4 reasons why employees don’t use EAP Services (with solutions)

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are designed to support staff through personal and professional challenges, yet engagement with EAP services remains surprisingly low.

The percentage of workers relying on EAP services has remained at just 5%- 10% since the early 1980s. That’s well below the 20% use rate HR would be “thrilled” to see or the 50% rate that would send employers “over the moon”.

If employees aren’t using the EAP you’ve invested in, it’s usually for one of four reasons — all of which can be solved with the right approach. Let’s tackle each one.

1. Low Awareness of EAP Services

Many employees simply don’t know their organisation offers an EAP service, or what support it actually provides. When mental wellbeing support is buried within an insurance package or mentioned briefly during onboarding, it’s easy for employees to overlook what help is actually available.

If you’ve introduced an EAP quietly — or promoted it only once — awareness will remain low, and so will usage.

Solution: Communicate Clearly and Often

Tell employees exactly what the EAP covers, including support for:

• Financial stress

• Marital or relationship issues

• Parenting and blended family challenges

• Illness, caregiving responsibilities, and chronic conditions

• Stress-related illness

• Grief and bereavement

• Gambling, addiction, or substance misuse

• Eating disorders

• Workplace conflict or burnout

• Depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts

• Traumatic events or line-of-duty incidents

To increase awareness:

• Include EAP information in your employee newsletter

• Add clear instructions on how to access the EAP service

• Send periodic email reminders with login instructions

• Add details to your staff handbook and onboarding materials

• Display posters or flyers in shared spaces

• Talk about it during team meetings

• Provide training sessions on your mental health programme and how to access support

Consistent communication drives engagement. If employees don’t know what support exists, they simply can’t use it.

2. Lack of Privacy

For many employees, the biggest barrier to using an EAP service is fear: “What if my manager finds out?” or “Will this go on my record?”

Concerns about confidentiality still prevent employees from seeking help — and not always without reason. A BBC investigation revealed that the UK’s largest provider of workplace mental health services allowed corporate leaders to listen in on employee calls without their knowledge, a serious breach of privacy and data protection laws.

Solution: Reassure Employees With Transparency and Ethics

Anyone providing clinical care — therapists, counsellors, social workers — is bound by strict codes of ethics requiring complete confidentiality. Breaking that confidentiality can result in legal and professional misconduct consequences.

Organisations must reinforce this clearly and consistently:

• Explain that EAP sessions are confidential and not reported back to the employer

• Clarify that no records are shared with HR or management

• Highlight the only exception: when someone is at risk of harming themselves or others (duty to warn)

When employees understand the privacy protections in place, they are far more likely to seek help when they need it.

3. Stigma

Despite growing awareness around mental health, stigma remains a significant barrier. Seventy percent of Irish workers believe that disclosing a mental health issue could negatively impact their job or how they’re treated by colleagues and managers.

In workplaces where stress is high or vulnerability is discouraged, seeking help can feel risky.

Solution: Leadership Must Lead by Example

Culture begins at the top. To reduce stigma, leaders and managers must:

• Actively encourage employees to access support

• Communicate openly about the importance of mental health

• Normalise seeking help as a sign of strength, not weakness

And yes — managers should be involved in supporting employee mental health. Research from UKG shows that managers influence employee wellbeing 18% more than doctors and 28% more than therapists.

When leaders champion mental health, employees feel safer using the support available.

4. Cookie-Cutter Care

Many traditional EAP service models rely on a standardised, generic model of care. Employees are often matched with a random therapist, regardless of their specific needs — or worse, steered toward apps, chatbots, or self-help tools as the primary form of support. (See our breakdown of digital vs. psychologist-led EAP models here.)

This one-size-fits-all approach leaves many people feeling misunderstood, unsupported, or unwilling to continue.

Solution: Personalised, Clinically-Led, and Hybrid Care

At BetterCare, we replace the EAP service model with personalised, continuous care delivered by qualified and licensed clinicians.

Here’s how our approach works:

• Employees are matched with a clinician whose expertise fits their needs

• They continue with the same therapist throughout their sessions, building trust and deeper therapeutic progress

• Our hybrid care model combines digital tools with specialist-led therapy — providing flexibility without compromising clinical quality

• After the initial support period, employees can self-refer back to therapy whenever they need more help

This model ensures employees receive the right care, at the right time, from the right professional — improving trust, outcomes, and long-term engagement.