Employees who use the services are glad they're available.

It's estimated that 24 per cent of all calls to EAPs are initially assessed as mental health issues, according to statistics from Shepell-fgi, an EAP provider in Canada and the United States. Of that 20 per cent, 45 per cent are looking for help for general marital relationsip problems, 29 per cent call because of a relationship breaking down, 21 per cent for conflict resolution and four per cent for intimacy issues.

Incorporating employee assistance into your group benefit plan contributes to increased employee morale, decreased dependency on pharmaceuticals and an overall increase in quality of life. An article in the March/April 2008 issue of Employee Benefit News Canada reported that a corporate wellness program, as part of the broader EAP, can have "immediate cost-containment and return on investment" for plan sponsors because the use of an EAP can help employees deal with issues such as stress management, depression, anxiety, migraine headaches and personal relationships. With 90 per cent of an average plan's drug claims being spent on medications to treat high blood pressure, depression and other mental health issues (as well as other issues such as asthma and diabetes), an EAP can also help reduce the number of claims being made to the group benefit plan.

With approximately 20 per cent of all calls to EAPs are initially assessed as mental health issues (6.2 per cent depression, 2.9 per cent anxiety, 1.7 per cent anger issues and 9.2 per cent work-related stress) issues, and those numbers only expected to increase in the coming years, investigating the benefits of incorporating an EAP into your benefit plan is worth a look.

A wellness program that identifies and helps employees cope with a host of medical conditions tha result from frequent absences and poor productivity may give plan sponsors the results they're looking for. For more information about employee assistance plans, contact us.