Why engagement is key to maximising the return on value of EAPs

Employee assistance programmes have the potential to transform workplace culture, drive productivity, and enhance financial performance. But like any strategic investment, their impact hinges on one critical factor: employee engagement. Without active participation, even the most comprehensive EAP can fall short of its promise.

This article explores why engagement is crucial for achieving a return on investment (ROI) in your EAP programme. But we also look at the more important return on value (ROV).

First up, what do we mean by engagement? When employees feel supported, informed, and motivated to use available resources, we can expect them to feel happier, healthier, and more fulfilled. And it’s a cycle. Once employees are already in this engaged state, they’re more likely to continue engaging in the resources you offer — and so on.

But some employee assistance programme (EAP) providers fall short in supporting engagement. A lack of post-sales support, outdated systems, and overburdened account managers often leave businesses without the tools to promote their EAPs effectively or sustain interest in them over the long term.

The result? Traditional employee assistance programmes suffer from participation rates as low as 3-5%.

Engagement in your EAP directly influences the return on investment and value of these programmes. Engagement typically boils down to two main areas:

• Choosing an EAP vendor capable of supporting your organisation
• Communicating your EAP to your employees so they understand and participate in it

Some ways to achieve these include:

1. Selecting an EAP with account manager capacity

Find out how many customers your EAP account manager services. A smaller caseload means more attention for your organisation.

2. Checking your EAP offers exceptional support

65% of customers would switch brands after poor customer service, and this is key for EAP engagement. Employees need to know they can access support at any time of day or night, not just when experiencing a critical incident.

Understand how your EAP provider approaches both assistance and customer service. Do they offer a range of support types like phone, email, chat, and self-service options? And what is their availability? Can you expect 24/7 or 24-/5 support or working hours only?

3. Leveraging technology

Opt for a provider with user-friendly tools that encourage participation. Accessibility from a mobile device delivers convenience, providing push notifications, check-ins, and instant access to support.

4. Tailoring EAP communication

Personalised resources are more likely to resonate with employees. Learn if your provider creates tailored communications to promote the EAP? Ideally, these will be company-branded to achieve ownership and familiarity with the programme.

5. Promoting your EAP early and often

Use newsletters, team meetings, and internal communications software to keep employees informed about available resources. Success stories of employees who have used the EAP can also encourage participation.

6. Leaning on education and insights

Ensure your provider offers access to reports and analytics to align your programme with evolving employee needs. You’ll learn the latest participation rates, any dips in uptake, or any concerning trends, such as if there’s a rush to seek support for burnout.

7. Listening to your employees

You can’t improve what you don’t know, so alongside the insights gathered above, go directly to the source and ask your employees about their experience of your EAP.

Use regular surveys, one-to-one sessions, and team meetings to listen to the collective employee voice and adapt your assistance plans to fit their engagement and your budget.

Once you’ve made efforts to improve engagement in your EAP services, the next step is to measure the impact of your programme to check if it’s worth your investment.

Historically, organisations have evaluated wellbeing programmes through a financial lens — measuring EAP ROI by tracking direct cost savings like reduced absenteeism or healthcare expenses. We know from recent data that for every £1 spent on an EAP, UK employers see an average return on investment of £10.85.

While calculating average ROI can be valuable, today’s business leaders are increasingly adopting a broader perspective: return on value (ROV).

We can measure both the direct and indirect financial benefits of return on value (ROV):

Direct financial benefits could include:

• Reduced absenteeism and presenteeism
• Fewer payments for substitute workers
• Increased productivity
• Improved return-to-work rates
• Lower attrition and workers’ compensation costs

Indirectfinancial benefits could include:

• Enhanced employee health, morale, and motivation
• Improved quality of work
• Stronger employer branding and talent retention
• Greater organisational resilience

A high-performing employee assistance programme does more than save money — it enhances the overall value your organisation delivers to your people and bottom line. By prioritising engagement, you can unlock the full potential of your programme and achieve meaningful outcomes for your employees and business alike.

Sonder offers more than the average employee assistance programme. As a modern alternative, it supports three important pillars of wellbeing:

• Mental health support: 24/7 access, push notifications, and check-ins, instant chat sessions with a response time of under 10 seconds, wellbeing resources, and updates to keep healthy habits on track
• Medical support: Access to medical professionals 24/7, remote support, dependent care, and proactive check-ins
• Safety support: Real-time safety alerts, critical incident response, trauma recovery, and “Check on Me” or “Track my Trip” tools to keep employees safe on the move

Ready to introduce an assistance programme your employees will actively engage in? Book a free Sonder demo today and check out our Insider’s Guide to EAPs to learn more about how to track return on investment and return on value.