Building an EAP with a 75% Engagement Rate – A Logistics & Media Tech Transformation
How we built a right-sized EAP, pan-India awareness, and manager-led first response into one connected mental health partnership.
The challenge
Despite growing awareness of mental health in the workplace, most Employee Assistance Programmes remain underutilized — industry-wide EAP engagement averages sit below 5%. The organisation, operating across IT, SaaS and media verticals, faced a workforce where stigma, lack of awareness, and one-size-fits-all solutions were quietly undermining employee wellbeing.
- Deep-Rooted Stigma: Employees across all levels viewed mental health support as a sign of weakness, not a workplace resource.
- Low Baseline Utilization: Existing wellness initiatives were generating less than 5% engagement, mirroring the industry average.
- Diverse Workforce Needs: With teams spread across cities and sectors, a single approach could not address the spectrum of needs — from tech burnout to creative industry pressure.
Our approach
We designed and deployed a connected, multi-layered mental health ecosystem — not just a helpline, but a living support architecture that embedded mental health into the organisation's daily rhythm:
Pan-India Awareness Sessions
Rolling out structured mental health literacy programmes across all offices, breaking stigma through education, storytelling, and normalising help-seeking behaviour.
Multi-Lingual Counseling Access
Providing confidential counseling in multiple languages, ensuring accessibility for every employee regardless of location, seniority, or linguistic comfort.
Manager-Led Psychological First Aid
Training people managers to recognise early signs of distress and respond with empathy — turning them into a genuine first line of support, not bystanders.
Impact and outcome
The programme achieved what most EAPs never come close to — genuine, sustained engagement that fundamentally changed how the organisation approaches employee mental health.
- 75% Engagement Rate: Against an industry average of less than 5%, the programme achieved 75% active participation — a transformational shift in help-seeking behaviour.
- ₹40L Estimated Productivity Savings: Reduced absenteeism, lower presenteeism, and earlier intervention translated into measurable business impact.
- Transformed Help-Seeking Culture: Mental health moved from a taboo topic to an organisational priority, with managers proactively initiating support conversations.
"We went from an EAP that existed on paper to one that people actually use. The shift wasn't just in numbers — it was in how openly our teams now talk about mental health. That's the real win."