Your men are struggling.
Your EAP doesn't reach them.
Holdfast replaces underperforming Employee Assistance Programmes with peer-led crisis support built specifically for men. Trained volunteers matched with employees in crisis. AI-augmented, human-first. Mission-locked by CIC structure.
Why your EAP isn't working for men
The UK Employee Assistance Programme market is worth over £200 million a year. The vast majority of provision is generic, telephony-based, and poorly utilised - particularly by male employees. Men don't call helplines. The barrier is too high, and the language doesn't land.
Telephony-based
Most EAPs require men to pick up the phone and talk to a stranger. In a moment of crisis, most won't.
Generic language
"Reach out", "It's okay not to be okay" - designed for a general audience. Men experience it as not for them.
Low utilisation
Male EAP uptake is a fraction of female uptake. You're paying for a service your highest-risk employees don't use.
No peer connection
Clinical phone calls don't build the trust that peer relationships do. Men respond to men who've been through it.
What your employees get
A complete support ecosystem - not a phone number on a poster.
Platform Access
- Peer matching with trained Holdfasts
- AI-powered triage - no waiting
- End-to-end encrypted messaging
- No account needed for first contact
- 24/7 escalation protocol
Training Programme
- Mental Health First Aid for Men
- 5 modules, ~10 hours total
- For line managers and HR teams
- Facilitator certification available
- Online self-directed option
Reporting Dashboard
- Anonymised engagement metrics
- Seat utilisation tracking
- Usage trends over time
- ROI evidence for board reporting
- Exportable data for audits
How it works
From contract to impact in weeks, not months.
Contract
Choose your plan and employee count. Annual licence, simple procurement.
Invite employees
Bulk invite via email. Employees activate their seats - no personal data shared with you.
Employees connect
Your people access Holdfast instantly - text-first, no app download, no waiting list.
Track impact
Anonymised dashboard shows engagement, utilisation, and trends. Evidence for your board.
Built for high-risk industries
The sectors where male suicide risk is highest and existing provision is weakest.
Construction
Highest male suicide rate of any sector. Site culture makes traditional EAPs invisible.
Logistics & Transport
Isolated work, long hours, male-dominated. Holdfast works asynchronously - fits the shift pattern.
Manufacturing
Traditional male workforce. Text-first entry point cuts through the culture barrier.
Emergency Services
Police, fire, ambulance. Trauma exposure creates acute need. Peer model resonates deeply.
Military & Defence
Transition, PTSD, identity loss. Holdfast matches veterans with veterans who understand.
Financial Services
High-pressure, stigma-heavy. Pseudonymous access removes the career risk of asking for help.
Community Interest Company
Your investment funds the mission. Permanently.
Holdfast is a CIC - Community Interest Company - with a legally embedded asset lock. Profits cannot be extracted. The mission cannot be pivoted. If the company is wound up, remaining assets go to a similar social enterprise. This isn't a startup that might change direction. It's structurally impossible.
Asset-locked
Profits are reinvested. Capped dividends. No extraction.
Mission-protected
CIC Regulator oversight. Annual community benefit report. Public accountability.
Commercially disciplined
Not a charity. Real revenue, real salaries, real infrastructure. Sustainable by design.
Enterprise-grade infrastructure
Ready to do something that actually works?
A 500-person employer at £45 per head is £22,500 a year. The economic cost of a single suicide is £1.7 million. The maths writes itself.