HR Guide to Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Is your organisation truly in need of an employee assistance programme?

But first, what is an employee assistance programme? Secondly, is this the next project you want to support?

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

An employee assistance programme (EAP) is a company-sponsored intervention programme that supports employees in navigating personal issues that may impact professional productivity.

Among the potential services and resources are:

Training in mental health awareness
Counselling for mental health
Counselling for marital, family, or financial difficulties
Substance abuse treatment
Conflict resolution in the workplace
Navigating childcare and eldercare
Wellness programs
Legal advice
Emergency hotline

Although the organisation bears the financial cost, all services are confidential. You may be wondering if your company requires this additional cost.

This leads to the second half of the query. Will you be putting your full support behind this initiative?

Three reasons to develop an employee assistance programme (EAP):

As stated by the Malaysian Mental Health Association, mental health issues in Malaysia are on the rise due to the global pandemic.
Chronic stress and personal issues result in more absenteeism, less productivity, a rise in medical expenses, lower employee satisfaction, and worse retention rates.
EAPs allow for proper personal and professional boundaries between employees and their supervisors by giving referral options when a personal matter is affecting employee productivity.

Seeking funding for EAP

You must fully comprehend and be capable of explaining the employee assistance program's overall value before bringing it up during the next budget planning session and asking for funding for a new initiative that your CFO has never heard of.

We know those finance people enjoy statistics, so let's be prepared with enough of them.

According to a study, mental health and stress services in Malaysia are underutilised. However, when used, they result in a decrease in psychological distress.
According to the same study, employees with mental illnesses are 6.7 times more likely to be mentally distressed (a condition that can significantly affect workplace productivity)
The Employee Assistance Trade Association states that an EAP should provide RM 3 for every RM 1 invested in the programme.

The simple truth is that an EAP is beneficial to both businesses and individuals.

Selecting the Best EAP Option

Now that you have decided to go through with an EAP and received the necessary leadership approval, it is time to choose the best service delivery model for your organisation.

Here's a quick rundown of every option:

Potential Employee Assistance Program

In-House Program Models: Your company employs the service providers directly in this delivery model. Your organisation would be responsible for finding suitable individuals who can provide your desired services. As participants would most probably receive services on-site, one concern of an in-house programme is ensuring employee confidentiality.
Fixed-Fee Contracts: Under a fixed-fee contract, your company outsources services to a contracting firm that charges a set fee for those services, often depending on the number of personnel, irrespective of the number of services provided.
Fee-For-Service Contracts: With this delivery model, the cost of the services is based on the number of hours the contracting company offers to your staff.
Hybrid Model: A hybrid model that combines the service delivery models above may be suitable for your organisation. For instance, you prefer an in-house mental health counsellor but outsourcing legal counsel and drug abuse treatment through a fee-for-service contract.

Malaysian EAP providers

To help you find the best fit for your organisation, we have listed some of the top contract providers of employee assistance programmes in Malaysia:

Introducing EAP in your organisation

It is the time to proceed once a contract has been signed or the right professionals have been brought on board:

1. Develop a policy.

As an HR professional, you are used to drafting policies and procedures, so it should not be a surprise that a comprehensive employee assistance programme requires a policy outlining how your organisation will manage it.

Specify how referrals can be made, for example, supervisor referral, self-referral), as well as how your organisation will uphold confidentiality.

2. Spread the Word

It is time to notify your staff. Motivating employees to utilise available services has always been one of the biggest challenges in creating an employee assistance programme.

What can you do to inform staff members about the EAP services your organisation offers?

Consider holding a "town hall" meeting for your entire organisation in which you detail all resources accessible to your staff.
Schedule a mental health awareness workshop with your contract firm or in-house professionals to educate staff on the symptoms and signs of mental health issues and the options now available to them through the new employee assistance programme.

One of these sessions might well result in the first EAP referrals for your company.

It is time to take the plunge now that you know how to start an employee assistance programme.

Visit the HR Library to acquire all relevant HR resources.
Contact here for more information on hiring employees.