Everybody needs a little bit of extra help sometimes.

Many employers have adopted Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) so that employees can access additional resources and support in moments of crisis. EAPs provide this extra help through perks like short-term counseling services, legal and financial coaching, and even wellness programs.

These EAP offerings are essential in supporting employees, but are they enough?

We don’t think so.

While we applaud employers for taking strides to support their employees, we also recognize that EAPs offer only a fraction of the help many employees need and are often underutilized or not used at all.

Because of this, many companies are choosing more effective EAP alternatives that address the problems that modern workforce employees face. With this in mind, we wanted to show you why replacing your EAP with a holistic solution like Grayce can pay big dividends for your employees’ well-being… and your company’s bottom line.

 

Choose long term solutions instead of temporary “Band-Aids”

The support that most EAPs provide is designed to be temporary. For example, many EAPs offer short-term counseling services for employees experiencing mental health or family challenges. They act as “band-aid” solutions for employees who need a quick fix for a time-sensitive problem.

These short-term services don’t address the chronic or recurring needs that many employees face or the loss of productivity that can result. We recommend that employers replace these limited stopgaps with EAP alternatives that offer long-term holistic solutions.

For example, when we were doing research for our employer guide, we found that nearly a quarter of our workforce also shoulders the role of a family caregiver, and 57% of those employees face clinical levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.

 

Nearly a quarter of our workforce serves as a family caregiver infogrpahic.

 

These employees don’t need a one-off appointment with a counselor or a list of resources. Instead, they need comprehensive family care support. An EAP can’t offer that.

 

Replace antiquated resources with a modern EAP alternative

In our fast-paced, high-tech world, employees can quickly access more information than they can consume. While historically, EAPs have helped employees get referrals for support services; these referrals often involve long lists to wade through. Social care offerings, like Grayce, offer a more comprehensive and personalized experience by providing tailored resources and help with vetting.

For example, when an employee needs mental health support, Grayce offers members access to a Master’s-level licensed social worker who can pull curated resources from multiple sources, including the community and your company’s benefits programs. Our clients have reported that this has led to a 58% increase in appropriate benefits utilization. (Read about Docusign case study) Modern EAP Alternatives like Grayce can offer invaluable support to employees when they need it most.

 

 

Reduce employee stress and increase productivity

Our modern post-pandemic workforce is stressful. Our rapidly changing economy, coupled with compounding factors like the care crisis, has led to an environment where most employees find it hard to find work-life balance.

As we researched the data for our employer guide, we found that growing mental health needs associated with employee stress lead to decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and increased turnover. Traditional EAPs do little (if anything) to address this. When we surveyed employees for our Grayce Employee Leave Report, 71% told us they could have avoided or reduced time away from work if they had support for their family care needs. This directly addresses one of the most common stressors for employees– and alleviates its impact.

 

 

Grayce is committed to supporting the challenges that employees face in all life stages so that they can focus on their work.

 

Prevent burnout with effective interventions

The global workforce faces unprecedented burnout, absenteeism, and turnover. In fact, our research in our employee leave report showed that the bottom-line impact of increasing burnout and attrition affects nearly every organization in every industry.

One major factor in this is rapidly increasing levels of family caregiving. We know that as many as 75% of workers are caregivers. This means that as these employees finish their work shifts, they go home to hours of added responsibility. According to our research for our employer guide, the number of hours spent on caregiving duties has more than tripled since 2020. Employees spend an average of 26 hours a week on caregiving duties. It’s no wonder caregivers are 3.4X more likely to leave their jobs than their non-caregiver counterparts.

 

Understanding top stressors of caregivers infographic.

Source: Grayce Employer Guide

 

The solutions EAPs offer do little to alleviate employees’ increased strain. These employees need an EAP alternative that offers more than a short-term counseling session or some quick legal advice. They need help navigating the family care ecosystem to access the resources required.

Choosing an EAP alternative that offers a holistic program like Grayce gives your employees a personalized care plan so that they can take action and preserve their long-term well-being before burnout causes attrition or lost productivity.

 

Lower attrition with innovative benefits

Our research (for our employer guide) shows that organizations lose more than $44 billion each year in productivity due to stressors related to family care. On top of that, it is estimated that more than 650,000 jobs are lost each year, and 800,000 employees suffer from absenteeism issues due to caregiving strain.

These stats may seem considerable, but attrition, absenteeism, and lost productivity don’t have to be detrimental to your business. Innovative family care solutions offer employees the support they need to remain productive.

 

Replace your EAP with a comprehensive family support solution like Grayce

Holistic benefits solutions like Grayce get at the root of the problems that many employees face. Because of this, when an employer chooses an EAP alternative like Grayce, their return on investment is substantial. In fact, our employers report a 6.1X return when they partner with Grayce.

When surveyed, 98% of employees who utilize Grayce have saved at least one week of productive time, and 70% of employees reported improved focus at work. What’s more, attrition has been reduced by 38%.

The data is clear: By embracing holistic solutions that address big-picture needs, employers can build a work culture that is equitable and supportive, leading to increased productivity.

Perhaps it’s time to find an EAP alternative that’s more comprehensive–a holistic solution that provides expert guidance and personalized, relationship-based care to support your employees where they are.

 

Learn more about Grayce’s Holistic Family Caregiving Solutions in our Employer Guide.

 

Employer family care guide banner.