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Network of 31 EU agencies enter new framework allowing them to adopt Ireland-based Kara Connect, EAP-alternative for employees to access high‑quality, personalised care
27th May 2026; Dublin, Ireland: Ireland-based Eurofound, the European agency for working conditions, has led a public tender which will see a network of 31 EU agencies roll out a modern employee‑led wellbeing service. Employees will have access to high-quality, personalised care around the clock through Kara Connect, which has been awarded a new four-year agreement worth €2.7m.
The agencies’ 20,000 staff and their eligible dependents will have access to human therapists online, with no triage barrier, through Kara Connect, an alternative to Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) which typically face low usage levels. All employees will be able to choose their own practitioner via customised Wellbeing Hubs within 48 hours, across issues including mental and physical health, financial health, relationships and careers.
All practitioners are fully vetted and fairly compensated, a key requirement for the EU agencies. Security was an equally non‑negotiable requirement. Kara Connect stores and processes all data exclusively within the EU/EEA – all of which is fully GDPR compliant – and its privacy‑by‑design model means employee data is never exposed, unlike the call centre model which has left traditional EAPs facing serious questions over confidentiality.
Kara Connect typically sees 32% of an organisation’s employees using the service, reflecting how willingly people engage with professional support when it’s offered without triage or stigma.
In comparison, EAPs are heavily under‑used. Typical usage ranges from 3-8%, with many large employers reporting rates closer to 2%, despite the fact that one in five adults are now experiencing a diagnosable mental health condition each year. Employees are often reluctant to seek help, as access involves phone-line gatekeeping and triage, with support triggered only when problems are deemed serious enough to escalate. What’s more, it can take several weeks, often months, from enquiry to receiving an appointment.
“Mental health is now employers’ biggest concern in the workplace. Behind that number is a person waiting months for help that may never reach them. Most employers’ answer is still a check-in-the-box EAP, a service as few as 3% of staff use. A benefit that thin doesn’t protect a company; it exposes it. And that exposure shows up where the CFO feels it: in absence rates, in attrition, and increasingly in insurance premiums” says Tobba Vigfusdottir, Founder and CEO of Kara Connect.
Kara Connect, which originated in Iceland and is now headquartered in Dublin, is a Nordic employee mental health and wellbeing solution that provides direct access to personalised, professional help for mental, physical, and financial health, as well as relationships and careers. It offers around 3,000 practitioners delivering services to over 25,000 staff across employers, including Mercury, Vodafone, KPMG, The Blue Lagoon, Deloitte, Grundon and Iceland University. Over 90 companies have launched their own Wellbeing Hub, a customised platform giving employees access to one to one mental health and wellbeing sessions.
On the media
List of EU Agencies that are part of the framework
Kara Connect and the EU agencies on the media
HR Director” European deal signals a turning point for employee mental health support across Europe
Employer News: “EU agencies to roll out employee‑led mental health service”
Health and Safety Times: “Kara Connect with EU on employee-led mental health service”
Health & Safety Review: “Irish-based wellbeing company secures €2.7m deal”
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