170,000 more employees and families to benefit from EAP services in New York, following recent announcement

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services were expanded in February to around 170,000 New York City Department of Education (DOE) staff and their families.

The widened access to EAP was announced by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, schools chancellor Richard A Carranza and Office of Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion.

New York City EAP services are free and confidential, and delivered by staff of licenced mental health providers.

They include assessment and evaluation interviews; clinical counselling where needed; referrals for treatment; support with alcohol and chemical dependency; assistance with finding financial and housing support; worksite visits to support employees who have been affected by a traumatic loss or event at work, plus help with issues such as caring for children or the elderly; domestic violence, sleep, abuse, suicidal thoughts, sexual assault, bullying, teen issues, anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and stress.

Eugene Farrell, chair of UK EAPA, says: ““Teachers and teaching staff work extremely hard to support young people and I am delighted to see recognition of the effects this may bring on them and their families. The demands of the teaching profession are huge and I hope that these 170,000 employees and their families will feel able to take advantage of the new support services that have now been opened up to them.

“With teachers leaving the profession in the UK in droves, it would be interesting to see if a similar gesture of support from local authorities across the UK might have a positive effect on helping valued staff stay in their jobs.”

To read more about this story, see here. 

“Are people being let down by EAP?”

Far from it, says Eugene Farrell, chair of UK EAPA – but it’s important to realise that EAPs were never intended to be the whole solution to rising problems with mental health. They are, however, a valuable starting point, without which many would perhaps not access the help they need. Here Eugene writes for the EAPA blog.

EAPs – the background

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have been providing support to employees since the mid-1980s when they arrived in the UK. At that time, there were very few providers. The concept of EAP was new, and talking to counsellors was still rather stigmatised and misunderstood. In the beginning, it was a struggle to get UK businesses to buy into the concept of providing support for employees who might have problems caused by work and home issues. But as time went on, with the increased focus on work related stress and some significant legal precedents, employers began to seriously take notice of what an EAP can do for the organisation and for its people. The popularity of EAPs has therefore increased significantly amongst employers. Research by Employee Benefits Magazine in 2019 showed that 90% of organisations in the UK now have an EAP in place, supporting millions of employees in this country. One could go so far as to argue that EAPs have in fact become an essential part of wellbeing management, and indeed mental health support in the workplace.

Do EAPs have value?

Given the popularity of EAPs, it is rather disturbing to see a recent criticism of EAP as letting people down and we would challenge this. Indeed, studies into the return on investment from EAP services show that employers can expect a financial return in the range of £4.2 to £9 for every £1 spent on EAP services. UK EAPA has also developed its own Return on Investment (ROI) calculator that enables organisations to see the possible return for their own programme. Try the ROI calculator here.

A short-term gateway to long-term help

But it’s to no detriment to EAPs to acknowledge that they have their limits. They are designed as brief intervention counselling programmes to support employees in the short term.

In today’s demand for mental health support it is easy to see an EAP as a provider of more services than it is, leading to expectations that may sometimes be too high. And here we come to the important point to stress: Just because an EAP does not provide longer term treatments does not mean that it is underperforming. All EAPs will provide assessment of the individual’s mental health needs and refer them to the most appropriate support or treatment. This means that where EAP is not the right support for an employee, they would be referred on.

This is how EAPs have always operated and ensures the individual can get access to support that is appropriate to them. It is an often-quoted statistic that one in four people have mental health issues in any year. It is not reasonable to expect all of those to seek treatment. They don’t. It is even less reasonable that all those who do seek treatment would be suitable for EAP. I just don’t see EAPs providing unsatisfactory service. The experience we have in the industry is quite the opposite. Customer satisfaction ratings out there in the market show that people value the service and support.

Counselling outcomes

There is also substantial evidence supporting the assertion that EAPs provide really good outcomes for those who access their services. A global report from Morneau Shepell, in conjunction with EAPA showed clear benefits for EAP: work presenteeism reduced from 56% to 28%, “problem work engagement” – in other words, people not engaging properly with their work due to outside work stress, reduced from 31% to 21%, and absenteeism reduced from 34% to 14%.

In a study commissioned by UK EAPA looking at counselling outcomes in the UK, out of some 28,000 cases, there was 70% recovery or improvement rate. Quite clearly, EAPs are not letting people down. They are an essential part of mental health support for employers, and form part of a range supports that an organisation might provide.

New consultation group to promote development of EAP in the UK

A new consultation group is being set up to promote the development of Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) in the UK.

The group is being made up of EAP providers, buyers, practitioners, related professional bodies, EAPA UK and the NHS. It is being set up after the latest branch meeting of UK EAPA in December 2019 which was the scene of wide-ranging discussion points as to how to promote EAP in this country, and how it should be developed for the future. The meeting was a collaborative exercise which had the aim of informing the direction of the UK EAPA board about the future of EAP strategy.

The well-attended meeting initially heard a presentation on the origins and history of EAPA International and how the UK EAPA chapter was formed. Since then, many market changes have taken place, and now here at EAPA UK we would like an increased presence and louder voice as the representative professional body for the industry, as well as increased consultation as the experts within the field of employee health and wellbeing.  Among the changes that the EAP industry has seen is an increasing number of stakeholders within the health and wellbeing market, and a wide variation of delivery models.

At the meeting, guests were divided into two groups and asked to consider several questions, with a view of helping EAPA UK’s strategy over the next one to three years. Suggestions that came out of the meeting were widely varied, and included trying to promote the EAP industry more in the UK by increasing benefits from membership of EAPA UK for both individuals and organisations. Asked what membership categories there should be within EAPA UK, it was suggested these could include EAP suppliers; a hybrid membership for those who don’t meet the current criteria: for example, cash plans and benefits organisations; clinical professionals, such as GPs, mental health nurses, community psychiatric nurses and counsellors; occupational health providers; services users; student members and providers of employee wellbeing services.

The question as to what an EAP actually is, and what it should be named, also came up, with the reaction in the room being that the term is very flexible and that a re-name might be in order.

The new consultation group is to work together to produce a paper to inform the future strategy of UK EAPA.

Companies which employ a dispersed workforce are presented with additional challenges when operating their EAP, study finds, but the results are more than worth it

In today’s age of flexible working, it is likely to become increasingly the case that companies are finding themselves with a more dispersed workforce.
It is often preferable in terms of work life balance for employees to be able to have some working time at home, and, if their job involves a lot of travelling, it may be more practical too.

And then there are the added benefits for companies of having smaller offices with lower bills to pay. Win win, perhaps, but when it comes to Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP), this does present an additional challenge for businesses in ensuring that all of the workforce have comparable access to these benefits.

An interesting recent study from Australia reinforced this view, when it found that remote education workers were using their EAP at a 13% lower rate than their counterparts based in the principal city of Adelaide.

The study, Cost-benefit analysis of an employee assistance program for a geographically dispersed workforce in South Australia”, from the Journal of Workplace Behavioural Health, published online on 24 October 2019, was a cost-benefit exercise of an EAP in a workforce of which 40.2 per cent were based outside Adelaide.

Despite the lower usage amongst remote workers, however, the ROI for the EAP was very encouraging, with financial benefits in terms of reduced sickness absence measured at 3.34 times the costs. Interestingly, the study also found that there was a 49% increase in counselling sessions delivered  face to face compared to telephone sessions. Indicating a preference for in-person counselling.

Eugene Farrell, chair of UK EAPA, says: “Studies like this are really useful tools for businesses to measure the success of their EAP. Apart from the satisfaction of offering a solid benefit to employees, and having the knowledge that your duty of care as an employer is being fulfilled, it’s good to know that the ROI of this EAP is very positive, despite the fact nearly half the workforce are based remotely.

“Clearly, a dispersed workforce in a huge country such as Australia is very challenging for businesses, but it’s valuable to know even in a much smaller country like the UK that geographical distance amongst a company’s workforce does present a challenge that may need to be thought about and overcome. It’s also interesting that despite the distances involved in this Australian study, everyone who used the EAP still preferred to talk to someone in person rather than over the phone, indicating they are prepared to travel in order to do so.”

Having international staff in your business is a challenge, which is why a global EAP is a must

Relocating overseas is certainly a challenge for both employee and employer.

While exciting to those who love to travel and explore new lands, there are also many logistical and cultural differences to be aware of, to make the experience as positive as it can be. Healthcare systems in other countries, for example, operate differently, and it’s essential to know what to expect should your health take a turn for the worse while abroad. Employers with staff who have relocated overseas for their job have a duty of care to ensure that they have everything they need to live and work safely.

A recent article in the HR Director has lots of useful information as to what to watch out for when transferring to foreign climes.

Of particular note is the mention of the importance of the EAP within the process of overseas transfers for work.

An international workforce has been touched on in our blog pages before as we have reported on various companies which have taken care to ensure their EAP services are effective in a global marketplace, by making them multi-lingual, for example.

Here, the importance of having staff who have been employed in foreign countries themselves is cited as being a key aspect of running a successful EAP when abroad. As is pointed out in the article, the EAP itself can be staffed by people who have themselves been through the process. Support doesn’t need to be health related, it can be practical or emotional too.

One thing of note is that the EAP provider will ask about the employees G.P. This is to enable the EAP service provider to manage the current or future risk. It is important that that assignees register with a G.P. before they need one. Of course an EAP will provide support without an EAP, but this may be limited until fully registered with a G.P.

UK EAPA chair Eugene Farrell says: “It’s important for companies to realise that their EAP can be of very valuable assistance when employees move overseas for work.

“Many people think the EAP is just there to offer help for health issues, but it can also help people with practical advice too – very important when you’re in a new country.

“I would advise all companies who are thinking of expanding overseas to give some consideration as to how their EAP will also expand too. The ROI from an EAP is likely to be even higher when a company expands abroad, as those involved may well require its services more when they are not in their own country.

“Companies which are going down this path should make sure that the EAP is at the top of the list of advertised benefits to any staff considering taking on the challenge of moving to a new country as part of their job. The EAP really can pay for itself in spades when international shores beckon, provided it is properly equipped to offer a global service.”

Tech news: Life Expert launch shows how a fully integrated EAP service is a great offering for employees

A highly sophisticated system which integrates EAP and Work/Life services has just been launched in the US.  EAP provider, EAP Expert Inc, has partnered with Mary Brown to launch a new joined-up service called Life Expert.

Life Expert brings together a range of different EAP services in one integrated system which offers video, chat, texting, telephonic support and websites. It allows businesses to share a range of information easily with their staff, including company policies and real-time alerts.

Employees are also able to connect with the human resources department and colleagues through the company directory included in the service.

An article on the launch called it “the next evolution in Work/Life services and fulfilment”.

A previous blog penned for us by Vivup EAP director Tracey Paxton argued that integrated technological solutions were the best way for businesses to ensure their EAP was future-proofed.

UK EAPA chair Eugene Farrell says: “This is the way that EAP should be heading if we are to ensure that these vital services continue to be provided for employees in the future.

“Research shows that although EAP take-up amongst businesses may be high, there are still significant numbers of companies where employees are not engaging as fully with these free services as they might.

“This may well be in part because they are not aware of the free benefits to which they are entitled.

“Solutions such as Life Expert are a great way of ensuring awareness from top to bottom in an organisation that the EAP is available and here to help. By integrating with other useful services, such as inter-departmental communications, systems such as this really help to embed the EAP as part and parcel of the culture of a company. It makes employees feel that accessing their EAP is a normal part of office life – and that is really what we are all aiming for.”

New Virgin Pulse EAP offering goes global

Engaging employees with their Employee Assistance Programme should be a focus for all businesses which have invested in this service.

In a shrinking global world where companies very often have a presence in more than one country, often several, the challenge for those businesses is how to ensure a standardised EAP offering for all their workforce.

Looking to address this issue of a global workforce, it’s interested to read about the latest offer from Virgin Pulse, which has now announced enhanced EAP services that are multi-lingual.

Following a fresh partnership with EAP provider Workplace Options, a multi-lingual EAP service is now offered to the employer’s staff across the globe.

Additional wellbeing support now includes lifestyle coaching, weight management, quitting smoking advice and stress management.

The company has said the impetus behind its enhanced offering is to engage with employees in “culturally relevant ways” depending on where they are based.

An article about the new service can be read here. 

UK EAPA chair Eugene Farrell says: “At UK EAPA we are always urging businesses to find ways of boosting employee engagement. That must include staff who are not necessarily all based in one country.

“It’s also worth remembering that in many businesses, employees may also be based ‘far away’ from a central UK base, whether that’s in another country or because they are working remotely.

“Excellent EAP services will be set up so as to include all staff in feeling engaged and aware and able to access their EAP. That’s where technology, apps, integrated websites and other advances can really help bring it home to people that their employment includes these important benefits that are there to care for them and support them when they need them.”

Engaging businesses in health and wellbeing benefits

When it comes to ‘unseen’ problems, such as mental health, it can be hard for businesses to quantify the effects of investment.

We all know that mental health is increasingly moving up the national agenda with more and more people prepared to admit that they are struggling and ask for help.

But perhaps harder for businesses is to find ways of gauging the effectiveness of their investment in mental health and wellbeing benefits for staff.

However, it’s clear that with 12.8million working days lost in the UK in one year due to stress, depression and anxiety, this is a critical area for employers to focus on.

That’s where the EAP Return on Investment (ROI) calculator launched last year by UK EAPA comes in to play: the calculator is designed to help businesses work out the effectiveness of money spent in this area. And in fact, the benefit of the EAP ROI calculator has been picked up on in a recent article for Personnel Today.

“Boosting productivity through health and wellbeing benefits”, powerfully argues how giving employees access to daily benefits offering health and wellbeing support will achieve very positive results on a firm’s productivity.

The article points to the fact that of all the EU countries, the UK has seen the biggest slump in productivity, where once it had the highest output per hour within the union.

Research at Canada Life also showed that, while employees understood wellbeing was important, only one in five thought their employer believed the same.

The article goes on to stress the importance for employers in investing in their staff.

“An ROI calculator was launched last year by the EAP Association for organisations to see for themselves why investing in this service may be judicious,” the article says.

UK EAPA chair Eugene Farrell says: “It’s great to see that the usefulness of our ROI calculator have been picked up on in the HR sector press. When we launched this service, it was with the aim of helping employers see the benefits of their investment in EAP so we are pleased to see that is being recognised.”

UK’S first automated mental health robot launched in Employee Assistance Programme

People with access to the Care first Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) will now get the chance to talk to an automated “Woebot®” for the first time.

Care first has teamed up with the American-made Woebot to provide employees with round-the-clock access to this mental health chat service. The wellbeing and counselling provider is the first in the UK to include Woebut in its EAP – which also includes phone and face-to-face counselling.

Woebot uses cognitive behavioural technology (CBT) to check in to the caller’s mood, before helping them ‘reframe’ negative thoughts with the aim of improving them. The idea is to provide a daily stimulus to help people think more positively, by supplying them with techniques that could help.

Woebot is currently used in more than 130 countries. The automated service is also trained to spot “crisis” language, which Care first says will then trigger the user to be directed to a counsellor accredited and employed by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Eugene Farrell, chair of UK EAPA, says Woebot is an interesting new development on the EAP scene.

“It will be fascinating to see how Woebot is used amongst staff who have access to this EAP provider,” he says. “Research shows that people are more likely to access mental health services in situations where they don’t feel vulnerable. An automated robot may be a less intimidating service to talk to than a person. The use of Woebot worldwide has also shown that it is particularly well used by male professionals aged between 25 to 34 – a group where we have traditionally not seen a great take-up of counselling services. It’s great that technology can step in and provide a safe environment which is clearly helping millions of people already.

“I hope that Woebot will prove to be a great addition to EAP services where it is being implemented. Whatever gets people to open up and talk about their mental health is a great boost in any workplace.”

Future proofing your EAP

In this second article from Tracey Paxton, EAPA executive board member and director of operations for Vivup EAP, she talks about how harnessing technology to create a fully integrated support system and h, with the EAP at the heart of it, is the best way to safeguard this vital service for the future of your organisation.

The challenge of how to increase employee engagement with EAPs is a very important one for organisations, but the next stage to retaining this highly valuable service is how to future-proof it properly.

After all, issues such as mental health, stress and anxiety are being increasingly recognised and show no signs of going away any time soon. If we all want to ensure that access to confidential counselling, as well as a plethora of other benefits, is kept going in an organisation, it’s important to consider how to plan ahead so that employees continue to engage with this service.

In a previous article, I talked about how to increase employee engagement with EAPs in the here and now. But how should we carry on doing so in the future?

Technology

Senior leaders who want to increase EAP engagement and safeguard it for the future should put themselves in the shoes of those who may be requiring these services, and consider how they would feel most comfortable doing so. Someone who is ready to seek help from a counselling service is generally in a vulnerable state, and would not choose to make the call in the middle of the working day in a busy office. They would prefer to access this service in such a way as to not attract attention, and which is easy for them to do.

Research shows technology actually increases engagement with an EAP from 10 to 30 per cent. Therefore, a great way of future proofing your organisation’s EAP is to ensure you have harnessed tech effectively so that employees are able to reach help via multiple channels. Consider different platforms and apps that will enable the whole workforce to be able to access help, preferably in the privacy of their own home or somewhere where they feel safe.

Embedding a sense of wellbeing

How to get more employees to access their EAP is a perennial head-scratcher for organisations. While take-up at company level is relatively high, engagement with users remains fairly low. That may be because EAPs have been seen in the past as being a service that is available for those who need help – essentially a ‘reactive’ service, in other words, rather than something that can offer general support. Those people who are feeling so up against it that they are prepared to ask for help are generally a small fraction of those who would probably benefit.

This divergence in take-up may present a problem in the future as organisations look upon their EAP with a chilly accountant’s eye, equating low take-up with low value.

The answer is to create a culture where staff health and wellbeing are actively encouraged and embedded, therefore encouraging higher take-up of available services such as an EAP. In this way, we can also help people who might not have asked for help by fostering a culture of general self-care rather than only asking for help when it’s really, really needed. What you want is for staff to feel empowered to think: ‘I am feeling a little stressed and a little low. I think I might engage with my EAP today, and ask if they have any tips as to how I can make myself feel better.’

So how can an organisation embed a holistic health and wellbeing culture at work?

The answer is to use the EAP to do the job. An EAP can often provide the centralised platform which provides a wealth of information and support for staff, from psychological wellbeing to physical fitness, plus financial and legal assistance. It’s very important that mental health is fully integrated within all these other strands of support so it is seen as being just as important. By ‘joining up’ these things, emotional support becomes part of the package. It becomes as normal to access help with mental health as it does to seek assistance with financial matters, say, or ask how to improve your fitness.

This is what we mean when we talk about ‘360 support’. EAPs should not operate in isolation from other support systems available in an organisation. Only by being fully integrated, can engagement increase in an organisation from bottom to top.