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Lifeworks is an all-in-one holistic solution that offers employee assistance programs to help employees take care of their physical, emotional, mental, and financial well-being. Using a modern, proactive, mobile-first, and personalized EAP, Lifeworks aims to counter turnover, absenteeism, and low employee productivity.
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PROS
- Lifeworks’ employee wellness platform is a one-stop solution for all employee well-being needs. From mental to emotional, physical, and financial, this platform has something for everyone.
- Lifeworks’ EAP offers employees 24/7 access to therapists and coaches who are experienced in treating various mental health disorders using techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Users also get access to a plethora of self-help resources, activities, tips on mental health management, workshops, and more.
- Lifeworks’ AbilitiAbsence makes absence reporting a breeze. Stakeholders and employers can get real-time information on who’s out of the office and why, identify trends, and build strategies to reduce absenteeism.
CONS
- Lifeworks takes up to 5 business days to match you with a provider. In urgent cases, it takes a minimum of 24 hours. So if you’re looking for a platform that instantly connects you with a mental health practitioner in a matter of a few hours, then Lifeworks isn’t the best option.
- Some users say that Lifeworks’ pricing is more than a traditional EAP. However, bear in mind that Lifeworks is more than an EAP platform as it combines employee well-being services, rewards, absence management, and employee engagement.
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Lifeworks is a personalized well-being platform that aims to promote physical, mental, and financial wellness, boost productivity and drive employee engagement within the organization.
Their modern EAP provides employees 24/7 access to professional counselors and therapists via chat, video, and in-person sessions. You also get support from specialists in financial and legal services, child care, and eldercare.

Lifework's employee wellness platform takes a proactive approach to wellness by not just having a rich library of mental health resources that you can access 24/7, but by also promoting action through fitness challenges, health assessments, and gamification. For instance, their health assessments allow employees to understand the current state of their mental, emotional, and physical health and provide personalized, data-driven recommendations and tips on how one can improve in these areas. Similarly, individuals can take part in wellness challenges that focus on areas like healthy habits, nutrition, activity, and more. What's nice about Lifework's wellness platform is that it integrates with wearable technology so you can see the results of your activities on your fitness tracker.
The well-being platform provides employers data, analytics, and insights to help track behavior and utilization across the organization, determine what practices are making a positive impact, understand well-being trends, measure employee engagement, and make changes to the existing system by replacing or fine-tuning things that aren't working.
Lifeworks also works as an employee engagement platform. Employers can create a newsfeed of content related to HR benefits, business communications, recognition posts, and company-wide announcements to boost social interactions. You can even include a directory of who's who within the organization, so everyone is familiar with their colleagues.

One of the ways through which Lifeworks promotes financial well-being is by offering employees perks in the form of in-store coupons, gift cards, cashback, restaurant and gym discounts, and more. It's a neat way to show your employees you care while helping them save a few bucks.
Lifework's technology AbilitiAbsence handles absence reporting throughout the organization. All incident types such as PTO, sick time, leave of absence, and FMLA are reported in real-time through automatic notifications to all the stakeholders involved. AbilitiAbsence can be integrated with your banking and payroll software to enable auto-deductions in the case of paid leaves. Such a system allows you to see the complete picture, identify trends and risks across your business, and implement strategies to overcome absenteeism.
Lifeworks offers comprehensive benefits administration based on their technology Ariel™, which crafts a benefits solution based on your organization's needs. You can integrate the platform with your existing system, streamline workflows and automate processes to promote easy management. You also get access to an administrator portal with robust reporting capabilities to view data insights.
Apart from this, Lifeworks also offers drug testing administration, pension management, communication, and change management solutions.

The company used LifeWorks so employees dealing with medical or personal issues—but with limited extra funds—could still access support and guidance at no initial cost. It also offered access to ongoing, affordable resources after the free counseling or support sessions ended, allowing employees to continue care within their budgets.
The organization used LifeWorks in a coaching capacity when behavioral improvement was needed, offering support and direction instead of immediately turning to discipline. This approach helped address issues while still holding employees accountable and maintaining consistency in performance and conduct.
In addition, the reporting was useful during open enrollment, providing brokers with data that could be used to negotiate better insurance premiums.
- LifeWorks took pressure off managers by giving them a professional resource to leverage when dealing with complex personal issues.
- It helped protect the company by providing expert guidance, documentation, and appropriate referrals for sensitive situations, reducing liability risks.
- Employee morale improved because each employee was given a dedicated day per year—broken into increments—to use this benefit for counseling, research, or meetings with recommended agencies.
The athletic gym chain used LifeWorks for two years, plus an additional 11 months that I personally used it, to address attendance issues and meet local and ordinance requirements across multiple states. They wanted to retain good employees and reduce turnover, as recruiting and training new staff was costly.
LifeWorks also supported their goal of being an employer of choice by providing resources that improved employee well-being and motivation. The company implemented clear guidelines to ensure the program was helpful but not misused.
Overall, it helped build a more stable and supported workforce.
- There was ongoing concern about confidentiality, since it was a company-provided benefit, and employees were sometimes reluctant to use it.
- Some managers over-relied on it instead of mentoring or guiding employees through challenges themselves.
- It was difficult to objectively confirm whether the benefit saved the company money, as analytics and ROI data were limited or hard to interpret.
- I have not used direct competitors like AbilitiAbsence but have experience with other EAPs, and this program stands out due to its strong referral system.
- In-network and out-of-network access was not a barrier, and the 24-hour service with prioritized callback systems was reliable.
- They also provided workshops and resources to help manage attendance, supporting both employees and employers in measuring improvement.
- Companies should review their absenteeism rates, conduct surveys, and understand key reasons for terminations or separations to better evaluate ROI.
- They should also explore how the tool might integrate with existing insurance carriers or offer additional benefits.
- Pricing should be negotiated based on active or paid employees, depending on company structure and expected growth.
- Providing 24/7/365 service has become necessary in today’s remote and multi-generational workforce.
- The tool functions well even in rural areas, such as the Louisiana countryside, due to a strong cellular service partnership.
- Their verification process for confirming the identity of users is thorough and helps ensure confidentiality.
LifeWorks works well for global companies due to its support for multiple languages, time zones, and regions. It requires minimal ongoing administrative effort after setup. While it can be used by smaller companies, it may offer more features than they need.
LifeWorks would not be a good fit for companies with fewer than 50 employees.
I use Lifeworks daily, primarily for managing employee benefits. Whenever an employee has a question, I can quickly access the portal to provide accurate information. I have also used Lifeworks for financial planning, which has been particularly helpful.
Additionally, the platform provides resources on employee wellness best practices, ensuring I stay informed. I also use it for tracking employee attendance and facilitating manager training sessions, helping to keep our team engaged and well-prepared.
- Benefits Management: Lifeworks serves as a centralized tool for managing employee benefits, making it easy to access and share information.
- Telehealth Services: The ability to schedule telehealth visits ensures employees receive timely support for their health and wellness needs.
- Training Support: The platform provides training resources for managers, helping them enhance their skills and better support their teams.
The company implemented Lifeworks to support employees' overall well-being, including mental, physical, and financial health. These are the core areas Lifeworks focuses on, with the goal of fostering a healthier and more engaged workforce. We also wanted to enhance our benefits offerings to create a more supportive work environment.
Lifeworks has provided valuable resources that help employees manage stress, improve financial literacy, and access healthcare support. I have personally used Lifeworks for three years and have seen its positive impact on employee well-being.
I don’t have any major concerns. Lifeworks offers excellent customer service, stays ahead of industry trends, and continuously enhances its benefits program. Their responsiveness and adaptability make them a valuable partner in improving employee well-being.
I haven’t personally used similar tools, but I worked with Giraffe HR on an Upwork assignment. They provide financial benefits through stock options and offer mental and medical support, which are important aspects of employee well-being.
However, their overall approach differs from Lifeworks, which provides a more comprehensive solution focused on multiple aspects of employee health.
Organizations should first define their goals for improving employee well-being. If the objective is to enhance mental, physical, and financial health, Lifeworks is a strong option. Investing in a platform that supports employees in multiple areas can help create a more engaged and productive workforce.
Lifeworks continuously adapts to market trends, incorporating new features related to employee recruitment, retirement planning, and overall wellness. This ensures it remains competitive and aligned with the evolving needs of organizations.
Lifeworks is particularly beneficial for hospitals and companies that prioritize employee health and work-life balance. Organizations looking to improve workforce well-being will find it a valuable tool.
Lifeworks can benefit most organizations, but companies that do not focus on employee well-being as a core priority may not fully utilize its features.
If you’re a freelancer or a small company with under 300 employees, you won’t be getting the most out of this tool.
The Home Depot, Bell, Walgreens, TD Bank, and Lenovo
- Employee and family assistance program: A well-being platform with content like videos, podcasts, and advice on improving mental health, CBT sessions, telemedicine, workplace support programs, and critical incident support.
- Workplace absence and disability management: Employers can use Lifeworks’ proprietary software to gain access to integrated data on attendance across the organization, real-time reporting, trends, and incident investigation.
- Workplace training and workshops: Employees can attend different workshops and seminars on topics like diversity, inclusion, leadership, establishing a healthy work culture, retirement planning, and more.
- Pension and savings planning: Use Lifeworks’ technology and expert network to design pension plans while remaining compliant and managing all areas of risk.
Lifeworks offers integrations with Microsoft Teams and your existing HR technology. To know what integrations they specifically offer, you can reach out to their customer support team.
Lifeworks does not offer their pricing details upfront. To know what a monthly subscription costs, you can reach out to their sales team.
Lifeworks is used by startups, SMEs, agencies, and enterprises. However, it is most impactful for medium-sized and enterprise-level businesses with anywhere between 300 and 5000+ employees.
To get started with Lifeworks, employees will have to sign up on their web/mobile application. You will then be given a detailed administrative guide on setting up the software, creating a profile, and the next steps.
For immediate assistance and any questions about your EAP, you can reach out to Lifeworks through their contact number. Additionally, you can also email them or fill out the contact form on their website.
Lifeworks, formerly known as Morneau Shepell, was established over 55 years ago. Today, the organization provides businesses with a 360-degree wellness solution to support the mental, emotional, physical, and financial well-being of their employees. Their mission is to build a platform that offers proactive and preventative programs that help drive down healthcare costs, prevent absenteeism, and boost healthy company culture. Today, they have over 6000 employees and 24,000 who use their tech-enabled solutions in 160+ countries.
Company HQ
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Number of Employees
6000+
Year Founded
1966
Amount Raised
Undisclosed







