Employee Assistance Programmes - worth the cost?
Employee assistance programmes (EAPs) are schemes that you can purchase as an employer to provide an additional layer of support to your employees. These are usually run over freephone telephone numbers and app based services, available to employees 24/7.
These can be realy helpful as an additional safety net for employees no matter the time of day.
Most provide a wide range of help with Mental health concerns, financial problems, legal issues, housing, and parenting.
One of the most useful aspects can be the confidential access to counselling services which can be especially helpful if you do not have an in-house provision, or one that is overwhelmed with demand, as stress, anxiety and depression continue to rise.
There are many available options in the market, and level of cover is varied so it's helpful to figure out your budget before you begin to look at the huge range of options. Most are costed on a cost per employee basis - and this becomes cheaper per head the greater the size of your workforce. That said, don't think it's just something for large organisations. Where you don't have dedicated Wellbeing support this can be a good value alternative.
As an indication of cost - a 6000 strong workforce pays just under £5 per head for EAP assistance from one of the market leaders in the UK. For the range of services that it offers, it makes good value and there is very little else that you can do for that level of investment that provides such a helpful safety net.
In the UK, a good place to start is to check that any EAP that you are considering engaging is a member of the EAP Association (EAPA) and that any counsellors are accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Pyschotherapy (BACP), the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the British Psychological Society (BPS).
I would love to hear about your experiences with using an EAP and if you don't have one and need some help to find one, send me a message and we can find the right fit for your business.
