Remember when we all thought EAPs would revolutionise workplace mental health? The reality has proven far more nuanced.

What we're seeing isn't a simple story of digital fatigue or "yet another app" syndrome.

Conventional wisdom suggests that low engagement rates stem from digital overwhelm. However, Leafyard's research reveals a more intricate pattern: it's not that employees feel burdened by EAPs - quite the contrary. The data shows that most barely engage with the stupid things in the first place. The median usage rate for EAPs hovers around 4% in the first month, dropping to less than 2% by month three.

Why?

Our research is showing that it's not digital fatigue that is the problem - it's relevance decay. When we interviewed employees who abandoned these programmes, they consistently reported that the initiatives felt disconnected from their experiences. The content is generic and untargeted. They don't see how it relates to their problems. It's old and doesn't work.

The challenge isn't about reducing digital touchpoints - it's about creating meaning.

If you take the SEO industry as an example, it's not uncommon for websites to have thousands of subtly different pages, each one fine-tuned to the exact requirements of a potential customer.

When EAPs deliver content on, say, money worries, it's generic and unfocused.  Worrying about whether you can afford a season ticket is completely different to worrying about whether you can pay the mortgage.

Yet EAP content is one-size-fits-all. It's dangerous and doesn't work.