Written By: Lauren Pflug: Senior Content Strategist, Blueprint Evolution
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is offered by employers to assist colleagues in resolving a variety of hardships they may be facing.
The initial idea for EAPs was born in the 1940s to help with employees encountering alcohol or substance misuse. Today, they are more all-inclusive and cover extensive matters; child or elder care, financial issues, professional health advice, legal problems, mental health & wellbeing, issues in the workplace, and traumatic experiences– Anything that is affecting an employee’s life and/or impacting their ability in the workforce. There are extensive programs and services within the Employee Assistance Program. Typically, these services are even extended to the employee’s spouse/children/household as well.
The EAP is paid for by the employer, is separate from health insurance, and is of no cost to the employee, regardless if they are enrolled in the healthcare plan. Sometimes the EAP will only offer referrals for healthcare, counseling, and treatment but EAPs can cover these benefits directly. Although EAPs are separate from health insurance, the providers are typically within the network of the company’s individual health insurance plan. The employee can receive the services via phone, video chat, online chat, or in-person consultations (Society for Human Resource Management).
Unfortunately, employers are not required by law to offer EAPs. We do not suggest this, and advise employers to look into it if it’s something you may be overlooking.
The good news is that 97% of companies considered to be “large” (5,000+ employees) do offer EAPs free of charge.
So, it looks like our corporations are doing a decent job… but, there is an issue.
Employee Assistance Programs have historically been underutilized by employees. According to Forbes, this underutilization is most likely due to stigma. It’s not news that there is widespread stigma surrounding mental health, but in addition to this, employees fear that confidentiality will not be kept and their personal business could quickly spread through their colleagues. There is also fear of judgment and the fear of simply asking for help (which is known as personal stigma).
In correlation with Forbes, Psychology Today states that there are four main reasons why employees aren’t using EAPs:
- Confidentiality isn’t clear/understood
- Stigma surrounding asking for help (yes, this is still seen as a weakness by some)
- Believing they need authorization from HR
- Employees don’t know the EAP exists
Of course these factors contribute to the lack of EAP usage, it makes sense. If you’ve ever witnessed the inner-workings of workplace cliques, you know how fast those juicy details can circulate. If you’re an employee at a “large” company, I can only imagine the fear of becoming the new face on the cover of the metaphorical tabloid.
So, how do we fix this?
How do we ensure our employees not only have access to support, but feel safe to seek it out? First and foremost, education is key. Employers must make it a point to inform and remind the employees of the existence of the EAP. While it’s likely discussed during orientation for new hires, if it’s never mentioned again, there’s a good chance it will be forgotten. You are overwhelmed with tons of information upon starting a new job. The idea that someone will retain every bit of it is overzealous. Quarterly (or even monthly) email blasts reminding colleagues of the EAP and encouraging usage would be ideal.
Simply knowing the EAP exists is not enough.
Employees need to be informed of how broad the EAP umbrella is. They may not know that assistance for their specific challenge is available. Psychology Today states the importance of notifying employees just how much the EAP covers, which includes: “Financial problems, marital issues, raising children/step-children, blended families, sick kids, cancer, stress-related illness, parents with Alzheimer’s, grief from death/loss, at-work or line of duty deaths, gambling problems, substance abuse, disordered eating, burnout, workplace conflict, depression, or suicidal thoughts.”
The EAP is armed with professionals ready to help you address your challenge(s) in a timely, proficient manner and have plenty of additional resources to offer.
The subject of confidentiality seems to be our main culprit of fear.
Along with regular EAP forget-me-nots, highlighting the confidential nature of it is just as important. An employee does not need to speak to or receive permission from anyone (including HR) to access the benefits of their EAP. It is as simple as calling the provided EAP phone number and scheduling an appointment. Considering confidentiality is a roadblock to utilization, employees should be reminded of this aspect as well. This is not a “one and done” topic.
Inform employees that in addition to their personal business staying personal, they also have options in terms of how they receive the assistance they’re seeking. EAP providers offer flexibility in terms of consultation. You can meet in person, at their office, over the phone, or somewhere private at your workplace. Safety is important, and providers know that there are some situations where an individual may not have the freedom or safety to divert from their typical daily schedule.
If you are in an unsafe environment, or experiencing domestic violence, you can text START to 88788, or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. For more resources, please visit https://www.thehotline.org/
As for the stigma that surrounds seeking help, I’m a firm believer in reducing stigma in all environments; whether or not mental health care has anything to do with your work. Instead of shame, employees should feel empowered to seek help and support when needed. Afterall, recognizing you need support and advocating for yourself is truly the most bada** thing you can do.
Workplace messaging is important, and this messaging should be present in all of them.
Normalizing struggles and seeking help for them is an essential line of defense against stigma. Without divulging too many details, it is imperative to reassure employees that we all go through seasons when we’ve got too much on our plate. There is no need to carry that heavy weight alone, and there is no shame in seeking help. Especially in the age of social media, so many of us are used to seeing the highlight reels of everyone’s lives. Perfectly curated posts depicting the picturesque life, job, and family flood all social platforms. Though we are slowly leaning into authenticity, many still battle to not only have it all, but to make it look like they have it all as well. This impact on our culture is truly dangerous.
Oftentimes when humans feel out of control in their personal lives, they will bury themselves in work because it gives them some semblance of control.
This can feel like a quick fix, but is a slippery slope toward allostatic overload.
Allostatic load refers to “the cumulative burden of chronic stress and life events. It involves the interaction of different physiological systems at varying degrees of activity. When environmental challenges exceed the individual ability to cope, then allostatic overload ensues (Guidi, J., Lucente, M., Sonino, N., & Fava, G.A. 2021).”
Allostatic overload is the result of repeated and chronic stress. When we are stressed, our body releases increased levels of cortisol, and our endocrine system and neural processes become fatigued (B.S. McEwen, 2017).
In simple terms, allostatic overload is essentially a “mental or emotional distress;” you’ve passed your tipping point. The glass has fallen over and the milk is everywhere.
The goal is to prevent this overload.
When employees are well informed and feel confident and empowered to utilize their EAP, they are given a second line of defense… a chance to take a breath, get some support, learn to safely manage whatever may be on their plate, and most importantly… they don’t have to do it alone.
Sources
- What is an employee assistance program (EAP)? Sources for Human Resource Management. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/pages/whatisaneap.aspx
- Kinney, James., 2022. Why Most Employee Assistance Programs Don’t Work. Forbes Human Resources Council. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2022/07/26/why-most-employee-assistance-programs-dont-work/?sh=225e9bce2403
- Albrecht, Steve., 2014. Why Don’t Employees Use EAP Services? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-act-of-violence/201402/why-dont-employees-use-eap-services
- National Domestic Violence Hotline. https://www.thehotline.org/
- Guidi, J., Lucente, M., Sonino, N., & Fava, G.A. 2021. Allostatic Load and Its Impact on Health: A Systematic Review. Psychother Psychom. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32799204/#:~:text=Abstract,cope%2C%20then%20allostatic%20overload%20ensues.
- B.S. McEwen, 2017. Stress: Homeostasis, Rheostasis, Reactive Scope, Allostasis and Allostatic Load. Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/allostatic-load
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22187-cortisol
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/21201-endocrine-system
- Images courtesy of Canva
Excellent work! I teresting only the larger companies have adopted EAP. Seems like it might be something attached to the group insurance under well care although cost/benefit is often misunderstood in employees well being. Possibly studies looking into concrete facts associated with those factors could sway more small business to undertake EAP?