What is an EAP & How Can It Support Employees?

According to a 2021 study by the National Institute of Mental Health, more than one in five (more than 57 million) adults live with a mental illness in the U.S. alone. 

With so many people affected, mental health issues are likely to touch you or someone you know, whether in your personal life or in the workplace.

As an employer who cares about your employees’ mental health and wellbeing, you may want to provide mental health benefits that can help your team members who are dealing with issues like depression, substance abuse, and more. One great way to do that is to offer access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

An EAP can help employees with a variety of issues in and out of the workplace, including mental health services and help coping with personal, family, work, and financial issues like rental assistance. Discover more about what employee assistance programs are and find out how they can provide mental health benefits for your team.

Mental Health at Work

Mental health matters. Although it is a personal issue, the effects of an individual’s mental health and wellbeing can be far-reaching and even impact their work life. According to the World Health Organization, untreated mental health in the workplace costs employers around $108 billion per year. 

Beyond the potential financial costs, there’s a real cost to your people, too. You work hard to hire the best people for your team, and you have the opportunity as an employer to help them care for their whole selves, beyond the office walls. Access to a rich set of mental health services helps business owners provide resources to take care of their teams, whatever their needs may be. It’s important for employers to be aware of stress and mental health at work, and how they might assist or support their employees.

What is an EAP, or Employee Assistance Program?

An Employee Assistance Program, or EAP, connects member employees to confidential, professional assistance to help with personal, family, and work issues. Often these services come at no charge to the employee and EAPs have many advantages to employee productivity.

An EAP can help ease the stigma of mental health in the workplace by making it easy and affordable for employees to seek help from qualified professionals. To ensure your employees will have access to the right mental health benefits and support, look for some of these key offerings in an EAP.

How Does an EAP Work?

Generally, employees access EAP services through an external provider that has experience in providing counseling and referral services. For some larger companies, those services might be offered in-house, but commonly EAP services are outsourced. Many major healthcare providers like Aetna and Cigna offer Employee Assistance Programs for mental health. SHRM notes that 62 percent of employers say they outsource their EAPs.

Benefits-eligible Justworks customers offering health insurance with Aetna can access an EAP through Health Advocate, which provides:

• Consultants to help employees resolve healthcare and insurance-related issues

• 24/7 access to confidential counseling services through Health Advocate for a range of mental health needs

• Access to legal services, child and eldercare, and even financial planning

Benefits of an EAP

For employees, some EAPs offer the potential of getting necessary mental health counseling, finding the right financial wellness services, and more easily understanding and navigating health insurance plans.

For the employer, offering an EAP gives their staff reduced stress, decreased absenteeism, and boosts overall employee retention.

Employee Counseling

Finding a therapist or accessing counseling might feel out of reach for those suffering from stress or mental health issues. With an EAP, however, finding someone to talk to doesn’t have to be draining. 

With a quality EAP, though, employee counseling is just a phone call away for members. EAPs generally provide access to counseling over the phone, or even in-person sessions with a local counselor.

When your company’s benefits program includes EAP services, your employees could easily locate and be able to talk to a helpful mental health professional without incurring out-of-pocket costs. An EAP can help remove common barriers that typically prevent those struggling with their mental health from reaching out for the help they need. When someone works for a company that offers an EAP, there’s really no need to delay or second guess getting help.

Employee counseling can help with:

• Anxiety at work

• Stress at home or in personal relationships

• Depression

• Addiction issues

• Other mental health matters

Through an EAP, these professional counseling services are free. A quality EAP program will offer these services to eligible employees, and often their spouse or domestic partner, their parents, and their children as well.

Privacy is a cornerstone of EAP services, which benefits employees and employers alike. Privacy is beneficial, as people are more likely to seek help when they feel they can trust the source and have confidentiality. Generally speaking, if the EAP provides access to licensed professionals (as opposed to just referrals), it is subject to HIPAA privacy, security and breach notification rules.

Help With Finding Work-Life Balance

Many people feel overwhelmed when trying to manage their work and home life all at once. Work-life balance concerns can have a real effect on employees’ physical and mental health.

Work-life balance services from an EAP aim to ease some of that burden. An EAP program’s experts can provide assistance with a range of services, such as finding childcare or elder care, connecting with a lawyer, or even receiving nutrition advice. Just think of how much better your employees might feel if they had help easing some of that stress out of their day-to-day lives.

Help Coping With Financial Concerns

Let’s face it, money worries often lead to stress, and financial burdens can have a big impact on a person’s mental health. Right now, according to a recent study by CNN, money problems are on the rise, and 71% of Americans felt that money was a significant cause of stress in their life, while 76% of households are living paycheck to paycheck. 

Some EAPs go above and beyond. Health Advocate, for example, offers a Medical Bill Saver tool. If you have medical or dental bills over $400, Health Advocate will help negotiate your bills on your behalf to reduce your out-of-pocket health insurance payments. Some members have even seen savings of up to 60%.

How Justworks Can Help

Support your team’s well-being with comprehensive employee assistance programs designed to boost mental, emotional, and financial health. With our resources, your employees can access the care they need, when they need it most — empowering a happier, more resilient workforce.

With our all-in-on solutions for PEO, EOR, or Payroll, we ensure you're supported with expert HR guidance, so you can handle even the most difficult conversations with confidence. Let Justworks take care of the details — so you can focus on your team’s growth, even when the news isn’t what they hoped for. Ready to learn more? Get started today.