❤️🩹 How to Choose the Right EAP Provider for Your Organisation
A values-based guide for creative, caring, and purpose-led teams
Choosing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider can feel a bit like shopping for shoes online. Everything looks good on the surface — but will it actually fit your team when you try it on?
If you're a creative organisation, arts company, social enterprise, or purpose-driven startup, you already know that off-the-shelf, corporate-style support just doesn't cut it. Your people need something more human, more flexible, and more in tune with the work they do.
So how do you choose the right EAP — one that actually reflects your values and supports your people?
Let’s break it down.
1. Start With Your “Why”
Before diving into features and pricing, get clear on your intention. Ask:
Why are we looking for an EAP?
Who do we want to support?
What kind of care culture are we trying to build?
Your “why” might include:
Preventing burnout across your team
Offering trauma support during or after a big project
Providing ethical support for freelancers or casuals
Creating a safer, more sustainable work environment
Meeting your duty of care as an employer or funder
Getting clear on your “why” helps you find a provider that aligns with your people — not just your policy manual.
2. Make Sure They Understand Your Sector
Sure, most EAPs offer counselling, crisis support, and wellbeing training. But many were built for corporate cubicles — not rehearsal rooms, festival sites, or production meetings.
Ask yourself:
Do they understand the gig economy and project-based work?
Have they worked with artists, creative workers, or community orgs?
Are they equipped to support neurodivergent or LGBTQIA+ team members?
Can they flex to support freelancers, volunteers, and casuals — not just full-timers?
🧡 Hey Mate works specifically with creative, community, and purpose-driven organisations — because that’s where we come from.
3. Ask: What Does “Support” Actually Look Like?
Not all EAP support is created equal. Some providers offer quick triage and standard referrals. Others offer deeper, ongoing care. You deserve to know what you're signing up for.
Things to check:
Who provides the counselling — and what’s their experience?
Are they trauma-informed, culturally safe, and inclusive?
How can people access support — phone, portal, email, text?
Are there session limits? What happens if someone needs more?
Support should be safe, accessible, and tailored to your people — not generic and transactional.
🧡 Hey Mate offers flexible booking (yes, even by DM), trauma-informed care, and counsellors who understand the creative sector inside and out.
4. Look for Culture Builders, Not Just Crisis Responders
A good EAP doesn’t just step in when something goes wrong — it helps prevent things from going wrong in the first place.
Look for a provider that offers:
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training
Peer-to-peer support training
Burnout prevention and wellbeing workshops
Leadership coaching and post-incident debriefing
Culturally specific or co-designed training
🧡 At Hey Mate, we help organisations build cultures of care, not just check compliance boxes.
5. Understand the Pricing (Without Needing a Lawyer)
EAP pricing can be… vague. Sometimes it’s bundled into a huge retainer. Sometimes there are hidden fees for workshops or incident response.
Make sure you understand:
Is this a fixed annual contract or pay-as-you-go?
What exactly is included?
How flexible is the model as your team changes?
Can freelancers or project workers be included?
🧡 Hey Mate offers three options:
Annual retainers for orgs who want full support across the year
Flexible bank-of-hours for projects, events, and part-time teams
And pay-as-you-go for micro orgs, collectives, and indie operators — no contracts, just real support when you need it
Because mental health care should scale with you — not hold you back.
6. Ask the Real Question: Would Our People Use This?
This is the dealbreaker.
You can have the most comprehensive EAP in the country, but if your team doesn't feel safe, seen, or understood — they won’t use it.
So ask:
Does this provider feel approachable?
Do they understand the pressure creatives and purpose-driven teams face?
Is the tone human or just another HR checkbox?
Would I feel comfortable reaching out?
🧡 At Hey Mate, we’re proud that our EAP is actually used. Because when care feels real and personal, people reach out.
✅ Your Values-Based EAP Checklist
When choosing an EAP, look for a provider that:
Understands your people and your sector
Offers trauma-informed, culturally safe support
Includes freelancers, creatives, and community workers
Provides MHFA, peer support, and burnout workshops
Offers flexible booking (not just 1300 numbers)
Has pricing that makes sense for your size
Feels… human. Like they get it
Let’s Do Mental Health Differently
You don’t need a generic EAP. You need one that fits your people, reflects your values, and actually supports your work.
Whether you're a tiny team or a national arts org — we're here for you.
Hey Mate is a social enterprise EAP designed for the creative, community, and purpose-led sector.
Trauma-informed. People-first. No fluff. No bots.
📧 hello@theheymateproject.com
🌐 www.theheymateproject.com
Let’s build a mentally healthier creative sector — together. 🧡
