Industry
An employer’s guide to choosing an EAP
Choosing the right EAP for your organisation provides a whole host of benefits. From a happier, healthier workforce to a reduction in absences, you can boost productivity and give your people a confidential avenue of support when the going gets tough.
Want to know how to choose an EAP provider that works for your organisation? Our comprehensive guide dives into what specifics to look for, how to calculate your return on investment, and a brief overview of our own EAP tiers so you can select what’s right for you and your people.
EAPs explained
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are confidential lines of support for your people. They help them deal with matters that affect their mental health to mitigate burnout and wellbeing-related absences. Working with a qualified counsellor, the individual can discuss issues that stem from work-related stress to personal relationships.
Overall, EAPs work with the aim of protecting your organisation and people to maintain productivity and reduce absences. They can also help reduce things like presenteeism (where people are present but not mentally engaged in their work).
Why does an EAP matter for your organisation?
Jobseekers, as well as existing individuals in your organisation are looking at how they are looked after within the workplace. Around three-quarters of UK working individuals have either left or considered leaving their jobs because of insufficient wellbeing support.
Organisations need an EAP to:
• Mitigate costly absences
• Comply with their duty of care in line with UK employment laws
• Have a line of support when management are not available
• Be competitive in the job market
• Meet the needs of their individuals – particularly those who require reasonable adjustments.
In fact, organisations are recognising this and following suit. Organisations are placing more importance than ever on their people's health and wellbeing.
What does an EAP cover?
At its core, EAPs are designed to offer mental health support for your people. They do this by providing a confidential line of support for individuals to contact and seek professional advice – be that in the form of signposting or structured counselling.
Most EAPs come with the following as standard:
• 24/7 helpline
• In-person and remote counselling (via telephone and/or video call)
• Financial and legal information line
• HR and management support
• Critical incident line
However, each EAP may offer additional services as part of a tiered package. For example, at Wisdom Wellbeing, we offer two levels of support (Core & Wisdom Super Care). This is so we can tailor needs to the organisations that seek our health and wellbeing support.
Things to look for when choosing an EAP
With so many EAP providers and options available, it can be difficult to discern which will be the most valuable. While cost is certainly a factor, the level of cover and service is far more crucial for your return-on-investment. Here’s how to choose an EAP provider based on the following criteria.
Scope of care
While mental health support is crucial (especially in high-pressure environments), EAPs must do more to provide a holistic approach to wellbeing. That’s why a credible EAP provider will provide other avenues of support such as:
• Virtual GP services
• Menopause support lines
• Self-guided CBT
• Occupational Health Assessments and more
With soaring NHS waiting times, access to support can often hinder attendance in the workplace. This in turn reduces your service delivery and may even lead to costly sick pay.
That’s why an EAP that has these additional services has a competitive advantage when recruiting new talent, as well as helping individuals in the organisation feel accommodated for.
Fast support
We receive an incredibly high number of calls to the helpline which range in severity, so fast connection to a counsellor and/or signposting is essential. When choosing an EAP, look at average connection times, as well as different contact methods (like live chat, video call or telephone) in order to cater to individual preferences.
Availability
24/7 access to a confidential helpline is typically standard for most EAPs. What’s more important is accessibility throughout the year. We believe it’s important to have a wide network of counsellors, as well as our in-house ones to accommodate for 365-day availability. This means even on public holidays and peak festive seasons, individuals can seek support whenever they need it most.
Accreditations
Accreditations hold an EAP provider up to a particular standard and reassures organisations and their individuals of the level of care they can expect to receive. As our solution-focused brief therapy is delivered by qualified counsellors to individuals who are suited for it, we ensure that this service is delivered to the best standard. That’s why we hold a BACP and NCPS accreditation, as well as various other accreditations such as:
• SEQOHS
• EAPA
• ISO 14001
• Investors In People and much more.
Language support
Access to counselling doesn’t just extend to date and time, but language too. When choosing an EAP, look at what languages are catered for. This includes (but is not limited to) verbal, visual (BSL) and braille.
Additional services
While it’s great to have an EAP service that provides a plethora of perks, having the option to request additional services on an ad-hoc basis can be highly beneficial. Such additional services can include (but are not limited to):
Work Health Assessments
In-person CBT (upon request/recommendation from counsellor)
Suicide First Aid Training
Critical Incident Debriefs and much more.
Tracking and utilisation
It’s one thing having an EAP, it’s another getting full use out of it. Depending on your tier, our EAP clients get support from one of our relationship managers to understand how their service is being utilised, how often it’s being used and how to get the best out of their service.
Organisations can receive top-line information on the nature of the call (e.g. ‘Anxiety’), methods of contact, as well as how many calls they’re receiving over a particular period of time. This can be useful insight to help organisations see where they may need to make changes internally to better facilitate their people, as well as make their EAP more readily available for people who need it.
Social proof
We all look at Google and/or Trustpilot reviews to really see what people are saying about an organisation and its service. When looking at which EAP to choose, it’s important to do your research and see what level of service you can expect. Look for reviews from organisations themselves to see how the EAP has personally benefitted them, as well as service users who have utilised the health and wellbeing support to ascertain quality.
Business support
While people may be aware of an EAP on offer, it can be easy to forget when the going gets tough or there are lots of deadlines to work to.
EAPs that provide a level of business support to increase utilisation and awareness can stand out from the rest. This is because it takes the hard work away from organisational leaders, so they can focus on doing what they do best.
That’s why at Wisdom Wellbeing, we make it easy for you to promote your EAP internally. We regularly remind organisations about our latest update, insightful articles and downloadable assets they can use themselves or circulate with their people.
Sector experience
Years of experience in the EAP world helps shape service delivery, pain points and fine-tunes offering. However, EAPs are not a one-size-fits all, which is why we recognise specific sectors have different needs.
For example, sectors such as Healthcare and/or social care tend to have high rates of turnover and burnout, particularly as CQC ratings need to stay at a good standard. The same can be said for the Education sector, where Ofsted ratings play a huge role in attracting new pupils and maintaining teacher standards.
Critical incident support
Traumatic incidents in the workplace affect not just the individual, but their colleagues too. You should consider what critical incident support is available with an EAP provider. At Wisdom Wellbeing, we provide Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) on an ad-hoc basis: a structured process that helps normalise the often overwhelming psychological, physiological and emotional responses to minor, moderate and severe critical incidents.
Choosing an EAP for a large organisation
If you're choosing an EAP for a large or complex organisation, there are some extra questions to ask, beyond the 12 criteria above.
Can the provider support your scale?
Ask about their experience with organisations of a similar size and sector, and how they'll support employees across multiple sites, shift patterns and working arrangements.
What does implementation look like?
A clear onboarding plan, covering launch communications, manager briefings and timelines, makes a big difference to early uptake.
How will you measure value?
Look for regular, anonymised management information (MI) reports and service reviews, so you can track usage and trends without compromising employee confidentiality.
Will you have a dedicated point of contact?
A dedicated relationship manager, included with Wisdom Super Care, helps you embed the service, plan campaigns and get the most from your investment.
Does the provider meet your security and data requirements?
Check how employee data is protected and where it's stored, and which security certifications the provider holds. [Confirm: e.g. ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus.]
Can they support a tender process?
Many large organisations buy through a formal tender. A good provider will be able to supply clear information on services, service levels, accreditations and reporting.
What should an EAP cost?
It’s not just about how to choose an EAP provider, it’s weighing up the costs too.
An EAP’s cost depends on your needs and varies per provider. Typically, the more people you have in your organisation, the lower the rate per person per month. At Wisdom Wellbeing, we offer a fixed price based on the number of individuals, as well as the tier (level of care) you require.
How to measure the ROI of your EAP
Besides a happier, healthier workforce, the ROI of your EAP can be measured by the following:
• Reduced absences
• Increased people retention
• EAP utilisation
Wisdom Wellbeing EAP levels of care
1. Wisdom Super Care
Wisdom Super Care is our most comprehensive wellbeing solution. It includes everything in our Core EAP, plus:
- Virtual GP provided by KRY
- Menopause Care (dedicated menopause support line and Rightsteps CBT)
- Active Care for stress-related absence
- Occupational Health assessments
- Mental Health First Aid training (England only)
Compare Core and Wisdom Super Care
While we recommend this for all organisations, it's particularly suited to those whose people would benefit from our Virtual GP service. Getting appointments at the best of times can be difficult around work, so our Virtual GP lets individuals book an appointment from their device at a time to suit them. Wisdom Super Care also includes more structured counselling sessions than Core, and Mental Health First Aid training places for employees in England.
Related article: The Importance of Mental Health First Aid
2. Core EAP
Our Core EAP provides organisations with total mental health support. While not as comprehensive as Wisdom Super Care, it’s a great starting point for the essentials. Core EAP includes (but is not limited to):
24/7, 365 confidential helpline
Up to 6 counselling sessions
Access to the Wisdom app
Choose your EAP
Ready to get total health and wellbeing support for your organisation? Contact one of our Wellbeing Experts today or download our brochure to find out more.
FAQs for Employers Choosing an EAP
What is an Employee Assistance Programme and what does it actually do for my organisation?
An EAP is a confidential support service that helps employees manage personal and work-related issues that affect wellbeing and performance. For employers it reduces absence, lowers presenteeism, supports duty of care obligations, and gives staff a safe route to professional help before problems escalate.
Which core services should I expect from a credible EAP provider?
Look for a 24/7 confidential helpline, structured counselling (phone/video/in-person), signposting for legal and financial issues, HR/manager support, and critical-incident response. Providers that bundle additional services—virtual GP access, self-guided CBT, menopause support, or occupational health—offer stronger, more holistic cover.
How quickly should employees be able to access support?
Fast connection matters. Aim for providers that publish average connection times and offer multiple contact methods (phone, live chat, video). Rapid access—365 days a year, including holidays—improves outcomes and demonstrates reliability to your people.
What accreditations and safeguards should I check?
Verify clinical and quality accreditations (for example, BACP, SEQOHS, EAPA or ISO standards) and ask about counsellor qualifications, data protection, and language/accessibility options (BSL, braille, multilingual support). These reassure you about clinical standards and inclusivity.
How do I measure the ROI of an EAP?
Track reduced absence, improved retention, and utilisation rates. Regular top-line reporting (themes of calls, contact methods, volumes) helps you spot trends and quantify savings from fewer sick days and lower turnover.
What should I expect to pay and how do pricing models work?
Costs vary by provider, tier and headcount. Larger organisations often get a lower per-person rate; tiered packages let you match cover to need. Balance price against scope—broader services usually deliver better long-term value.
How can I increase employee uptake and make the EAP effective?
Promote the service proactively: leadership endorsement, regular communications, downloadable assets, manager briefings, and integration with wellbeing campaigns. Choose a provider that offers business support to help you raise awareness and embed the EAP into everyday people practices.
Related articles
- What is an EAP
- How an EAP works
- Benefits of providing an EAP
- Why your organisation needs an EAP
- EAP for Managers
- How to support remote employees through an EAP
- How to measure EAP impact
- EAP vs other wellbeing solutions
- 9 ways to promote your EAP
- EAP confidentiality
- How modern EAPs and wellbeing apps strengthen workplace wellbeing
- How to embed EAPs, train leaders and build psychological safety
- EAP trauma support
- How much does an EAP cost?
Wisdom Wellbeing
Wisdom Wellbeing provides clinically led Employee Assistance Programmes to organisations across the UK and Ireland. Specialising in mental health and wellbeing, we publish practical guidance for employees, employers and business owners, including articles written by our counsellors to offer expertise from a clinical perspective. We also write for students at college and university who want to improve and maintain their mental wellbeing.
Support your employees with an EAP
With an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) from Wisdom Wellbeing, we can offer you practical advice and support when it comes to dealing with workplace stress and anxiety issues.
Our EAP service provides guidance and supports your employees with their mental health in the workplace and at home. We can help you create a safe, productive workspace that supports all.
