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Below is our recent interview with Seth Moeller, President at KGA:
Q: Please tell us about KGA.
A: KGA provides contemporary Employee Assistance Programs and Work-Life Programs (EAPs), designed to help today’s busy professionals manage their work, home and emotional wellbeing. By focusing on employees and their household members, we boost our client’s ability to create and sustain a healthy, engaged and productive workforce. Our Employee Assistance Program is customized to integrate with our client’s culture, HR operations, employee benefits and wellness programs.
Q: Why are EAP and Work-Life programs getting such traction today?
A: There are three reason driving the demand for strong EAPs:
1. There is less stigma about mental health issues and more people are demanding access to qualified support to address many common conditions.
2. Many corporate wellness programs are finally recognizing employee stress as a major contributor to employee presenteeism and health care costs. Employers want programs that can integrate traditional mental health support and “work-life” solutions such as child/elder care, financial wellbeing and legal concerns.
3. As societal awareness of the prevalence and impact of mental health challenges increases, employers are paying more attention to the associated risks. They want strong tools and partners to help address these issues within the workforce.
Recommended: Q: How do companies benefit from a partnership with KGA?
A: In addition to wraparound support for each individual employee who accesses the EAP for support, KGA delivers active partnerships year in, year out. We are not a “set and forget” benefits partner. Our account team manages an annual promotion plan with each client to ensure the effective promotion of the EAP across the organization to all employee and stakeholder groups. After all, any EAP is only as valuable as it is visible… and trusted.
Q: If you were looking to partner with an EAP, what are the 3 most important features to evaluate?
A: 1. Level of support your employees receive. Keep in mind, people reach to an EAP at the exact time they are struggling to manage their own life (mental health issue and/or challenging personal issues such as legal concerns or eldercare challenges). When solutions rely heavily on “self-serve” platforms the individual is left to navigate solutions on his/her own. That’s why it’s important to enable users to quickly access support directly from experienced and compassionate professionals. Will a competent person say “hello” 24/7 when they call?
2. Integration across all employee benefits and services. To what degree does the EAP help callers understand and access other benefits available to them through their employer? Look for providers that make this a service a priority and are willing to integrate promotion across all employee benefits and wellness programs.
3. Competence in a crisis. To what degree is the EAP provider prepared, staffed and focused on responding when the unexpected happens? Immediate and appropriate response following a crisis is critical and serves two purposes; to help employees return to a sense of normal, and to reinforce the brand of the company as a competent and compassionate employer.
Q: What is your competitive landscape like in this business?
A: The last 5 years have seen consolidation within the EAP industry. Many quality EAP providers who were focused on serving regional markets have been gobbled up by larger national brands. Overwhelmingly, this has brought a shift towards platform-based self-support service models. There are also single-issue solutions new to the market, with providers offering in-depth support around one topic such as sleep, financial wellbeing, special needs support, etc. While some of these providers have become effective partners for EAPs, the challenge is reinforcing the need for broad and integrated support services as offered by a good EAP.
Q: Describe something new that you’ve undertaken in the last couple of years.
A: The introduction of technology to lower barriers of access to the EAP. It’s not just the youngest employees who expect multiple point of access. In addition to the traditional 800 number, we support text, chat and many online self-evaluation tools. We have introduced an app that enables anytime access from anywhere.
Q: KGA recently announced their Top 10 Wellbeing Apps of 2018. Why has KGA taken it upon itself to rank apps related to behavioral/mental health?
A: There is absolutely a place for e-based solutions and we welcome evolution in the behavioral/mental health field. As an EAP with 36 years of experience, we know firsthand how people seeking support need immediate help, especially for emotional/mental issues. These same people are not in a good place to be finding and evaluating different apps. To help, we are highlighting those apps we believe are strong. We recommend these apps to individuals as an adjunct to other forms of clinical and work-life support we provide.
Q: What was most important to KGA when evaluating these apps?
A: We looked for simple concepts, usability, efficacy and cost.
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Q: How have your clients responded to KGA’s Top 10 Wellbeing Apps?
A: 2018 is our 4th year of naming KGA’s top ten apps. Each year we distribute our top ten list to thousands of employees, many of whom are very appreciative. People tell us they simply did not know these solutions were available and that they trust KGA’s recommendations. Most people are not interested in experimenting with apps…they want something they can trust.
Q: What are some of your long-term goals for KGA?
A: 1. Double down on high quality (high-touch) EAP services. As the market continues to evolve toward fewer larger providers, we see a clear need for providers that continue to find ways to provide efficient and high-quality person-to-person support. The demand for quality mental health support is increasing, and users need all the support they can get.
2. Strike the balance between person-to-person and web-based support approaches that enable all users to reach the support they need. The world is changing, but the prevalence of addiction, depression and anxiety in the workforce is stubbornly consistent. The marketplace needs to balance new approaches with those that are tried and tested.
3. Provide work-life services to other EAP providers. For years KGA has integrated work-life support into our own services, and there is clear demand within the industry for quality partners in these areas. We will continue to grow by providing other EAP providers with back-office fulfillment of high-quality work-life support in the areas of childcare, eldercare and convenience services.
