Alan King proposes a series of steps organisations should take to help ensure that EAPs continue to meet the growing needs of companies and deliver maximum benefits, in terms of employee wellbeing and overall business goals and targets.

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are widely accepted as an established and necessary element of organisations’ benefits packages, enabling employees and their families to secure access to confidential and independent counselling services and support, as well as information and advice on a wide range of workplace and personal issues.

Here are seven steps to help you implement and manage your EAPs more effectively:

1. Make a splash with your EAP

When it comes to launching your EAP, experience confirms that organisations that invest in launching their EAP with a splash have some of the best returns and uptake levels from their employees. The launch might incorporate a lunchtime event to highlight the support services available to employees and their families. Alternatively it could be the simple presence of your EAP provider in your organisation’s reception area to offer more information on their organisation and the services that are now in place. Such an investment will help to demystify the EAP and help people understand what it is for and what they can get from it.

2. Keep up the communication

Communication is a major factor during the launch of any EAP and resources should be allocated to ensure communication continues post-launch and that the EAP remains ‘top of mind’ for employees. Communicating the benefits and availability of the EAP can take various forms, including leaflets, posters, emails, Intranet or newsletters. You might also consider using ‘success stories’ (anonymously, if necessary) to highlight the positive impact the EAP can have, or consider promoting the programme by a senior member of the business to highlight commitment from the business in the initiative.

3. Steer your EAP into action

Establishing an EAP steering group, made up of individuals from human resources, training departments, occupational health personnel and your EAP provider, (as well as trade union representatives, if applicable) should be a priority when introducing the service into your organisation. The role of the steering group should be to objectively and strategically review the performance of the EAP and connect the information from usage reports to organisational needs.

4. Help managers to help their team

EAPs are not just there for employees and their families; they should also be promoted internally as an up-to-date and accessible resource for managers who may need advice on, for example, managing performance or improving management techniques such as listening skills. This support, which is available in addition to HR and occupational health departments, also ensures managers are not put in the position of needing to give unqualified advice or feel obliged to be non-professional counsellors.

5. Regularly review return on investment

EAPs are a significant investment for any organisation, so it is important to monitor the usage and impact of the service as part of and in addition to the work of the steering group. On implementing the EAP you may have developed a list of key business issues, such as stress and absence, that needed to be managed. Has there been an impact? Has the number of stress-related calls to your EAP provider reduced? Or can you see a decline in absence levels across the organisation?

6. Revise and refresh your offerings

You may also ask yourself if there are elements of the EAP that are just not taken up by your employees, such as information on childcare, eldercare or financial and legal advice? Could these services be better promoted or should you revise your EAP package to replace them with a more appropriate service that meets the changing needs of your business?

7. Review your provider relationship

Is your EAP provider a true partner with your organisation? Do you keep them updated on changing business goals and plans for the future? Do you consider how actions within the organisation, such as planned office moves or redundancies, will impact on the delivery of and demand on EAP services? Regularly reviewing your relationship with your EAP provider, whether it is through the steering group, or on a more formal basis, should be undertaken to ensure that you continue to get the best support and advice for your best asset.

Alan King is managing director and president of Employee Advisory Resource, a provider of employee assistance programmes and integrated work life services.