Blog. How Line Managers Make EAPs Tick.
March 26, 2025 | Author Guest Blogger
Many organisations sign up to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) as part of their commitment to being a caring and considerate employer. But there’s also a commercial reality. When team members are able to get expert and impartial support to deal with problems and improve their wellbeing, they have less time off and are more focused and productive at work.
Everyone wins. Yet EAPs are often poorly publicised and relatively underused within organisations that have them. And many employers don’t take the time to assess what their EAP delivers to team members or the organisation.
Put another way: if your workplace had a scheme that improved employee performance (and with it your customer experience), reduced sickness absence, improved the wellbeing of your team and helped boost business results, you’d probably want to shout about it. You’d certainly want to make sure people knew about the programme and took advantage of it.
Research shows that line managers are a vital link in the chain, with an indispensable role to play in encouraging use, evaluating the benefits, and using the EAP as a tool to create a healthier and more productive workplace.
“Although EAPs are already successfully helping individuals to cope, they need to proactively support the organisation, whether it’s tackling a culture of long hours, the glass ceiling or a hotspot of bullying and harassment, and give employers the data, resources and support to bring down these barriers to performance and productivity.”
Professor Sir Cary Cooper, CBE 50th Anniversary Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health, Manchester Business School
Return on Investment.
Research carried out by the UK EAP Association suggests that every pound invested in an EAP generates a return of £7 - £8. Yet research also shows that schemes are most likely to be used reactively, typically when an individual has a significant personal issue or crisis.
Companies tend to identify EAPs as part of being a good and considerate employer and not as a business support mechanism. As a result, they are often not promoted effectively and employees often don’t appreciate the range of support on offer.
Some of the biggest benefits come from people using resources available through their EAP to improve physical and mental wellbeing, or from getting support early when issues are still a concern rather than a full-blown crisis. That’s why line managers actively promoting the EAP play such a critical role in delivering the maximum return on investment, driving utilisation and employee engagement and retention
So how do we switch the perception? It seems obvious that line managers who routinely interact with their teams in so many ways are vital cogs in the wheel. Line managers are often best placed to remind employees that they have access to an EAP. They can highlight the range of support on offer, and help the EAP be seen both as ‘somewhere you can turn to in a crisis’ and also, a place for employees to proactively find a range of advice on mental health and wellbeing empowering them to make positive changes and develop healthier habits.
Typical ROI from an EAP is 7-8X
EAP Benefits.
For employees, an EAP is a route to personal, confidential and professional support that is independent of the company they work for. They might see it as a route to support if their wellbeing is affected by work-related issues, such as long hours or a stressful environment. If the problems are inside the workplace, having somebody impartial outside of the work environment to offer advice can lead to a faster resolution.
Often, they don’t appreciate that there’s more wide-ranging support available for personal issues they may be facing
Illness, bereavement, financial worries, relationship problems, being an informal carer, or family pressures can affect mental health and wellbeing. Support is available through the Hospitality Action EAP for all of these situations.
The EAP is there to Support Managers Too.
The Hospitality Action EAP offers a managerial advice line providing guidance on how to best support and advise staff with specific issues. It also gives managers an independent, non-judgemental space to discuss situations a staff member might be struggling with work due to personal and or work-related problems.
Analysing the data from the regular usage reports provided by the EAP really helps unlock the specific barriers to performance and productivity faced by your business. Hospitality Action gathers daily data and our reports highlight the types of issues employees are seeking help for . This can help pinpoint areas where the business needs to improve practice and offer more general support to their teams, for example around work/life balance, and relevant training.
The Employers Viewpoint on EAPs.
Research from EAPA UK asked why employers adopted an EAP. This is what they said:
- Part of our organisation’s health and wellbeing plan (67%)
- A way to reduce sickness absence (49%)
- A way to support staff with particular issues (48%)
- To improve productivity (33%)
All of these are valid reasons and should be true for your business. We recommend you consider all of these to truly evaluate how well your EAP is working across your business. Your Hospitality Action EAP Account Manager will work with you to develop an Engagement Plan to ensure your EAP is effectively embedded within your organisation and you start to see the benefits of support in a happier, healthier and more productive team
Promoting the EAP.
To be effective, promotion needs to be a part of regular and ongoing team communications. Staff meetings to launch the EAP, regular presentations and handouts can help people understand what support is available.
But be mindful that these can soon fade in the memory. Workplace posters, standard messaging on internal email sign-offs and reminders in employee one-to-one meetings can all reinforce the message that: ‘the EAP is there and we want you to benefit from the support it can provide you, whether to help you unpick a problem you are facing or to provide tips and tools to improve your wellbeing.’
Perhaps the most significant contribution line managers can make is to talk about the EAP in a positive way and remove any sense of stigma or worries about confidentiality associated with seeking help. Team members acknowledging that they have a problem and taking steps to resolve it are signs of strength, not weakness.
Hospitality Action works with employers to help embed the EAP into their organisations through health and wellbeing surveys; monthly onboarding and wellbeing webinars, multilingual posters, presentations, brochures and digital assets.