This article describes the steps one company has taken to achieve a 16% utilization rate for the last 3 years. Survey Participation. Five steps to increasing utilization of your Employee Assistance To overcome this fear, make sure to communicate to employees that: Many employees aren't aware their employer offers an EAP program as a benefit. The national average for EAP utilization that is, employees who are taking advantage of these programs has hovered around 3-5%. Can you give specific examples of regional/country/cultural differences in service delivery that are applicable in our top 5 or 10 locations? Such digital capabilities may increase access to care and improve the employee experience with the EAP. Navigate people with substance use disorder, or often their families, to appropriate therapy. But this workforce re-entry is not without risk to employees mental health. Amelia Wilcox is the Founder and CEO of Nivati, a leader in corporate massage and employee mental health support since 2010. In addition to being certified as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Mandie is also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) and is working on her RYT 500. Don't miss out on the latest tactics and insights at the forefront of HR. All programs should be viewed as local and be personalized to the needs of a specific location or business. (PDF) Utilization of EAP Services - ResearchGate The survey also found that 42% of employees are more likely to stay at a company if they have access to mental health support through their employer., Mental health support has become a global must-have, and providing this benefit to your employees is no longer about checking a box. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Marketing the full scope of EAP services also enables employers to integrate its promotion into other health and well-being communications or tools (i.e., well-being platforms) so that the EAP stays top of mind for employees and their families. 07, What emerging issues do you see in global EAPs that we should be aware of? All other uses, submit a request to For DocuSign employees, the wait is an average of 1.2 days. How Innovative EAPs Break Down Barriers to Mental Health and Drive Up Should I bring EAP services on-site? With a standalone EAP you have an EAP representative, which is a huge asset that you can leverage. It is common for people to assume that EAPs are like healthcare benefitsthey require a copay or deductible. Even with all the challenges listed above, EAP has the potential to have a significantly positive impact on the global workforce if well-implemented and consistently promoted over time. Many employees worry that they will lose their jobs if they book a therapy appointment. Conference sessions will be available on-demand through June 11. As a result of effective talent pairing, your employees will be happier and more productive, and you will be able to focus on growing your team rather than weeding it. Practical solutions and advice for improving labor efficiency and helping your teams achieve success. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com. Discussing how the EAP will be communicated across the population, identifying possible barriers to use and partnering on solutions. Yet, many employees do not realize this! Nivati, the leading employee mental health and wellness platform, announces today the appointment of Jack Rosenkrantz to the role of VP of Sales. That pairs with larger trends over the last year to reduce stigma around mental healthcare, he added. Modern EAPs do. Increase retention, report on productivity, and schedule reviews. How do you use these to help people access services in a confidential manner when and where they need to? What steps can employers take to address these challenges? Provide crisis support for plan members experiencing a crisis when they need quick access to intensive treatment for serious substance use episodes. The range of utilization of the 21 presented case studies in Table 6 is 2.5% to 29.3%, a difference of 26.8%, with a mean of 6.4%, a mode of 7.3%, and a median of 5.4%. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. Build schedules, optimize staffing levels, and manage labor costs. Suite 200 Privacy Policy There is so much to be learned from one another and from our diversityso many lessons that can be uncovered in the spaces between us. He also encourages companies to align EAP services with organizational goals, and for company leaders to openly support use of these programs. Multiple studies show the average EAP utilization rate is below 10%. However, not The national average for EAP utilization - that is, employees who are taking advantage of these programs - has hovered around 3-5%. During these situations, recommending Spring Health as a confidential source of support can be a valuable tool.. Creating a Legally Sound Remote Work Policy: The 5 Biggest Pitfalls to Avoid, FMLA Cheat Sheet: A Handy At-A-Glance Guide, Gender Identity, Affirmation, & Transition: The Ultimate Guide for HR, Stopping Difficult People From Sucking the Life Out of Your Organization, Terminating Without Fear: What Employers Need to Know, 15 Practical Tools To Help New Employees Succeed. Work with your vendor to make digital solutions available in the local language and culturally adapted. Rather than simply regurgitating the days headlines, HRMorning delivers actionable insights, helping HR execs understand what HR trends mean to their business. PDF 2022 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - CareFirst . What digital capabilities do EAPs offer? One Business Group member, for example, is marketing its EAP by communicating the positive reasons employees might use it, such as for career development. All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says job-related anxiety is the leading workplace health problem in the U.S. Not only is an abundance of stress not good for business and productivity, it can have detrimental effects on peoples long-term health. She has clinical experience in EAP and substance use treatment, and has previously worked as a Behavioral Health Consultant at Willis Towers Watson and Mercer. We ask for your credit card to allow your subscription to continue should you decide to keep your membership beyond the free trial period. At KAYAK & OpenTable, 35% of all employees enrolled within the first 10 months of having access to Spring Health, and 18% of all employees outside the U.S. have enrolled. An average of $7,000 saved per employee within 6 months; Nearly 70% of participants . Likewise, they are also recognizing the value of work/life integration for employee mental health. Determine how you want those answers to change your goals. Other employers have taken the stance that they shouldnt shy away from the fact that the EAP is intended to be a support for mental health, and they have branded it accordingly. That's according to Jonathan Bennett, head of group benefits at The Hartford, who explored the results of the organization's 2021 Future of Benefits study during Tuesday's Health . In which countries do you have your own staff versus in which countries do you have affiliates/subcontractors? Sarah Fister Gale is a writer based in the Chicago area. Others choose to partner with other vendors to provide EAP services, including, but not limited to, the following: EAP visits per employee typically range from 1 to 6, with large employers reporting an average of 3.6 visits per participant in 2018.2 Employers interested in expanding their EAPs to more adequately recognize the importance of mental health and parity should consider increasing the number of sessions allowed annually for employees. A study by Compton and McManus (2015) of 44 organizations providing EAP services found that approximately 47% of employers reported employee utilization rates between 2.1% and 8%. Within larger companies, those with more than 5,000 employees, the percentage gets even larger with 97% reporting that they offer EAP access to their employees. Here are some things you can do to fight the mental health stigma in your workplace. And when an employee opened up to me about what a dark place they were in, I couldnt do anything more than provide a phone number with no idea of who was going to answer or what the next steps were as a leader. Business Group on Health. Download this case study to learn how Valmont Industries demonstrates investment in their employees while also addressing a top healthcare spend: cancer. A program that isn't used just isn't that helpful. What do the top performing companies achieve? You want a mental health solution that is worth it and proven to work for your organization., But most EAPs and mental health companies lack validation, and very few digital health companies have shown that their services are safe and effective for patients, and deliver financial value to customers.. (Image: Shutterstock) If there were ever a time to introduce (or reintroduce) your employee assistance program (EAP), this is it. This series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) describes how to redesign your employee assistance program (EAP) to make it more effective in supporting the mental health and general life challenges of your employees and their families. Employers who have well-utilized EAP programs say that the following best practices have led to their success: This content is for members only. Do EAPs offer peer and manager trainings? What types of cross-cultural training can you provide for both local hires and expatriates in order to help them work together successfully? Isolation does not help. Train managers on EAP usage, its importance, and how to talk about mental health at work. The traditional EAPs that many companies still have in place aren't working., Programs have low utilization, its up to the employee to figure out how to get the right care, and theres stigma attached to seeking mental health support., According to a Gallup survey, the approximate EAP utilization rate across seven global regions is only 2-3%. If so, what does this involve? Global employers also have to contend with acquired rights directives and works councils in many countries, as well as getting local staff on board to pay for the program if it is not going to be funded centrally. FollowWorkforceon Twitter at@workforcenews. Employees may be afraid that they will be treated or evaluated differently because of their struggles. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. When companies provide resources for employees to help them deal with stress, substance abuse, family conflict and other personal issues, it improves their workplace performance and productivity. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are incredibly underutilized. You may need to engage with legal counsel and local labor and employee relations when implementing the EAP locally. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The less friction there is, the less resistance there will be to getting support. Please walk me through exactly what would happen from the time a potential client called the EAP in our top 2 or 3 locations to the time they finished receiving services. 10 Facts You Need to Know About Workplace Bullying. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Involve local leadership and staff early to get buy-in. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. What are you doing to address barriers such as access and stigma in particular countries? We provide end-to-end partnership solutions and enhance offerings with fully integrated mental health and total well-being benefits. There are several things an EAP should be able to do to support employees or their families experiencing substance use disorder (aka addiction): From the legal/compliance perspective, a significant advantage of EAPs is their status as excepted benefits under HIPAA. Table 1: Service Provision Utilization Rates by External EAP Vendor Measure n mean median range Annual utilization rate per 100 employees per year Total EAP counsellor cases 3 4.1 2.6 1.7-8.0 Total EAP counselling sessions 7 13.3 10.7 4.0-21.6 Total EAP organizational services 7 0.2 0.2 0.05-0.4 The survey also found that 42% of employees are more likely to stay at a company if they have access to mental health support through their employer. Does the EAP include telehealth benefits? The content on this blog is not meant to and does not substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. How can we benchmark the success of our program versus other companies in your book of business? Even better, if your EAP allows total anonymity, communicate as well. Data collection, reporting and measurement. How many global clients are you currently serving and in which countries? According to the Business Group on Health and Fidelity Investments Employer-Sponsored Health & Well-being Survey, 35% of employers offer on-site EAP in 2020, with an additional 14% considering doing so in 2021. And I was thrilled when they let me know that their first appointment had been scheduled., Reinforcing that help is available through Spring Health can normalize challenging situations for employees who may be in need of mental health support.. Employers considering consolidating their EAP and mental health offerings under the medical benefit should pay attention to which service is currently seeing more demand, whether access is currently easier in either path, the employee experience for each channel, costs of consolidating or expanding services, and the ability of each to address particular patient needs (e.g., diversity of providers, language(s) beyond English, pediatric or other specialized skills.) Employee assistance programs have been proven to deliver real business benefits. Its also important to emphasize the programs confidentiality, and explain that no information will be shared with the manager or the workplace. Relevant questions include: In most cases, EAPs also are subject to legal requirements, such as ERISA, HIPAA and possibly COBRA. Copyright 2023 ALM Global, LLC. Virtual EAPs provide easier access to care and remove barriers like transportation as well. Note: Our EAP utilization rate is about 40-60%! If companies want their EAPs to work, they need to make mental health and wellness a priority. Employees need to see buy-in from local stakeholders for it to become part of the cultural norm.. With HRMorning arriving in your inbox, you will never miss critical stories on labor laws, benefits, retention and onboarding strategies. As a Downloaded by [Rick Csiernik] at 20:19 18 January 2013 result, utilization rates were likely skewed high, though determining accurate utilization rates has also been an ongoing issue in the . Is there a toll-free number available in all of our locations? Mandie spent the last 20+ years working with Fortune 500 companies to promote emotional wellbeing in the workplace. In the first six months after partnering with Spring Health, about 25% of DocuSign employees accessed their benefit. Discover how Workforce.com implementation unlocks the results you want and the adoption you need, all at the perfect pace. In short, EAP utilization is small because most EAPs fail to address the barriers to mental health care. What is Utilization + How do You Calculate Utilization Rate? - Smartsheet In a study of 154 Canadian EAPs, 102 organizations reported their utilization rates along with how they defined both utilization and a case. Here are the formulas for each: Drug/alcohol utilization rate = (Drug or Alcohol Cases/Eligible employees) x 1,000 Referral rate = (Cases that EAP Referred/Employee cases) x 1,000 Referral. To tackle this challenge, benefits leaders and EAP providers need to do a better job communicating the availability and value of EAP services to employees, and overcoming stigmas related to employees seeking help for mental health disorders. Learn more about Precision Mental Healthcare. At a minimum, EAP vendors provide some sort of utilization report to their clients on an annual and/or quarterly basis. Many believe that talking to a therapist won't help or that their stress or anxiety will improve on its own. Inviting employee feedback and incorporating this into regular performance reviews with the EAP provider. Already a Nivati client? And until now, no mental health company has published peer-reviewed evidence of both clinical and financial outcomes for their solution. A number of employers have rebranded their EAP to change employee perception, remove possible stigma and align the program with the organizations mission and goals. Here are some stats that will help us better understand the environment companies and employees face today. Chances are, many of your managers may not know your EAP exists either. This infographic explores how. These can include higher costs, a limited number of providers, a lack of licensure/standards, varying regulatory and privacy issues, limited familiarity among employees and cultural issues that may impact acceptance of the program.