Case Study from CuraLinc Provides Insight into EAP-Driven Outcomes for Employee Depression, Absenteeism, Productivity and Alcohol Abuse
To most employers, the value of an employee assistance program (EAP) is based on the understanding that employees with unresolved mental health, substance use, and emotional well-being concerns often have troubles in their professional and personal lives that ultimately impact the organization’s bottom line. Historically, EAP providers have used a variety of metrics to illustrate their ability to resolve or mitigate these concerns, such as employee utilization, referrals to external resources, satisfaction surveys or website usage. While these measurements are effective and valuable tools that help employers evaluate the reach of the program, they don’t truly measure the impact of the EAP on employee health, well-being and productivity.
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New research by CuraLinc Healthcare, a leading provider of employee assistance and mental health programs, suggests that models with the proper construct and focus can facilitate meaningful and lasting behavior change that leads to a decrease in absenteeism, an increase in productivity and improved health outcomes for employees who present with depression or alcohol use.
Depression
- 80.8% of employees with moderate, moderately-severe or severe depression migrated to minimal or mild depression after EAP treatment.
- Only 12.4% of participants with depression were in a high-risk range after using the EAP, compared to nearly 62% prior to participating in the program.
Productivity
- 78.2% of EAP participants reported improved productivity after using the program.
- 76.4% of employees reported ‘high’ productivity after EAP treatment, up from 32.9% prior to using the program.
Absenteeism
- The average time missed from work due to the employee’s presenting concern dropped from 10.3 hours to 3.1 hours after using the EAP.
- From among employees who missed at least 40 hours of work prior to using the EAP, over three-fourths of them (75.8%) missed no time at all after EAP treatment.
Alcohol Use
- The percentage of employees at higher alcohol risk levels dropped from 60.6% to 16.6% after EAP treatment.
- After using the EAP, 83.4% of employees who used or abused alcohol were considered low risk.
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The aforementioned results came from an analysis of 10,170 EAP cases that originated between January 1 and December 31, 2020. Although data was collected from all participants, including spouses and dependents, only results from covered employees of CuraLinc clients were used in the study.
CuraLinc used four evidence-based instruments to evaluate data from EAP participants. The SPS-6 (Productivity) and WOS (Absenteeism) were used for all employees; and the PHQ-9 and AUDIT were offered to employees who presented with depression and alcohol abuse, respectively. After the assessment, CuraLinc followed up at the 30-day mark to measure changes in the employee’s health and productivity, as well as their satisfaction with the EAP.
“Our clinical model was purposefully built to eliminate treatment gaps and increase the likelihood of positive health and productivity outcomes,” said CuraLinc’s Senior Vice President of Administration, David Pawlowski, LCPC, CEAP, SAP. “The pandemic put a real spotlight on an employer’s role in the emotional fitness of its employees – and, specifically, on the importance of quality, evidence-based mental health care as a key business requirement.”
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