#unEAP by Zenovate aims to transform the outsourced, per-employee-per-month charge for employee assistance programs into a fee-for-service model, where employers pay only when employees use their services.
With an increased focus on employee wellness, the spotlight has again shifted towards employee assistance programs (EAP). While companies have provided such programs for a long time as an employee benefitOpens a new window , the value that they extend to employees has increased exponentially owing to the pandemic. Some programs have now become a single source of support – both financial and emotional.
Intending to transform the way EAPs work, ZenovateOpens a new window , a workplace wellness services provider since 2010, has announced its #unEAP initiative. Through this, it has announced a completely new pricing model that rewards high utilization, innovative employee engagementOpens a new window strategies, and access to real-time data. Typical EAP providers usually use the capitated pricing model, where they follow the charging per employee per month (PEPM) approach. As a result of this approach, providers make more money when the services used are fewer. They focus on keeping the utilization low.
Through the #unEAP approach, the employers will end up paying only for services that they actually use. They will also have the provision to earn discounts from high utilization. The platform also provides yoga, guided meditation, nutrition coaching, personal training, and massages – both virtually and onsite.
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How Are EAPs Designed to Manage Employee Issues?
The final goal of an efficient EAP is to ensure excellent employee experienceOpens a new window , engagement, and wellness related support. EAPs can help employees manage issues ranging from stress and depression to financial concerns and family issues.
Financial planning support
Some EAPs incorporate financial planning support in a more significant way than others. For example, Sun LifeOpens a new window , in partnership with ComPsych®, has an EAP called EAP By Design℠. The program has three tiers and provides access to an array of confidential counseling and support services. It covers financial as well as legal counseling.
Health education and mental wellness support
Solutions such as MinddistrictOpens a new window , which has e-health tools, provide 360-degree employee care packages that can assist them with their wellness needs. They also have modules aligned to improving mental health.
There are others targeted toward certain employee groups, such as Vital WorkLife EAPOpens a new window . They provide specialized counseling support for nurses and educators and have special Nurse Peer Coaching and Educator Peer Coaching resources.
Apart from this, an EAP such as Health AdvocateOpens a new window provides information that helps Americans understand the complexity of the healthcare system. They also have behavioral health and wellness programs that use machine learning to lead people toward being more engaged in their own health.
Return to work and work-life support
In many cases, EAPs are valuable tools through which counselors work with workers in terms of their compensation, wellness, and behavioral health to support the employee.
Workplace OptionsOpens a new window is an EAP that provides 24/7 access to the global platform that includes counseling, work-life services, and more features based on customization. It is offered in English and local languages. It also has services for EAPs, such as Answer 24, which is a clinical answering service that contains a menu of options such as assessments, work-life solutions, and triage services.
EAP services are usually available to employees as well as their immediate family members or anyone else who lives with them. These EAPs can be managed inhouse by internal teams within the organization or outsourced to those which provide specific service providers and paid for depending on the number of employees.
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Why a Fee-for-Service Model Can Be a Game-Changer of EAP Utilization
The aim of #unEAP by Zenovate is to transform the outsourced and paid approach to employee assistance programs by focusing on a fee-for-service model, where employers pay only when employees utilize their services.
Amelia Wilcox, CEO of Zenovate said, “This all started when we couldn’t get our previous EAP to give us access to our data. We were paying for something our team didn’t know we offered, we knew it wasn’t getting used, and we couldn’t even see how it was performing. It was incredibly frustrating. We needed a better solution, but it didn’t exist – until today. We are perfectly poised to be that solution and take on this industry – it’s basically begging us to come in and shake things up.â€
This model can lead to higher trust toward the EAP provider, greater transparency, and a more cost-optimized program for organizations. More importantly, organizations will be more driven to encourage employees toward utilizing EAP services.