Employee Benefits poll: Four-fifths (82%) of organisations have a take-up rate of between 0-25% for their employee assistance programme (EAP), according to a survey of Employee Benefits readers.
Meanwhile, just 15% of respondents said employee take-up of their EAP sits between 26-50%, while 3% answered that it was between 51-75%. No respondents reported take-up between 76-100%.
Last month, Employee Benefits reported that while 79% of employers provide an EAP, only 27% of employees realise one exists in their workplace, according to research by rehabilitation and case management provider HCML.
Its corporate health and wellbeing report found that nearly 85% of respondents said utilisation of their EAP was just 3-5%. Just 16% said their EAP offers musculoskeletal support, and less than a third said their EAP provides nutrition support.
Pamela Gellatly, strategic development director at HCML, said: “Our research makes it clear that the right support is not being offered. A rise in sickness absence, particularly when it comes to mental health, shows that existing EAPs are not really identifying or addressing the issues. This is because many EAPs on the market offer a one-size-fits-all approach, which is not representative of the different demographics within any business and the varying complexities that make up mental health conditions.
“There is a need for EAPs now to offer a whole-person approach. This highlights the importance of finding a health and wellbeing solution that can address underlying causation and risk factors to reduce the risk of ill health in the workplace and by proxy the worsening issue of workplace absence.”
