Why Most EAPs Fail (And How to Actually Get Employees to Use Support)
If employees don’t trust or use your EAP, it’s a checkbox benefit, not real support.
Most companies already have an Employee Assistance Programme.
Most employees never touch it.
Industry utilisation rates typically sit between 3% and 8%.
Which means 90%+ of the workforce either doesn’t use support or doesn’t trust it enough to try.
This isn’t a marketing problem.
It’s a design problem.
If you run HR or lead a business, here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Low usage usually means the system feels unsafe, slow, or irrelevant.
Not that your people are fine.
Let’s break down what the data says and what actually changes behaviour.
The utilisation myth
On paper, EAPs look great.
• 24/7 support
• counselling sessions
• “free to employees”
• low cost per head
But real-world usage tells a different story.
Several large studies show consistently low engagement:
• Typical EAP utilisation: 3% to 8% annually
• Even “high performing” programmes often top out at 10–12%
If 9 out of 10 employees aren’t using a benefit that claims to improve wellbeing, the issue isn’t awareness posters.
It’s trust.
Why employees don’t use EAPs
After working with dozens of HR teams and speaking directly with employees, the same patterns show up every time.
Not theory. Behaviour.
Here’s what people actually say privately.
- “My manager will find out.”
Confidentiality fear is the biggest blocker.
Even when HR explains it’s anonymous, employees don’t believe it.
They assume:
• call logs are tracked
• usage is reported
• someone in HR can see names
Research backs this up.
A study published in the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health found perceived lack of confidentiality was the primary reason employees avoided EAPs.
If people think there’s career risk, they won’t engage. End of story.
- “It’s only for crisis situations.”
Most EAPs are framed as emergency support.
So employees think:
“I’m not depressed enough.”
“Someone else needs it more.”
“I shouldn’t take a slot.”
Result: they wait until burnout or a breakdown.
By then it’s expensive and reactive.
Gallup research consistently shows earlier, everyday support prevents bigger mental health costs later.
Yet most programmes are designed for the opposite.
- “It feels clinical and slow.”
Traditional EAP access often looks like this:
• call a number
• wait on hold
• intake form
• triage
• appointment next week
That friction kills behaviour.
Modern consumer behaviour is simple:
If it takes longer than 60 seconds to book, people abandon.
We see this across healthcare, fitness, and finance.
Wellbeing is no different.
- “It’s not for someone like me.”
Generic counselling isn’t enough anymore.
Employees want:
• therapists
• coaches
• fitness
• nutrition
• stress support
• career guidance
One narrow service doesn’t match real life.
McKinsey’s workforce wellbeing reports show employees prefer flexible, preventative support over crisis-only therapy.
If the offer doesn’t feel personally relevant, people ignore it.
- “Nothing changes if I use it.”
This is the quiet one.
Employees often think:
“Even if I talk to someone, my workload stays the same.”
If culture doesn’t support behaviour change, support feels pointless.
No programme fixes burnout caused by poor management.
Trust comes from leadership behaviour first, benefits second.
What actually increases engagement
Here’s what we see consistently move utilisation from single digits to meaningful adoption.
These are practical changes, not theory.
- Make anonymity obvious and non-negotiable
Not “confidential”.
Anonymous.
Clear language:
Your employer will never know if you use this.
No names. No reports. No tracking.
Repeat it everywhere.
In launches. Emails. Posters. Webinars.
If there’s any doubt, usage drops.
- Remove friction
Booking should feel like ordering food.
• 60 seconds
• mobile first
• choose your person
• pick a time
• done
Every extra step halves completion rates.
- Broaden beyond therapy
Support should match real life.
Not everyone needs counselling.
Sometimes they need:
• a PT
• a coach
• someone to talk through life stress
• help sleeping
• help managing workload
The wider the entry points, the higher the engagement.
- Normalise usage
If leaders don’t use it publicly, nobody else will.
When managers say:
“I booked a session this week, highly recommend it”
usage spikes.
Behaviour spreads socially, not through policy.
- Talk about prevention, not crisis
Frame support like a gym.
Something you use regularly.
Not an ambulance.
Language matters more than you think.
Section 4
The business case HR actually cares about
This isn’t about being nice.
It’s about cost.
Poor mental health is expensive.
Reputable estimates:
• Deloitte UK: £45–56 billion annual cost of poor mental health to employers
• WHO: every $1 invested in mental health returns $4 in productivity
• Gallup: burned-out employees are 2.6x more likely to be actively seeking another job
Low utilisation means you’re paying for a benefit that isn’t reducing those costs.
High utilisation means:
• fewer sick days
• higher retention
• better focus
• lower recruitment spend
The goal isn’t to “offer support”.
The goal is to get people to actually use it.
The blunt truth
If only 5% of employees engage, you don’t have a wellbeing programme.
You have a checkbox.
And employees know the difference.
They can smell when something is there for procurement, not for them.
Design for safety.
Design for speed.
Design for real life.
Engagement follows.
Most wellbeing benefits look good in a slide deck and get ignored in reality.
ReechUs was built to fix that.
If you’re serious about moving utilisation from 5% to something that actually changes retention and burnout, let’s talk.
Email info@Reechus.com or book time directly: https://www.reechus.com/calendly
No pitch. We’ll show you the model and you can decide if it fits.
References and data sources
• Deloitte – Mental health and employers: The case for investment
https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consulting/articles/mental-health-and-employers.html
• Gallup – Employee burnout and wellbeing research
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/237059/employee-burnout-part-main-causes.aspx
• World Health Organization – Mental health at work and return on investment data
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work
• CIPD – Health and wellbeing at work survey (annual benchmarking across UK employers)
https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/well-being/health-well-being-work
• Employee Assistance Professionals Association – EAP utilisation benchmarks and industry standards
https://www.eapassn.org
• Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health – Research on barriers to EAP use and confidentiality concerns
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wwbh20/current
Optional (strong add if you want more “boardroom weight”)
• McKinsey & Company – Workforce wellbeing and productivity insights
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights
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