What Issues Can Be Addressed With an Employee Assistance Program?

As the modern workplace evolves, the growing demand for better employee assistance programs (EAP) has become prevalent across industries. Beyond the host of benefits EAPs provide, including improved job performance, higher motivation and reduced absenteeism, employee demand for EAP services has skyrocketed as employee-employer relationships have become more balanced. More than ever, human resources professionals understand the critical costs of declining well-being in the workplace. Fortunately, EAPs are the first step toward building a comprehensive mental health strategy for today’s workforce. 

What’s the purpose of an employee assistance program (EAP)?

An EAP aims to offer various mental health services that help employees prevent, manage, and overcome personal life challenges and work-related issues that may affect their job performance. Human resources departments invest in EAPs with the understanding that employees' personal lives cannot always remain separate from work. Eventually, the life challenges and stressors even the most dedicated employees face will result in work-related issues. EAP benefits also help employers address their role in employee wellness by mitigating workplace stress, burnout and complex manager-employee relationships. Therefore, investing in EAPs is a meaningful way to start prioritizing your organization's mental health strategy and solidifying your organization's commitment to employee health. 

Learn more: What is an employee assistance program (EAP)? 

The Inkblot EAP approach to continuity of care

Our goal is to service long-term employee health — from the point of crisis to prevention. Inkblot offers seamless continuity of care, allowing employees to continue to work with their care providers even after their sponsored hours are utilized. It’s simple. Once an employee's benefits are up, any additional appointments booked through the Inkblot platform can be reimbursable through the employee’s paramedical benefit coverage, health spending account (HSA), or paid privately. 

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What are some of the common issues that EAPs can address?

Most EAPs offer counselling services to support employees through any mental health-related concern. Some mental health issues are more commonly solved through an EAP, including stress management, burnout, anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, workplace stress and other work-related issues.

However, mental health is complex. Since the path to getting well is different for everyone, comprehensive EAPs require an emphasis on total well-being. Investing in an EAP provider that offers care options across the health spectrum is important to ensure you can address all the unique health and well-being needs that may emerge in a diverse workforce. 

Breaking down the Inkblot EAP and supplementary health and wellness services

Holistic health support is never one-size-fits-all. The Inkblot EAP offers customizable options beyond counselling services, including specialized support for chronic illnesses, nutrition, health, fitness, financial, legal, substance use, critical incident management, clinical assessments and treatments, and more.

Individual and couples counselling 

While traditional EAPs often involve weeks-long wait times and complex procedures, the Inkblot EAP helps employees access care within 24-72 hours on an intuitive online platform. We offer virtual individual and couples counselling and in-person sessions for those who prefer them. Our personalized matching questionnaire helps your employees find their ideal therapeutic match based on clinical expertise, cultural fit, language, availability and more. We also ensure confidentiality with strict policies and procedures to protect employees' personal information and privacy online. 

Career coaching

Inkblot's career coaching services can help employees refocus on their professional goals and aspirations to remain motivated and avoid burnout. The reality is that workplace-related issues are one of the leading causes of burnout, anxiety and stress among young professionals. With growing levels of competition in the job market, employees need to stay on top of new technological advances and continue to build expertise in their fields to stay on top of their game. Whether seeking help with professional development, career transitions, workplace stress, workplace conflict, or adapting to a changing workforce, Inkblot's career coaches are here to support employees every step of the way. 

Health and lifestyle coaching

For employees seeking additional health and wellness support, Inkblot is proud to offer health and lifestyle coaching options to help resolve concerns related to total health. Our vast network of registered nurses, dieticians, coaches and trained experts are available to help your employees with illnesses and disease management, smoking cessation, preventative health and more. Health and lifestyle coaching ensures employees can navigate all aspects of life and achieve their personal goals. 

Financial advisors

Financial security is an essential part of our overall well-being and health. Managing financial health is about creating good habits around budgeting, saving, investing, taxes, credit management and financial planning. Personal finance can be riddled with ambiguity and choice, making it challenging for most employees to navigate alone. Our financial advisory service provides employees with access to professional advice to help them navigate all areas of personal finance and achieve their financial goals.

Legal advisors

Legal matters can be overwhelming and cause significant strain on the well-being of your employees. Whether dealing with family conflict, wills and estate planning, criminal cases, consumer concerns, property law, divorce matters and more — Inkblot offers employees access to legal advisory when they need it most. 

iCBT

Tranquility is an interactive digital program that uses internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) to help people experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression achieve their wellness goals. It's a supplementary service that can be added to your EAP to empower your employees to prioritize their mental health from the comfort and privacy of their homes. Available to access anytime online or through the mobile companion app, the interactive modules teach employees positive coping strategies and reduce life-disrupting symptoms without the wait. 

Specialized clinical services 

Our specialized clinical services are available to provide your workforce with more support at any moment. The additional services expand beyond traditional counselling, allowing HR leaders and decision-makers to scale your EAP up or down according to the emerging needs of your organization. Book a call with our sales team to learn more about our supplementary health and wellness offers, including the below specialized clinical services.

• WorkHealth/Disability Management Assessment and Treatment Services
• Substance Use Assessment and Treatment Services
• Combined WorkHealth and Substance use Assessment and Treatment Services
• Specialized Group Trauma Interventions and Wellness Support Groups
• Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
• On-site Support During Terminations and/or Organizational Announcements
• Specialized Anxiety Treatment
• Specialized Depression Treatment
• Specialized Trauma Treatment
• Supported Referral Treatment
• Mental Health Peer Support Program

Webinars and trainings 

The clinical team at Inkblot works with nurses, clinicians, practitioners and career and lifestyle coaches to build impactful educational resources that help bridge the gap between work and mental health needs. Our living catalogue allows HR leaders to quickly gain access to specialized training and webinars that cover various topics to meet their organization's and its leaders' specific needs.

Learn more: How to implement an EAP in the modern workplace

What are the benefits of EAPs?

The Inkblot EAP has been designed to prioritize engagement and provides comprehensive care for the modern workplace. Below are some of the benefits of our unique program.  

• Digital-first approach. An easy-to-use system that leads to higher engagement than traditional EAPs. In-person sessions are also available for those who prefer them.‍

• Therapist matching/personalization. With over 50 matching criteria, our detailed online questionnaire ensures employees can find the right therapist quickly and easily.

• Continuity of care. Seamless continuity of care after employee’s benefits maxes out to support employees with short-term and long-term support.

• Customizable programs and services. Build an EAP designed to meet the full scope of your team’s well-being needs with service options across the continuum of care.

• Ease of use with simplified onboarding and implementation process. We provide promotional materials, training, and guidance to ensure your EAP implementation is stress-free.

• Meaningful insights and reporting. Get in-depth reporting on employee wellness and EAP utilization to inform your company's ongoing mental health strategy.

• ‍Engaged employees. Healthy, happy, and motivated employees are likelier to deliver their best work and contribute to a positive work environment. 

Learn more: What are the advantages of employee assistance programs (EAP)?

Support your employees through all of life’s challenges

The success of any business depends on the health of its people. Recent trends indicate that employees understand this well and demand more significant mental health support from their HR leaders. As a result, EAPs have become an obvious answer for many organizations as they start building their internal mental health strategy. Utilizing an employee assistance program empowers employees with the right tools to tackle life's challenges confidently. Beyond just improvements to productivity, an EAP can positively impact company culture, improve retention rates, lower disability costs, and, ultimately, boost your organization's bottom line. 

‍Book a demo to learn more about how the Inkblot EAP can transform the health of your workforce with accessible, easy-to-use and personalized well-being support.