Outcomes and Impact

Case Study from CuraLinc Provides Insight into EAP-Driven Outcomes for Employee Depression, Absenteeism, Productivity and Alcohol Abuse

March 16, 2021. Chicago, IL. 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.

New research by CuraLinc Healthcare 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.

Other Findings

  • Employers that offer EAP counseling models with seven or more sessions realized better outcomes than those with lower session models. 

  • The EAP had a greater impact on productivity and absenteeism from male employees, compared to females.

  • Employees in the restaurant/retail industry reported the highest EAP-driven improvement in both absenteeism rates and productivity.

  • Prior to using the EAP, Gen-Z reported the lowest productivity, but their productivity gains were higher than Gen-X and Millennial employees.

  • Employees who chose digital or remote treatment options counseling reported similar improvements to employees who chose in-person counseling.

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 the following clinically-validated instruments to evaluate data from EAP participants.

  • Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6): Productivity

  • Workplace Outcomes Suite (WOS): Absenteeism

  • Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9): Depression

  • Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): Alcohol Use

CuraLinc offered the SPS-6 and WOS to all employees; and offered the PHQ-9 and AUDIT 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.”

 

About CuraLinc Healthcare

CuraLinc Healthcare, headquartered in Chicago, provides transformative mental health care fueled by connectivity – marrying technology and personalized advocacy to engage, empower and support employees throughout their care journey.  For more information, please call 800.490.1585, email info@curalinc.com or visit www.curalinc.com. Additional details regarding this study can also be found at www.eapoutcomes.com.

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