How can I get my team to use our EAP?

Asset 5@2x
Insights.
Like any investment, an EAP (or EAP alternative) has the potential to realise positive dividends, but only if employees use it. This is where many employers need help, and post-sales activation support from their EAP provider can often make or break the success of their wellbeing program.

Unfortunately, some EAP providers struggle to provide post-sales activation support because they are not resourced accordingly and/or their systems are inefficient or out of date. As an example, some EAP account managers carry the responsibility of caring for hundreds of customers at a time - with no ability to customise employee promotional collateral with customer logos, and limited access to meaningful data, insights, research, or thought leadership that could help their customers stay ahead of employee wellbeing trends.

Ask your EAP account manager what they can provide to boost employee engagement.

Did you know?

  • Most customers (58 per cent) will switch their service to a competitor because of poor customer service, said a study of 5,000+ customers.

This blog post shares examples of best-practice employee engagement support, discusses what a 'good' EAP uptake rate looks like, shares case studies, and explains whether Sonder is an EAP.

Examples of employee engagement support

Choosing an EAP (or EAP alternative) provider is a big decision if you want to make a meaningful difference to the safety, health, and wellbeing of your people.

If you get it right, you could make a genuine impact in the lives of your employees, and positively impact organisational productivity and profitability.

If you get it wrong, you might find yourself in the same position next year - making excuses for low employee engagement rates and scrambling to secure an ongoing budget for wellbeing support services that don't seem to be working.

To help you understand what a best-practice provider could offer for post-sales activation and employee engagement support, we've put together a handy checklist that gives examples for both employee and employer engagement:

Examples of employee engagement support include promotional assets, marketing toolkits, surveys, newsletters, and more.

What is a 'good' EAP uptake rate?

In a previous post, we discussed how the average EAP uptake rate was around 5 per cent for traditional EAPs and up to 40+% for modern EAPs (or EAP alternatives).

We also shared the following examples from our Sonder customers:

  • Best&Less went from three employees to 146 employees reaching out for support in one month by changing to an EAP alternative.
  • Probe CX went from a three per cent to a 51 per cent employee uptake over three months by switching to an EAP alternative.
  • Woolworths Group found that 56 per cent of their employees who reached out for help would not have sought support at all without the EAP alternative they provided.

Some of the reasons for our high utilisation rates include our holistic wellbeing model, broad offering, proactive approach, and one-stop-for-help model which improves employee recall of where to go for support when they need it and helps build employee trust across all of the services offered.

Typical update of traditional EAPs is 5%. Best-practice updake of EAPs (or EAP alternatives) is 40+%

Is Sonder an EAP?

Sonder is an EAP alternative. We combine mental health support with safety and medical support. We also combine on-demand technology with 24/7 human expertise, as explained in our video:

Want to learn more?

For more information about how Sonder can help you rethink your employee and/or student support, we invite you to contact us here.

Download our deep-dive report

Today's blog post shares excerpts from our new 'How to compare EAPs' guide, which we invite you to download here. This insider's guide to employee assistance programs will help you:

  • Define a typical EAP offering
  • Summarise why employee uptake has been low
  • Discover what makes EAP alternatives different
  • Learn how to compare vendor offerings
  • Gain insider tips and statistics
  • Write a convincing business case

About Sonder

Sonder is an Active Care technology company that helps organisations improve the wellbeing of their people so they perform at their best. Our mobile app provides immediate, 24/7 support from a team of safety, medical, and mental health professionals - plus onsite help for time-sensitive scenarios. Accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS), our platform gives leaders the insights they need to act on tomorrow's wellbeing challenges today.

Related posts

How Sonder provides support to frontline workers facing customer hostility

Discover how businesses like Universal Store and TFE Hotels are using Sonder's digital services and responsive human support to keep their employees safe and prevent harm.

Continue reading

New report: 75% of frontline workers experience customer aggression

Customer aggression is on the rise in Australia and New Zealand - with more frontline workers being affected, more frequently. Our new report deep dives into the survey data and shares strategies to reduce the risk and keep staff safe.

Continue reading

How Charter Hall reimagined workplace safety, wellbeing and mental health with Sonder

When Charter Hall needed a wellbeing platform to support their people, they turned to Sonder. In a short time, they were able to implement the platform and support employees with complete, proactive care for their safety, physical and mental health….

Continue reading

Employee wellbeing data like you’ve never seen it before

Increasingly, P&C leaders are under pressure to identify and act on new initiatives that drive lasting, positive outcomes for the wellbeing, health and safety of their people. And despite the proliferation of data sources, the age old question remains; Where…

Continue reading

How does empowering your employees lead to better outcomes?

The concept of empowerment is “rooted in the 1960s ideology of social action, which embraces community change, capacity building, and collectivity”. But, the term “empowerment” comes from American psychologist, Julian Rappaport, who in 1981 articulated it to describe the process…

Continue reading
The ripple effect cost of lost productivity across multiple workplaces is hidden but substantial.

What is the ripple effect costing organisations?

Organisations are leaking millions of dollars each year in absenteeism, presenteeism, workers’ compensation, employee turnover, and the ripple effect of lost productivity from colleagues and family members – all because many employees are not well. What is this costing organisations…

Continue reading

There's so much more to share

Sonder is reimagining health, safety and wellbeing support. Sonder proves human centric care leads to earlier intervention. Sonder impacts one person at a time to drive meaningful change across an organisation. Sonder understands people and how to support them.

iPhone app mockups_About Us