Do you have clients facing challenges as employees come back to the office? Benefits providers can help. Start by planning on how to emphasize the importance of benefits, especially ‘benefits with value’ to employees while they prepare for open enrollment. One of the valuable programs the benefits package should include is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help employees deal with problems that may affect their performance at the workplace.

Employees’ psychological and personal problems can affect clients’ turnover and increase absenteeism, resulting in low productivity. Did you know that over 85% of the workforce can benefit from an EAPs? So, the big question would be; is your EAP ready for prime time? That said, here’s why integrating EAPs into your benefits offering has never been more important. 

Why Should Clients Include an EAP in Employee Benefits?

If your clients don’t currently offer an EAP, it’s high time they considered that. An EAP can help employees access the right tools and resources for stress and anxiety management. This will enable them to acclimate to the new work environment, preventing them from using maladaptive strategies to cope after the pandemic break.

Most of these maladaptive behaviors like drug abuse and alcohol addiction affect their health, and above all, their performance. Even worse is that they may have problems with the HR team as they may exhibit constant absenteeism from work. However, an EAP can come in handy and make employees feel valued by their employer.

It can help boost productivity, since the employees will have a way of coping with personal and job-related challenges. It also reduces the turnover rate as employees’ problems will be better cared for. So, as a benefits provider, you should help HR incorporate an EAP in their employee benefits if they don’t already have it.

Focus on “Marketing” EAP Benefits

To encourage engagement with EAP benefits, help clients put effort into raising awareness. This is especially relevant as some EAP benefits are complex, and most employees find it hard to understand how they work.

Here’s what you should incorporate while you’re ‘marketing’ the program:

  • Work On Reducing the Stigma Around EAPs: Since most workers don’t use EAPs, help them understand how it works and reduce the misconceptions about the program. Let them know that the program helps relieve stress, anxiety, or any other difficulties, and not necessarily ‘mental disorders’ as it’s often perceived.
  • Make Your Employees Know It’s Normal to Be Stressed and Anxious: Doing this will let them know that it’s human nature to be in such situations. Making your employees comfortable at such a time will help them come out and seek help through the EAP.

Sending Relevant Informational Pieces to Your Employees 

When marketing EAP benefits, send resources containing specific information on the program. Be sure to include the number of sessions, its costs, and if it’s fully paid for to every employee. Also, check for updated resources that are simple to understand and deliver to each individual. When sending this information, encourage them to seek clarifications and use the best channel that will reach everyone.

Further, be sure to include FAQ sessions so employees get the chance to ask questions about the program. You can incorporate experts who will help answer the questions asked by your employees. The experts will also help you explain complex policies about the program so that all employees understand the benefits and get on board to use them.

Connect Your Employees to a Centralized Source for All Their Benefits

After intense “marketing” of the benefits, choose a centralized source for all their benefits. A mobile benefits toolkit like Benefits Zone will enable all workers to easily access the benefits programs. A benefits toolkit should be easy to use, flexible, and effective. Remember to partner with the best vendor who meets your needs and availability 24/7.

EAPs help employees cope with different problems while making employers have less turnover and increased productivity. Contact us today to get a free demo of how your clients can easily connect their employees with benefits information.