The utilisation of EAP by employees has seen a dramatic increase during the last few challenging years, with organisations actively reminding and encouraging their workforce of the support available to them. This is because organisations have recognised that combating employee stress, anxiety, and depression is good for business and have invested time and money into improving the mental wellbeing of their employees.
Unfortunately, over the last few years, face-to-face assistance has been largely unavailable or increasingly difficult, however, this has led to more investment in technology to solve these problems.
The digital solutions for EAP
EAP services are a fantastic way to support employees who are having problems at work (for instance, stress, depression, line manager issues, workload and work/life balance) through to personal issues such as relationship troubles, career progression and financial stresses.
However, think about how many times a workplace needs to remind staff about procedures or workplace initiatives. Employees are going to struggle to access EAP services if they are not reminded of its availability regularly — or made aware of the service in the first place.
To combat this, more employers are now implementing the use of videos, social media and digital solutions to promote employee benefits. With almost 80% of Australians owning a mobile phone, apps have also become a popular tool, and EAP is no exception.
EAP Applications
EAP apps have been on the increase in the past few years, offering employees the ability to get support when they need it. Sometimes it can take considerable courage to ask for support or to open up about a problem you are experiencing. When that courage peaks, it is important that people have the means to instantly connect with someone who can support them in a way that suits them best.
Some EAP apps are also providing users with the ability to track aspects of their lives (like sleep, exercise and eating habits) that impact mental health and analyse where they can improve, to subsequently boost their mental wellbeing. They also offer bespoke improvement programs spanning sleep, mental health, anxiety, depression, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular health and more.
An effective EAP app combines two key factors:
1) User-friendliness
The app is not only easy to use, it also uses a unique tone of voice to engage users. This:
- Democratises health information by making it easy to understand and free of jargon.
- Empowers users with actionable content and practical tips.
- Shows empathy. Life can be hard, especially when managing a health condition or carrying high risks. An effective EAP app conveys empathy and helps users work through hard situations.
- Normalises some health issues. By using data, the app can develop content and normalise health issues which might have a stigma attached to it (e.g. mental health issues) and show users they’re not alone in their health journeys.
2) Fun and entertaining
A successful EAP app is engaging, fun and entertaining. This can happen via:
- Relatable language is adapted to different user groups (e.g. young vs mature audiences, female vs male, parents v single, healthy vs sick).
- The use of emojis to add modern, visual cues.
- Humour (when appropriate). Health and mental health goals do not have to be boring.
- Interesting facts that are deeply personalised to the user.
These apps aren’t just aiding employees. De-identified data collated from individuals can be fed back to organisations as invaluable analytics. This can inform and shape the way an organisation responds to their employees’ shifting needs, without the time barrier necessary in conducting wellness checks and assessments.
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Communication of any workplace benefit is vital. Employees cannot access a service if they do not know it exists or have forgotten it exists. An EAP helps get information to the workforce in a way which connects with them and improves the take-up of benefits. It also gives employers a live insight into where they can alleviate stresses in the workplace and help their employees’ overall wellbeing.
