HR appreciate that they need to have an EAP because not only have employees come to expect it, but because it does help those in crisis and does prove to be a useful referral point for them when an employee is visibly distressed or has severe personal issues. However many HR leaders will express various levels of discontent with EAPs today, not viewing them as the true organisational partners in effectively managing wellbeing in the organisation.

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The EAP is often difficult to evaluate as it’s a confidential service that is not visible to the organisation. This means that the organisation generally only gets feedback when things have gone wrong and the employees complains, or even worse employees start to spread the word not to use the service due to negative experiences . . . and it’s amazing how fast the word can travel.

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While professional counselling is a critical component of an EAP, it’s also about the collaboration with the organisation and an ability to partner that provides significant value. In an ever changing EAP landscape where mergers and cost efficiencies are all too common, the experienced provider, deeply entrenched in psychological practise with high touch partnering is somewhat a thing of the past. As an organisation paying for a service, you should expect and demand more.

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We speak to HR and Safety leaders all the time with the same themes emerging irrespective of industry and location. The themes are all too common . . . 

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• 1300 numbers don’t get answered in a timely manner

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• The employee is promised a call back but hears nothing

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• The time to get an appointment can be weeks - a sad reflection on a service which has for decades promised an appointment within 48 hours

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• More and more the quality of the counselling gets mentioned, and not in a good way

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• All to often the only time the organisation hears from the provider is when its invoice time – little or no contact over the year is a common complaint

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• And of course one of the common emerging themes is that the EAP is old fashioned in how they engage and promote their services – all contributing to low uptake and utilisation of the very employees its meant to help and support.

 

So if you are an organisation that is looking for a high quality, responsive EAP, here are the things you should expect and demand from your provider.

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Service access

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An employees should be able to book an appointment easily 24/7, 365 days a year. Whether it’s via a 1300 or via an easy to use App, it should be seamless and easy to do and present no barrier for the employee. And while an appointment should be available for booking within 48 hours, immediate support should be available within the hour if the employee be distressed or requires help sooner.

 

Experienced counsellors

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A chatbot does not provide counselling. Yes it might be quick and efficient but it never replaces an experienced counsellor. At the very least your EAP should have counsellors with a minimum of 10 years’ experience and be licensed and accredited in their field. While an individual with a diploma in counselling may be useful and valuable in some mental health contexts, using experienced Social Workers and psychologists are best practise when it comes to EAPs. The nature of EAPs means that the counselors are operating within the world of work, and so its not only about clinical experience, it’s also about understanding that it is hard to untangle life and work issues as they are continuously interacting to impact our psychological functioning and wellbeing. What may present as a work cause may be due to difficulties in our personal life and vice versa. Due to this entanglement, a broad-based, whole of person program is needed, managing both ‘work’ and ‘life’ issues.

 

Manager support

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Expert help for HR/WHS and managers in dealing with employee problems and ‘employees of concern’ is a critical part of an effective EAP. Such issues may involve employee performance, behaviour, team, conflict, change, safety or other work or personal risk concerns. By working with the right EAP specialists such issues can be defused and managed early before problems escalate for individuals and the employer. Such issues are often complex and require experience that is beyond the clinically focused training and experience of a counselling/clinically only focused provider, but one who also has management experience and a deep understanding of behavioural/mental health and workplace/organisational issues.

 

For HR, it’s not only about how the program is communicated, implemented and promoted in an ongoing way that determines its success, it’s also about their ability to call and speak with experienced consultants about challenging behaviours in the workplace– and that is currently a big gap in EAPs

 

Program management

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EAP utilisation doesn’t just happen. It requires a working partnership between the provider and your organisation to ensure the program is well implemented, promoted and flexible to adapt to your particular needs. Your organisation should be allocated an experienced Program Manger. This is more than an ‘account manager’ who is only about building a good relationship. Yes that’s important but your Program Manager should be an experienced mental health professional with organisational/workplace experience and who will work with you to understand how best to launch, promote and adapt the program to your employees’ needs. They should provide you mindful reporting, analysis and recommendations.        

                  

At the end of the day, a good EAP should not just be an outsourced counselling service’ – while professional and responsive counselling is an important part of an EAP, it’s the collaboration with the organisation and an ability to partner that provides significant value.

 

Are you happy with your EAP? What you should expect from a truly effective program

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One of the greatest strengths of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) in Australia is that they are widely understood and familiar in the workplace. Employees know their organisation will offer an EAP to support them when personal or work‑related issues are affecting their wellbeing. They also trust that counselling will be confidential and accessible.

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HR teams recognise that having an EAP is essential—not only because employees expect one, but because it provides genuine value during times of crisis and gives HR a reliable referral point when an employee is visibly distressed or struggling with significant personal challenges.

Yet despite this, many HR leaders express growing dissatisfaction with EAPs. Increasingly, they feel EAPs are not true organisational partners in supporting wellbeing.

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Why EAPs are hard to evaluate

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EAPs are, by nature, confidential and therefore largely invisible to the organisation. This means the only feedback HR often receives is when something has gone wrong—an employee complains, or worse, tells their colleagues not to use the service. And word travels fast.

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While professional counselling is a cornerstone of any EAP, real value also comes from the provider’s ability to collaborate with the organisation. However, in a rapidly changing EAP landscape—marked by mergers, cost‑cutting, and large‑scale call‑centre models—the deeply experienced, high‑touch provider is becoming rare.

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As an organisation paying for a service, you should expect—and demand—more.

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What HR and safety leaders are saying

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We speak with HR and Safety leaders across industries, and the themes are remarkably consistent:

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• 1300 numbers aren’t answered promptly.

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• Employees are promised a call-back that never comes.

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• Appointment wait times can stretch for weeks—a stark contrast to the long‑promised 48‑hour standard.

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• Concerns about counselling quality are increasing.

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• The only time the provider reaches out is to issue an invoice.

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• EAPs feel outdated, failing to engage employees or promote services effectively—leading to low uptake among the very people the service is meant to support.

 

If your organisation wants a high-quality, responsive EAP, here’s what you should expect and insist upon.

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What a good EAP should deliver

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1. Easy, immediate access

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Employees should be able to book an appointment easily, 24/7, 365 days a year—whether by phone or via a simple, intuitive app.

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Appointments should be available within 48 hours, and immediate support should be accessible within the hour for employees in distress.

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2. Experienced counsellors (not chatbots)

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A chatbot can be useful for basic guidance, but it is not counselling. Your EAP should provide access to highly experienced, fully accredited counsellors—ideally those with a minimum of 10 years’ experience, and qualifications such as psychology or social work.

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EAP work requires more than clinical expertise. It requires an understanding of the intersection of work and personal life. These issues are deeply intertwined; what appears to be a workplace challenge may actually stem from personal pressures, and vice versa.

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A strong EAP therefore takes a whole‑of‑person approach.

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3. Support for managers

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Effective EAPs don’t only support employees—they support HR, WHS, and line managers.

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Managers often face challenging or complex situations involving performance, behaviour, conflict, safety concerns, or distressed employees. These issues require expertise beyond what many standard counselling‑only models provide.

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HR should also be able to speak directly with experienced consultants about difficult workplace behaviours—yet this capability is missing in many EAPs today.

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4. True program management

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EAP utilisation doesn’t happen on its own. It requires an active partnership between the provider and your organisation.

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Your organisation should have a dedicated Program Manager who is more than an account manager—they should be an experienced mental health professional with workplace expertise.

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They should work with you to:

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• effectively launch and promote the program

• adapt it to your organisational needs

• provide meaningful reporting and insights

• offer recommendations that improve the program over time

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In the end: you deserve a partner, not just a provider

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A strong EAP is not simply an outsourced counselling service. While responsive counselling is essential, true value comes from collaboration, partnership, and proactive support across the organisation.

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If your EAP isn’t delivering on these fundamentals, it may be time to reassess whether it is truly meeting your needs—or merely ticking a box.

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