standard treatment, the most effective EAPs address employee well-being and mental health challenges from their root causes. Alongside traditional benefits, whole health support systems offer organizational consulting and development services, which can be integrated as an additional option.
When comparing providers, you should audit vendors to ensure they offer comprehensive work-life services across both digital and over-the-phone platforms, which include:
- Financial planning
- Legal consultations
- Family care coordination support
- Specialized clinical services
- Career planning
- Time management training
As opposed to traditional EAPs, which have limited access to care, or digital-only EAPs, which are limited to apps that offer generic meditation and only connect employees to clinicians through messaging services, the best programs provide a wide range of solutions to best suit your employees’ varying lifestyles and needs.
2. Demand Clinical In-The-Moment Support
When an employee is in crisis, they need more than a scripted text exchange or a phone call with an unqualified intake coordinator.
When evaluating employee assistance programs, you may benefit from asking specific questions about the intake process. Important questions to ask include:
- Do you have master’s-level clinicians on call 24/7 for urgent mental health needs?
- Do you offer 24/7 support for crisis situations?
- Can our employees request a change of counselor if they feel their current one is not a good fit?
Immediate clinical triage reduces risk in emergency scenarios and helps stabilize those who are struggling. Understanding the level of crisis support available to your employees can help you determine which EAP will be most effective.
3. Verify Full Household Coverage
Employee well-being challenges are often intertwined with their personal situations at home. For example, many of your employees may struggle with stress induced by worry about their family.
The best EAPs acknowledge how personal issues can impact professional performance, and extend benefits to include employees’ immediate family members and dependents. To increase employee satisfaction and provide the most effective health care solutions, ensure your EAP covers entire household support, without complex enrollment hurdles that might minimize usage.
To ensure your EAP is optimized for full household coverage, it should provide:
- Support that extends beyond working hours
- Multilingual services
- Equal support for employees and their family members
- Child-oriented services
- Accessible support
4. Look for a Proactive Engagement Strategy
Even the best EAPs can experience low utilization rates when employees are unaware of their benefits. Low utilization rates are usually caused by ineffective communication, not by a lack of demand for the services.
When comparing different EAPs, you should request examples of the vendor’s marketing support and determine whether they have established techniques for encouraging utilization, and for explaining package details to employees.
Examples of marketing support include:
- Monthly newsletters
- Webinars
- On-site orientation sessions
- Employee onboarding assistance
As opposed to traditional EAPs, whose providers tend to take a backseat when it comes to driving awareness, you should prioritize finding a vendor that acts as an extension of your HR team to maximize employee utilization.
5. Assess the Quality of the Provider Network
High utilization rates are irrelevant if the provided health care services are not of high quality or diverse. Elements of a high-quality provider include:
- Highly qualified clinicians, such as those with a master’s-level education
- A diverse network of clinicians and counselors
- Live human support
- Multilingual support for non-English speaking employees
- A wide range of specialty practice areas
- Low wait times
- Self-scheduling appointments
- Accessible educational content
- Specialist referrals
The best employee assistance programs provide timely access to qualified, licensed professionals.
6. Check for Dedicated Account Management
Your organization’s HR leaders deserve support in assisting employees with their EAP administration.
Confirm that your chosen provider equips you with a dedicated account manager, who can understand your specific organizational culture, goals, and employee needs. Having a dedicated account manager can help streamline your offerings and ensure your EAP evolves with your company’s needs.
The benefits of having a dedicated account manager include:
- Customized program implementation
- In-depth reporting
- Increased HR efficiency
7. Scrutinize Organizational Development Capabilities
Alongside offering tailored assistance to each of your employees, your EAP provider should support your organization as a whole.
The best EAPs offer a range of organizational development (OD) services, which include:
- Conflict resolution
- Executive coaching
- Crisis management
- Change of management support
- Team building
- Specialized workshops
- Leadership training
8. Review Data Security and Confidentiality Protocols
Trust is the foundation of an EAP. No matter how attractive the program’s offerings are, employees are unlikely to use the service if they fear that their data and sensitive information aren’t protected.
With the rise of third-party mental health apps and the increasing value of user data, ensuring your EAP’s full compliance with HIPAA and data protection regulations is essential.
Steps to reviewing EAP security include:
- Inquire about the provider’s HIPAA compliance and legal standards.
- Assess their data encryption capabilities.
- Ensure multi-factor authentication (MFA) is implemented on all systems.
- Interrogate the consent requirements for sharing EAP information.
Support Your People and Strengthen Your Organization With AllOne Health
The best employee assistance programs go beyond the bare minimum. Instead of adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, the most effective EAPs drive utilization with whole household coverage, efficient account management and whole health support.
If you want to find a program that benefits your organization as a whole and appeals to each of your employees, upgrade your employee benefits with an AllOne Health employee assistance program.
With over 50 years of experience, we combine regional expertise with national infrastructure to provide unparalleled support to organizations at every scale. To find out more about our offerings, request a quote from AllOne Health today.
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