Employee assistance program (EAP) engagement shift in problem type relating to personal problems experienced since the onset of COVID-19.
EAP Overall: Year on year engagement analysis
2023 trends to date:
- Annualised individual utilisation has declined slightly to 4.0% from 4.6% in the previous comparable period.
- Mental health issues have increased as a proportion of total problems and are the top problems presented in 2023, unchanged from 2022.
- Organisational and managerial issues are the third ranking problem cluster, up from fourth in 2022.
According to Sanlam Corporate Wellness statistics, there was an increase in EAP engagement during the COVID-19 period due to the following:
- In addition to the usual telephonic and face-to-face services available, increased avenues (live chat, virtual, video, and email counselling) have been made available to employees to reach out to the EAP. They could be under lockdown and still receive counselling and support in the comfort of their home.
- More employees have been seeking support for COVID-19, bereavement, and mental health-related issues. More requests were received for group trauma support for bereavement and mental health issues.
- Proactively, client companies sought and continue to seek additional group support to empower employees in their professional and personal lives.
Engagement is beginning to stabilise to pre-COVID-19 periods, although a sharp increase in employees reaching out to seek support for a wide range of psycho-social and practical issues is evident.
Presentation of mental health concerns, life threat and behavioural risk (high risk cases) is increasing.
Problems presented year-on-year
| 2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
Jan – July 2023 |
| Problem type |
% |
Problem type |
% |
Problem type |
% |
Problem type |
% |
Problem type |
% |
Problem type |
% |
| Relationship Issues |
18.4 |
Relationship Issues |
19.8 |
Mental Health |
18.0 |
Relationship Issues |
18.0 |
Mental Health |
24.5 |
Mental Health |
27.9 |
| Mental Health |
17.5 |
Mental Health |
18.3 |
Relationship Issues |
18.0 |
Mental Health |
17.9 |
Relationship Issues |
19.0 |
Relationship Issues |
18.1 |
| Organisational & Managerial Issues |
12.1 |
Personal Development |
12.2 |
Personal Development |
11.1 |
Covid-19 |
9.6 |
Personal Development |
9.3 |
Organisational & Managerial Issues |
9.2 |
| Personal Development |
11.2 |
Organisational & Managerial Issues |
8.1 |
Covid-19 |
9.6 |
Personal Development |
8.8 |
Organisational & Managerial Issues |
9.2 |
Personal Development |
9.0 |
| Legal Issues |
4.9 |
Information & Resources |
5.5 |
Information & Resources |
7.2 |
Organisational & Managerial Issues |
7.8 |
Loss Issues |
5.1 |
Loss Issues |
4.8 |
| Child & Family Care |
4.8 |
Child & Family Care |
5.0 |
Organisational & Managerial Issues |
6.3 |
Loss Issues |
6.4 |
Child & Family Care |
4.9 |
Child & Family Care |
4.6 |
| Trauma |
4.7 |
Legal Issues |
4.9 |
Legal Issues |
3.9 |
Child & Family Care |
4.3 |
Financial - Planning and Payments |
3.9 |
Financial - Planning and Payments |
4.4 |
| Information & Resources |
4.1 |
Trauma |
4.5 |
Child & Family Care |
3.6 |
Financial - Planning and Payments |
3.8 |
Trauma |
3.8 |
Trauma |
3.8 |
| Health & Lifestyle |
3.7 |
HR Issues |
3.8 |
Loss Issues |
3.6 |
Trauma |
3.8 |
Legal Issues |
3.2 |
Legal Issues |
3.2 |
| HR Issues |
3.7 |
Loss Issues |
3.6 |
Trauma |
3.2 |
Legal Issues |
3.6 |
Health & Lifestyle |
2.7 |
Health & Lifestyle |
3.0 |
**Percentages will not add up to 100% due to only top 10 selected for this purpose.
Mental health admissions per 1000 lives by age
- The trend is increasing for 2023, with 15 mental health authorisations per 1,000 lives for YTD 2023.
- This is most likely due to a combination of pent-up demand, utilisation returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, supply side factors and increased prevalence of mental health conditions following the COVID -19 pandemic.
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