We’ve all experienced a time when life has become a bit overwhelming – sometimes it’s a result of work stress. Sometimes it's down to something else – our health, our finances or our relationships.It is not surprising then that up to 1/4 of all employees in South Africa will experience depression or some kind of mental health problem each year. This is costing employers up to R161 billion per year if left untreated. It's therefore vital that businesses try and protect this value by investing in services to support mental health in the workplace.What’s more, a report from WITS University found that 1/4 of South Africans are experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of depression – meaning companies will no longer be able to offer mental health initiatives as an afterthought. If they want to retain their people, continue to attract top talent and have them perform at their best, mental health support benefits are going to be mandatory. There are plenty of measures that can be put in place to support workplace mental health, a major one being Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP). EAPs are an investment in the wellbeing of employees and can help individuals with pretty much anything that’s problematic in their daily lives – this could be work stress, a relationship breakdown or financial issues.Despite much of the population being faced with mental health problems that EAPs often address, studies have consistently shown that less than 10% of the average workforce uses their EAP. This suggests there’s a worrying gap between the support services being offered and what employees actually need and use.Simply offering an EAP for your employees isn't enough on its own. Its value is limited unless employees know what’s availabl, how to access it and actually use it. So, how can you maximise awareness of your EAP within your organisation and make it a key pillar of mental health support at work?Here are a few ways to help your employees make the most of your EAP: 1) Boost your EAP’s visibilityOften businesses think that a once-off communication to their people is enough to promote their EAP effectively. However, the stats speak for themselves, and the fact that so few employees actually engage with these programmes suggests that a lot more could be done to encourage usage.It’s important that businesses identify the best internal channels to share how the EAP works and highlight the benefits of using the service. As well as posting full details on your intranet, you could also try sharing information via messaging channels like Slack, email, or even asking business leaders to talk about the EAP during team meetings.Promotional campaigns need to be frequent and ongoing if you want the message to stick. If your company runs health and wellbeing events or celebrates awareness days such as World Mental Health Day, these can be excellent opportunities to get your EAP in front of your people and remind them of how it can help them.2) Guarantee confidentialityEven if they know about their EAP, a major reason why employees may not make use of the programme is due to a lack of trust in the services and uncertainty around whether their issues will really be kept confidential from their employer.EAPs deal with deeply personal issues, from financial and family struggles to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. If your employees don't have complete trust in the service, they simply won't use it.It is a standard practice for any good EAP provider to adhere to strict confidentiality guidelines. So, by highlighting that confidentiality is guaranteed particularly when it comes to counselling and mental health services and reiterating the message at every opportunity – you can help reduce people's reluctance and increase uptake of these vital support services to improve workplace mental health.3) Integrate it into a wider wellbeing strategyWhile EAPs are very important for improving mental health in the workplace, they shouldn’t be the only component of your wellbeing strategy. Additional employee benefits and services including virtual healthcare, fitness memberships, mindfulness subscriptions and insurance coverage can all serve to promote overall employee wellbeing.It is therefore important that the employee journey is made as simple as possible and that your EAP is linked to these related services. Ensuring that different services integrate and work effectively together is fundamental when delivering a wellbeing strategy that is accessible and engaging.YuLife’s Employee Assistance Programme offering supports employees with work, relationship or financial issues by providing life coaches, access to qualified advisers, structured clinical counselling and 24/7 access to clinically trained mental health experts.Our in-app Wellbeing Hub also makes it easy for employees to access their EAP alongside their entire suite of health and wellness tools from one location on their smartphones.Providing a general culture of wellbeing that meets the needs of the workforce is key to improving mental health across your business. YuLife offers companies an easy way to provide and integrate all the key elements of employee health and wellbeing – including life insurance, digital health services, an EAP and a gamified app that rewards employees for practising healthy behaviours such as walking and meditation.About YuLife.YuLife is working to reimagine the insurance industry by protecting lives, rewarding living and inspiring life. We’re on a mission to transform traditional insurance into a life-enhancing experience every employee will value and use daily. How does it work? Our award-winning app uses behavioural science and game mechanics to reward your people for living well while offering protection in case of crisis. And with our top-rated employee assistance program, your team gets access to mental, financial and social support to help them live their best lives.Because we believe that your employees should benefit from their insurance from day one – and that wellbeing should be accessible every day, for everyone.Request a demo for your team today.