Name: Employee Assistance Program (EAP) introduction letter template | Sep 26
Brand: HRDocBox
SKU: HRDBOX-548
Price: 9.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

What's included in this template?

This template brings together the key information, sections and considerations you need to create a clear, comprehensive and professional HR document. Preview the document below.

Introduction to the EAP
Purpose and benefits of the service
Types of support available
How employees can access support
Confidentiality information
Practical contact details

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Template

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Email

[Sender name]

[Sender address]

[date]

[Recipient name]

[Recipient address]

Dear [Recipient first name],

Employee Assistance Programme

Private & Confidential

We are pleased to confirm that [Company Name] provides access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) through [EAP Provider]. The service is available to support employees with a range of personal and work-related issues.

The EAP provides access to [briefly describe services, for example: confidential counselling, emotional support, financial guidance, legal information and practical advice]. You do not need to be experiencing a serious problem to use the service and you are welcome to access it whenever you feel it would be helpful.

How to access the service

Provider	[EAP Provider]
Telephone	[Telephone number]
Website	[Website / URL]
Email / other access	[Details,

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What is an employee assistance program (EAP) introduction letter?

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) introduction letter template preview

This letter provides a straightforward way of introducing an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to employees and explaining how they can access confidential support. It helps employees understand what the service is for, what types of assistance may be available and how they can use it.

Introducing the service

The letter can explain why the organisation provides an EAP and reassure employees that it is intended to provide support with personal or work-related issues. It can introduce the service in a positive and accessible way without suggesting that employees need to be experiencing a particular problem before they can use it.

Explaining the support available

An EAP may provide access to a range of support, which can include emotional support, counselling, practical guidance, financial or legal information and assistance with other personal circumstances. The letter can be adapted to reflect the services actually provided by the organisation's EAP provider.

Accessing the EAP

The letter can provide the practical information employees need to use the service, including the provider's contact details, telephone number, website, app or other access arrangements and any relevant opening hours. Keeping these details together makes the service easier for employees to access when they need it.

Confidentiality and employee choice

Employees should understand how confidentiality operates and that using the EAP is normally voluntary. The letter can explain that information is handled by the EAP provider in accordance with its confidentiality arrangements and should accurately reflect the provider's own terms, including any limited circumstances where information may need to be disclosed.

Example

An organisation introduces an Employee Assistance Programme to provide employees with access to confidential support for personal and work-related issues. The organisation's HR team prepares an introduction letter explaining the purpose of the service and why it is being made available to employees.

The letter explains that the EAP can provide support in areas such as emotional wellbeing, counselling, financial concerns, legal information and other personal difficulties, but makes clear that the exact services available depend on the organisation's chosen provider. It includes the provider's telephone number, website and opening hours so employees know how to make contact.

The letter also explains that using the EAP is voluntary and that conversations with the provider are confidential, subject to the provider's stated confidentiality arrangements and any applicable legal or safeguarding exceptions. This helps employees understand that the EAP is a support service rather than an extension of the organisation's normal management process.

The completed communication is issued to all employees and retained as part of the organisation's employee communications. HR also makes the EAP information available through the normal employee information channels so that employees can easily find the details again if they need support in the future.

Implementation guidance

Use these best practice actions, recommended timescales and process stages to understand when and how the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) introduction letter should be used, helping ensure each step is handled consistently and appropriately documented.

Step	Description	Responsibility	Timing
1	Confirm the EAP provider, services available and the arrangements for employees to access support.	HR / Management	Before launch
2	Confirm the provider's confidentiality arrangements and ensure the information communicated to employees is accurate.	HR / EAP provider	Before communication
3	Issue the introduction letter explaining the purpose of the EAP, available support and how employees can access it.	HR / Management	At introduction
4	Give employees an opportunity to ask questions and provide any additional information needed to access the service.	Manager / HR	After introduction
5	Keep employees informed of the service and update communications if the provider, services or access arrangements change.	HR	Ongoing

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Common mistakes

Understand the common mistakes to avoid when using this HR template, helping you reduce risk, prevent unnecessary costs and ensure the process is handled correctly.

Overstating confidentiality – describe confidentiality accurately and reflect the EAP provider's own terms and exceptions.
Not explaining how to access the service – provide the current contact details and relevant opening or access arrangements.
Making the EAP sound compulsory – employees should understand that accessing the service is normally voluntary.
Promising services the provider does not offer – check the provider's current service offering before issuing the letter.
Presenting the EAP as a replacement for management support – explain that it complements the organisation's normal employee support and management processes.
Failing to update the information – review contact details and service information when the provider or arrangements change.

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HR considerations

UK employment law and best practice

This template is designed to support the process, but the document should be used alongside the relevant HR procedure and applied to the circumstances of the individual case.

Employee wellbeing

Employers may provide a range of workplace support to help employees manage personal or work-related difficulties. An EAP can form part of wider wellbeing arrangements, but employers should ensure that employees understand what support is actually available and how it can be accessed. https://www.acas.org.uk/mental-health-at-work

Confidentiality

The organisation should avoid making absolute promises about confidentiality and should communicate the EAP provider's actual confidentiality arrangements. Employees should be told clearly how their information is handled and about any circumstances in which information may be disclosed.

Data protection

Personal information relating to employees should be handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements. Employers should distinguish between information held by the organisation and confidential information handled directly by the EAP provider, and should ensure any employee communications accurately explain the relevant arrangements. https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/

Equality and reasonable adjustments

Employers should ensure that access to employee support is provided fairly and without unlawful discrimination. Where an employee has a disability, the employer should consider whether reasonable adjustments are required to enable them to access workplace support and related services. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/equality/equality-act-2010

Health and safety

An EAP may form part of an employer's wider approach to managing risks to employee health and wellbeing, but it should not be treated as a substitute for appropriate risk assessment, management action or professional support where these are required. https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/

Managing employee concerns

Employees should know how the EAP fits alongside the organisation's existing HR, absence, grievance and other workplace processes. The service can provide additional support, but it does not remove the employer's responsibility to deal appropriately with workplace issues that are raised or identified through normal management processes. https://www.acas.org.uk/mental-health-at-work

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FAQs

What is an Employee Assistance Programme?

An EAP is a confidential support service provided by an employer to help employees deal with personal or work-related issues. Depending on the provider, support may include counselling, emotional support, financial or legal guidance and practical advice.

Is using the EAP confidential?

EAP conversations are generally confidential and are normally provided directly by the external EAP provider rather than the employee's manager. The exact confidentiality arrangements should be explained by the provider, including any limited circumstances where information may need to be disclosed.

Does using an EAP affect an employee's employment?

Accessing an EAP is normally voluntary and using the service should not, in itself, be treated as a performance or disciplinary issue. The organisation should avoid suggesting that employees need to use the EAP or that doing so will automatically influence employment decisions.

Can employees use the EAP for problems outside work?

Usually, yes. EAPs are commonly designed to support employees with a mixture of work and personal concerns, although the exact scope of support will depend on the organisation's provider. The introduction letter should therefore reflect the services actually included in the organisation's EAP.

Does the EAP replace HR or a manager's support?

No. An EAP provides an additional source of confidential support but does not replace normal management, HR, occupational health, medical or emergency services where these are appropriate. Employees should continue to use the relevant workplace process where they need to raise an employment-related issue.

Why use HRDocBox rather than AI?

AI can generate a generic EAP introduction letter, but HRDocBox provides structured, UK-focused HR documentation designed around common employer processes. This letter helps employers explain the purpose of the EAP, available support, access arrangements and confidentiality in a clear and practical format without having to build the communication from scratch.

How this content is developed and reviewed

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) introduction letter template is developed using a practical HR methodology that considers current UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, CIPD good practice and the real-world HR process it supports. Templates and supporting information are regularly reviewed and updated, with additional reviews triggered by significant changes to legislation, guidance or established HR practice, helping ensure each document remains practical, relevant and suitable for UK employers.

About the author

Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director

Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.

He has extensive practical experience of managing wellbeing HR processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.

HRDocBox has been creating practical UK HR documents since 2009.

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