An employee assistance programme, or EAP, is a support service an employer arranges for its people. Usually it offers confidential counselling for personal and work worries, and sometimes extras such as legal or financial guidance. The employee uses it on their own, and the employer pays.
In India the idea is still new to many workplaces. Some larger companies have an EAP. Many smaller ones have nothing, and support at work rests on goodwill from managers. This page explains what an EAP is for and what a workplace can do without a full one.
What an EAP usually offers
The core of an EAP is counselling. An employee who is struggling with stress, a loss, a family problem or a difficult team can speak to a counsellor in confidence. Some EAPs add help for managers, workshops and support after a distressing event at work.
The word "programme" matters. An EAP is meant to be there before anyone is in trouble, so that a person who needs help knows where to go and does not have to ask permission to use it.
Why mental health at work needs more than goodwill
Work is where many people spend most of their day. Long hours, unclear expectations and a hard relationship with a manager wear people down quietly. Our article on coping with workplace stress describes the signs.
Goodwill helps, but it has limits. A manager is not a trained counsellor, and an employee may not want to tell their manager the whole story. A counsellor outside the reporting line gives the person a space that is theirs.
Leshya is an alternative to an EAP, not one
We want to be clear about this. Leshya is not a packaged EAP. We offer employee counselling that a workplace can use in place of one, built around what you actually need.
Before anything starts, a person at Leshya talks with you and we agree the scope and the fees. Employee counselling is one to one sessions with counsellors on Leshya who have told us they take on organization work. Billing is per session taken, so you pay for the sessions your people use, not a flat amount for every head.
Privacy for the people who use it
Employees use counselling only if they trust it. Individual counselling stays between the person and their counsellor. Leshya does not tell the organization who attended or what was discussed.
Counsellors are not chosen at random. A person reviews every counsellor profile before it goes live, and an employee can see a counsellor's credentials, experience and reviews before booking.
What else a workplace can add
Counselling is one piece. Depending on what your people need, you can also ask about manager training, so that people who lead teams know how to support someone through a hard period without trying to be their counsellor. You can also ask about counsellor support for the people affected after a difficult event at work.
Each of these is agreed with you first, with the fee settled before anything starts.
How to start
Go to the For organizations page and choose "Tell us what you need". Tell us about your team and what you are hoping for. A real person reads it, a short call follows at a time you pick, and scope and fees are agreed before anything starts. Our guide on sending an organization inquiry shows the form step by step.
If someone is in crisis, they should not wait for any programme. Tele MANAS, the national helpline, is on 14416.
If you're thinking about harming yourself, please talk to someone right now. Tele MANAS is free, confidential and always open: call 14416. You matter.
The counselors here can help with ongoing support, but right now a call is faster.
Common questions
An EAP is a support service an employer arranges for its people, most often confidential counselling. The employee uses it themselves and the employer pays for it.
