What is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are third-party service providers contracted by companies to offer counselling and other professional support to employees and their families in times of need. Most Employee Assistance Programs are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. The most noteworthy function offered by Employee Assistance Programs is counselling, which can take many forms: personal/mental health counselling, financial counselling, career counselling, and addictions counselling. Some Employee Assistance Programs also offer childcare/eldercare support, legal advice, and can offer referrals to agencies in your employees’ community for ongoing/follow-up support.
Employee Assistance Program vs. health benefits
If you offer your employees extended health benefits, you might not think that an Employee Assistance Program is necessary. After all, what’s the point in offering additional counselling benefits when you have health insurance that already covers a set amount of counselling every year? As alluded to earlier, it’s important to acknowledge the increase in reported stress and mental health concerns among employees today. Part of this can be attributed to the de-stigmatization and increased awareness and understanding of mental health issues in society. Another part is the fact that many employees are facing cost-of-living challenges, which have led to increased tensions and stressors outside of work.
Given this situation, it isn’t entirely inconceivable that an employee would use up all of their mental health benefits in a given year and still require support above and beyond this. Even the best health insurance plans only offer up to a certain amount of coverage for mental health. Some progressive companies have decided to offer their employees unlimited mental health coverage; however, this is uncommon and can be quite expensive. This is where Employee Assistance Programs are able to bridge the gap by offering supplemental coverage. Relying exclusively on health benefits can also become expensive for your employees if they require additional support. This is because mental health professionals across Canada charge upwards of $200+ per hour. Employee Assistance Programs, on the other hand, can offer your employees no- or low-cost support from similarly-trained professionals without them worrying about not being able to pay should they require additional support.
Another advantage of Employee Assistance Programs is their broad scope. If an employee requires financial or career counselling, for example, they would need to spend time researching and finding local professionals who specialize in these fields, and subsequently use their mental health benefits to pay for their services. If they end up requiring mental health support beyond this, they won’t be able to pursue it to its fullest since they’ve already used up their health benefits on financial or career counselling, leaving them unable to pay for mental health counselling. An Employee Assistance Program gives your employees the chance to seek counselling and support for issues unrelated to their mental health without needing to tap into their health benefit allocation to pay for it.
Benefits of offering an Employee Assistance Program
There is an old saying that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, and it couldn’t be more true in this case. Creating a culture of wellness at work is important, and many mental health issues encountered by employees tend to fester and get worse the longer they go unaddressed. By offering an Employee Assistance Program, you give your employees the chance to proactively seek treatment for these issues without fear of being unable to pay, which can allow them to resolve their problems long before they erupt into something much worse. The knock-on effect of this is that you will reduce absenteeism among your employees, which can lead to greater productivity and higher engagement at work. Productivity and engagement are notoriously hard to foster among employees that are struggling with their mental health. By supporting your employees in seeking help for their issues, you’re doing your part in not just advancing their health, but the health of your business.
Offering an Employee Assistance Program is also a benefit when it comes to recruiting and retaining employees. It shows that you care about your employees’ mental wellbeing and that you care about them not just as employees, but as people. It can be part of a comprehensive workplace health and safety program, which is vitally important in certain industries where focus and precision are vital to staying safe on the job and can be negatively affected by poor mental health. Employee Assistance Programs also cover an employee’s immediate family members, which is especially helpful if they have children or are married. In fact, given their popularity, your company would stand out if it did not offer an Employee Assistance Program of any kind. Many companies either offer one or the other between health benefits and an Employee Assistance Program, but very few don’t offer either. If you really want to distinguish yourself from your competition, offer both comprehensive extended health benefits as well as an Employee Assistance Program.
How to choose an Employee Assistance Program
When it’s time to choose which agency to partner with, there are a few considerations you should keep in mind. The first is the cost of the program. Employee Assistance Programs are free or low-cost for your employees, but you still need to pay for them. You won’t be paying the per-session cost for your employees, but rather a premium every year, much like health or group life insurance. Figuring out the amount you are comfortable paying will go a long way towards narrowing down your list of providers.
The next thing to consider is the breadth of the agency’s offerings. As mentioned earlier in this article, some Employee Assistance Programs go beyond just counselling and offer legal advice and child/eldercare resources. Others focus solely on mental health and do not offer financial, career or addiction counselling. Some might only offer their services to employees and not to their families. You will need to think about what is important to you and your employees before selecting an agency that administers an Employee Assistance Program that might not meet your employees’ needs.
Finally, the scope of the program is important to consider. Due to licensure restrictions, some mental health professionals are only able to see patients in their province. If your company only does business in one jurisdiction, you might end up overpaying for an Employee Assistance Program that covers all of Canada. Conversely, if you operate across Canada, you will need an Employee Assistance Program that operates across jurisdictions and has professionals licensed in the provinces you operate in. Time zones are also crucial to keep in mind. If you are located on the east coast, you shouldn’t choose an Employee Assistance Program that mainly operates in Western Canada, for example. Your employees won’t be able to access services on a convenient schedule and you’ll end up paying for services that go unused.
The decision to offer your employees an Employee Assistance Program is a good one that shows you are dedicated to their wellbeing. It can also pay dividends for your business by reducing absenteeism and improving productivity. Look into the various offerings available across Canada and choose one that fits your employees’ needs, and you should see the benefits of your decision in relatively short order.
