The mis-use of EAPs

“EAPs were set up to have a positive effect on the mental health of the workforce”

clock • 4 min read

Karl Bennett, chair, Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA UK), discusses how the industry should aim to lower employee assistance programme (EAP) usage levels and move away from EAPs as an emergency service.

Newly released figures on the use of EAPs in the UK show rising demand for support among employees. EAPs have become a pillar of organisational health in the UK, available as an option for more than half of UK employees (working in 186,000 organisations). In particular, the past two years have seen a growing number of medium-sized and smaller employers adopting EAPs. The 2025 market report from EAPA UK, Focusing on the Job: EAPs and Keeping Britain Working, suggests that more than 623,000 workers contacted EAP providers in the previous year. The most common reasons for looking for su...

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