Employee Assistance Program (EAP): 10 Ways to Make the Most Out of It

The pandemic proved once again that there are certain things in life you cannot avoid. Like getting vaccinations at the hospital or paying your taxes. Life goes on, and in the midst of the chaos you have to learn to bear the pain. When this stress becomes too much, an employee assistance program (EAP) can help you make everything seem more manageable. The benefits of EAP are aplenty and if picked with the right goals in mind can offer your employees a great deal of support at their time of need.

Employee assistance programs are one of the best investments companies make for their employees. The return on investment is impressive too. However, these programs are not fully used by employees. Reports on this matter show that many employers provide EAP benefits, but very few employees make the most out of it. While the benefits are imposing, the rate at which it is used is disappointing.

In this article, we are going to look at some ways in which employers and employees can make the most out of employee assistance programs.

What are employee assistance programs?

These are programs that are offered by companies as part of an employee’s benefits package. These programs are used in helping employees with both work-related and personal issues and improving their well-being. These issues could include difficulty in balancing work and life, mental health issues, substance issues, personal conflicts, and so on. The employee assistance program’s benefits are endless when fully utilized.

How can the use of employee assistance programs be improved?

According to reports, many employees are unaware of these programs and even those who know have no idea what it is all about. Here are ten ways these EAP benefits can be reaped:

1. 1. Communicate well. People can not use a thing without any knowledge of it and this is the same for your employees. You’ll need to talk to them about it. You can do this from their onboarding process down to their full employment. You should explain all there is to know in clear terms. Also, discuss how the employee assistance program’s benefits can be obtained with strategic steps.
   2. Create a safe space. Since matters covered by the EAP are mostly sensitive and personal, it is very important to make employees feel secure. As with mental health, where stigma is still present in some employees, you should let them know that they can be free with the program. Trust is built over time and you’ll need to make it happen. Guide and inform them on how their matters are safe and secure and will in no way impact their work at your company.
   3. Make it accessible, anytime. A good EAP should be available to employees 24/7. You should include it at places where employees can easily access it. This could be in HR software or other technology spaces.
   4. Speak about it often. If you want to see your employees use their EAP benefits to the full, you’ll need to talk about it a lot. They can easily forget since the workplace tends to be busy. Employers are encouraged to also use the mental health month as an opportunity to discuss it the most. However, you should do so from time to time.
   5. Use social apps. These are the best places to discuss. Since the primary aim is to give awareness, you’ll need to socially distribute the information. You can highlight what EAP benefits are in store through the company’s social media pages, chat rooms, and so on.
   6. Involve employees’ family members. A great EAP will slow access to the family members of employees. Employees are closer to their family members so in a case where an employee is having personal issues they can reach out to the EAP counselors for help.
   7. Train your managers. Another person that might have a close relationship with your employees is the manager. Managers are the link between employers and their staff. You’ll need to train your managers on what EAP is all about and how they can use it to improve their governing skills. With this, they will be able to assist employees in solving their problems.
   8. Organize seminars. Another way to increase employees’ participation in these programs is to organize seminars to train them. You can ask the EAP providers to take charge of explaining what the program is all about and what they have to offer.
   9. Set an example. Your employees will love to try the program if they see that you use it. You should set an example by also participating in the program.
   10. Get feedback. You should request feedback from your employees often to understand if the program is helping them in any way. You can use their feedback to develop the EAP and make it more efficient for their use.

Employee assistance programs are necessary to improve the well-being of employees across an organization. Employers need to shed more light on what benefits employees can get by using these programs.

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