Employer-funded digital wellbeing services are helping employers tackle sickness absence and improve workforce resilience, according to new data from Canada Life, highlighting their importance within wider workplace benefits strategies.
The group protection provider said employees using its WeCare wellbeing platform were less likely to take time off work and more likely to return quicker following illness or treatment, while also reporting significant improvements in mental health.
Based on interactions with this service last year, Canada Life found almost half (48 per cent) of employees using its virtual GP service avoided taking time off work altogether, while 46 per cent returned to work more quickly following a consultation.
Its GP service, alongside mental health support and its second medical opinion service, is available through Canada Life’s WeCare wellbeing platform, delivered by Teladoc Health UK and now included across all its group risk products.
Canada Life also reported that eight out of 10 employees reported improved mental health after accessing support through the service last year, with two thirds saying they experienced reduced anxiety and a similar proportion reporting improved coping ability.
In total, Canada Life said more than 6,800 therapy sessions were delivered in 2025 through clinically recognised support pathways.
The provider also reported strong uptake of its second medical opinion service, with more than 2,700 people using the facility to review diagnoses or treatment plans. It said the highest levels of demand related to obstetrics and gynaecology conditions, which accounted for 19 per cent of cases, with four-fifths (80 per cent ) of these patients advised to change treatment.
Overall, Canada Life said 82 per cent of users accessing this service were advised to change their treatment, while 28 per cent received a revised diagnosis.
The research also found that half (50per cent ) of those using its GP service received either a specialist referral, private prescription or fit note following their consultation. Canada Life added that longer appointment times — with consultations lasting up to 30 minutes — enabled employees and their families to discuss multiple health concerns in a single session.
Canada Life head of protection product and propositions Chris Morgan said the findings demonstrated the value of integrated wellbeing support within employee benefits packages.
“WeCare usage in 2025 is evidence that employers who provide access to holistic wellbeing services as part of their employee benefits can actively contribute to the building of healthier, more resilient workforces — and boost workplace productivity by lowering health-related absence.
“Whether employees are living with a skin condition or seeking help with their mental health, providing access to services that deliver fast, appropriate and tailored care helps workers stay in or return to work more quickly, while also feeling better informed and more in control of health management.”
