Morneau Shepell – a leading global provider of total wellbeing, mental health, digital mental health services and one of the largest U.S. employee assistance program (EAP) providers – and the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA), today announced the publication of the 2020 Workplace Outcome Suite (WOS) Annual Reports. The results identified work presenteeism as the number one employee issue, both in terms of its negative impact on the workforce, and the extent of improvement after EAP counseling. This issue also translated into the greatest source of cost savings and ROI.
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“The results of the 2020 Workplace Outcome Suite confirm that short-term counseling offered through EAPs work very well for employees and employers alike,” said Barb Veder, vice president, global clinical services, research lead and chief clinician, Morneau Shepell. “At a time when employees need convenient and effective support for work and life issues, employers looking for a cost-effective way to both provide this benefit while countering presenteeism and absenteeism should strongly consider an EAP.”
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Findings show EAP counseling helps concentration, productivity and more
After comparing WOS measures at the start of EAP counseling and about three months after counseling ended, the study found:
- 56 percent reported that their issue was making it difficult to concentrate on work. After counseling, this was reduced to 28 percent of all cases.
- 37 percent reported dissatisfaction with life overall, indicating a level of clinical distress. After counseling, the rate was reduced to 16 percent of all cases.
- 32 percent reported not being engaged in their work. After counseling, the rate of all cases was reduced to 23 percent.
- 29 percent missed a half day or more of work time. After counseling, this was reduced to just 13 percent of all cases.
- 22 percent reported feelings of dread when going to the workplace (“workplace distress”). After counseling, this rate was reduced to 13 percent of all cases.
EAP counseling provides positive return on investment (ROI) for employers
The estimated ROI ranged from 3:1 for small size employers, 5:1 for medium size employer and to 9:1 for large size employers in the United States. The results also found cost savings ranging from about $2,000 to $3,500 per employee from reductions in work presenteeism (87 percent of total return) and absenteeism (13 percent). A break-even 1:1 ROI was possible even at a very low utilization level of just one EAP counseling case per every 100 covered employees.
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