Why Employees Don't Use Your EAP (And the One Thing That Actually Works)
- Barbra Okafor
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
You've launched your EAP with care: a polished rollout, manager toolkit, a clear benefits page.
Yet, the only number that counts, Employee Assistance Programme utilization, remains unchanged.
What we consistently see across employers is that low EAP utilisation is rarely an awareness problem, it’s a moment-of-need problem.
Table of contents:
The Hidden Cost of Programs That Sit Unused
When mental health support goes unused, the need doesn't vanish; it simply redistributes itself across your organisation in more costly ways.
The subtle disengagement. The Monday absences that become patterns. The high performer who stops contributing in meetings. This is employee presenteeism, people show up but can't fully function, and it's draining organisations from the inside.
WHO estimates depression and anxiety lead to 12 billion working days lost each year, costing about $1 trillion in lost productivity.
When your EAP sits idle, those costs are transferred to attrition, absence, and the gradual erosion of performance.
Why Standard EAPs Create the Problem They're Meant to Solve
The standard approach to EAP relies on employees self-selecting care. But asking employees to 'shop' for support requires complex decision-making at the exact moment they're least capable of it.
Think about what happens when someone finally considers reaching out: They're tired. Sleep has been terrible for weeks. And now they're supposed to navigate: "Do I need therapy? Or coaching? Is this even serious enough?"
Your program is forcing self-triage, and self-triage is a cognitive task. It requires clarity and judgment. The very things that disappear when someone is anxious or burned out.
So they postpone. Not because they don't want help, but because the system creates friction when they need simplicity most.
This is the core failure of many EAP models: they treat employees like they're shopping for services when what they need is a guide through the fog.
Why "More Communications" Hits a Ceiling
If your utilization is low, the reflexive response is: "We need to promote it more."
Awareness matters. Do the comms. But awareness campaigns hit a ceiling because they don't address the real blocker: decision friction at the moment of need.
Harvard Business Review, citing Gartner research, notes that while most employees have access to well-being offerings, participation remains low, and a key lever is reducing the time and effort required to get started.
That’s why “more awareness” rarely moves the needle on its own: the real test is what the employee experiences in the moment they decide, “I need help.”
You can’t market your way out of a difficult first step.
The Three Design Principles That Move Utilization
If you want EAP utilization rates to shift, stop trying to market your way out of friction. Design your way out.
This is the foundation of Kyan’s EAP 4.0, a shift from reactive programs to proactive mental health systems built around how people actually experience stress.
Principle 1: One Clear Front Door
One place to start. One decision: "I need support." Not "choose between six services" while you're already struggling. The Living EAP model starts here: with radical simplicity at the entry point.
Principle 2: Guided Triage (Not Self-Diagnosis)
Employees shouldn't have to know what they need before they start. Our AI companion, Kai, uses human-driven triage to turn complex needs into simple next steps. It’s where technology becomes truly compassionate.
Principle 3: Warm Human Handoff for Complexity
When situations don't fit neat categories, the system should escalate to a human without making the employee start over. This warm handoff builds continuity and trust.
What to Measure: Utilization and Continuation
Most teams track utilization as if it were the whole story. It's not.
Benchmarks are useful, but measurement gets more powerful when you look beyond the headline. NBGH’s 2022 employer survey reported average utilization of 12% in 2021; employees who did engage averaged 4.3 visits, and utilization ranged from 1% to 50%.
That’s why the second number matters: it tells you whether your EAP creates a pathway, or a one-off pressure release.
Minimum measurement set:
Utilisation rate (who starts)
Visits per participant (who continues)
Time-to-first-support (how fast you respond)
If your utilization hasn't moved in 12 months, don't write another email campaign. Run a friction audit: map the employee journey from "I might need help" → "I got support." Identify the drop-off points killing starts or continuation.
The difference between reactive and proactive systems shows up in the numbers.
Hitachi Energy reports that consolidating fragmented wellbeing initiatives into a single, scalable platform helped reduce stigma and increase engagement in mental health support, alongside measurable productivity gains and a reported >10x ROI.
The key? Removing decision friction through AI companions like Kai and making continuation seamless from day one.
Request a utilization audit here.
Mini FAQ
Why is EAP utilization low?
Employees face decision friction at the moment of need, and friction kills participation even when programs exist.
What is a good EAP utilization rate?
NBGH’s 2022 survey reports an average of 12% (with 4.3 visits per participant). However, rates vary wildly, from as low as 1% to as high as 50%. This massive gap proves that utilisation isn't random; it's a result of program design.
What should we track besides utilization?
Visits per participant (continuation) and time-to-first-support.
What is EAP 4.0?
EAP 4.0 is a proactive mental health model that uses AI-driven triage, guided support, and continuous engagement to remove decision friction when employees need help most. Kyan Health is pioneering this approach, combining AI-powered care navigation with organisational insights that treat employee wellbeing as a measurable business investment.
