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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesChoose an employee assistance program (EAP) by comparing what each option actually provides—not by the “EAP” label or whether it is bundled at no extra charge. Define the help your team needs, then compare service scope, confidential access, clinical qualifications, workforce coverage, total cost, contract terms, reporting, and implementation. For a small technology company, also ask whether a consortium or existing health-plan benefit can meet those needs.
Start with the support your team needs
An EAP can range from a narrow counseling benefit to a broader program that includes referrals, work-life support, manager consultation, training, or help responding to critical incidents. Providers also differ in whether services are delivered internally, externally, or through a blended model. Ask for a written list of what is included, optional, and excluded; the program name alone does not establish its scope. The Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA) describes these differences in its purchaser guidance.
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Before requesting proposals, identify the situations you want the program to help with. A distributed technology team may need reliable phone or video access, referrals near employees’ homes, and coverage for every location where staff work. Managers may need consultation, while employees may value family eligibility or practical help with legal, financial, or work-life concerns. Treat each as a question to resolve with providers, not an assumed standard feature.
- Employee assessment, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up
- Eligibility for spouses, dependents, or other family members
- Financial, legal, or work-life support
- Manager consultation, training, and critical-incident response
- Phone, in-person, video, and online or self-service options
These are possible service areas, not a minimum definition of an EAP. For example, HHS Federal Occupational Health describes a broad set of services in its own federal program; that program is an illustration, not a commercial plan recommendation or a guarantee of what a vendor includes. See HHS Federal Occupational Health’s EAP description.
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Compare access and provider quality
Ask how employees actually reach help and what happens after first contact. Compare phone, in-person, video, and self-service routes; operating hours; promised response times; referral processes; and any accessibility accommodations. Request written confirmation of language and geographic coverage, including local referral availability. Do not assume that a provider serving your headquarters can serve remote employees in every state or country where the team operates.
Ask who handles intake, what qualifications and EAP experience intake staff and counselors have, and how local clinicians are vetted. Find out how an employee can request a different counselor or be referred to a higher level of care. SAMHSA recommends asking prospective EAPs whether staff belong to a professional EAP association; association membership can be one data point, not proof of clinical quality. Its employer guidance is available at SAMHSA’s EAP questions for employers.
Make confidentiality concrete
Ask each provider for its privacy notice and a plain-language map of what information moves between the employee, provider, employer, and any referral partner. Clarify whether the employer receives identifiable case information, who can access any data, what aggregate reports are supplied, how records are secured, and what exceptions apply in emergencies or under law. Confirm that the EAP provider is independent of employment decision-making.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Federal EEOC guidance describes conditions under which an EAP counselor may ask an employee about medical conditions: the counselor must not act for the employer, must shield disclosed information from employment decision-makers, and must have no power to affect employment decisions. The guidance explains a particular ADA context; it is not a blanket promise that every interaction is confidential under every circumstance. Read the EEOC’s enforcement guidance and have counsel review proposed data flows for your circumstances.
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Employers also have their own duties for medical information they obtain. The EEOC’s small-business primer says, “With limited exceptions, you must keep confidential any medical information you learn about an applicant or employee,” and advises keeping such information in a separate medical file rather than regular personnel files. See the EEOC small-business primer. Do not request employee-level EAP information unless it is needed for program administration, and agree in advance on how reports will avoid identifying people in small groups. State and local rules may add requirements beyond this U.S. federal guidance.
Compare cost and contract terms, not just the headline fee
There is no established current market price here for a small technology company. SAMHSA notes that price depends on the selected service package, including factors such as counseling-session allowances and the covered population. Ask providers to quote the same assumptions so you can compare the full annual cost rather than an unexplained per-employee figure.
Request a written breakdown covering:
- Total annual fee and the employees and family members counted
- Number of counseling sessions, who may use them, and the period or issue to which limits apply
- Optional services, add-on fees, and implementation charges
- Renewal date, price-change terms, service levels, and cancellation rights
- Transition support and data retention or deletion when the contract ends
Ask whether your health plan already bundles an EAP, and compare that written scope with a standalone proposal. “Included” describes how a benefit is priced; it does not tell you whether the service scope, access, or reporting fits your team. For a small employer, a purchasing consortium may be another route to investigate. Confirm eligibility, price, service limits, and contract terms directly with the consortium or provider; availability and savings are not guaranteed.
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Ask for sample reports and define utilization measures in the contract or implementation plan. Providers may use “utilization” differently, so request separate figures for clinical cases, participation in other EAP services, and organizational activities such as manager consultation or training. Agree on the review schedule and ensure reporting does not disclose individual cases or make small groups identifiable. EASNA discusses this variation in its purchaser guidance.
Plan implementation for a small, distributed team
Name an internal owner, decide how employees will find private self-referral channels, and ask what launch communications, orientations, and manager guidance are included. Plan periodic reminders rather than assuming employees will remember a benefit they heard about once. EASNA notes that implementation and ongoing promotion affect awareness and use.
Use a common set of questions for each candidate so differences are visible:
- Which services are included in the quoted fee, and which cost extra?
- How many counseling sessions are available, for whom, and per what period or issue?
- Which contact channels and hours are available, and what response time is promised?
- Which employee locations and languages can you serve, and how are local referrals vetted?
- What employee-level information, if any, can the employer see? How do reports protect small groups from identification?
- Can you provide sample reports that separate clinical cases, other service use, and organizational activity?
- What qualifications and EAP experience do intake staff and counselors have? How can an employee request another provider?
- What implementation, communications, orientations, and manager consultations are included?
- Is a small-employer consortium or bundled plan available, and what are its eligibility rules, limits, and full terms?
- What renewal, price-change, cancellation, incident-response, and data-retention terms apply?
For a lean company, an external provider or consortium may avoid the staffing burden of building an internal program, but that is a practical possibility, not a universal cost conclusion. The cited legal guidance is U.S.-focused and does not establish clinical or legal availability across borders. Check coverage and applicable obligations for each place your employees work.
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