Six out of 10 employers said the shift towards remote working has caused them to rethink health and wellbeing strategies, according to new research from the trade body Group Risk Development (Grid).
Within this group, 49 per cent of employers said they had made it easier for staff to access support and benefits remotely, 43 per cent said they have introduced benefits to support this new way of working, while 38 per cent said they have increased support that can be accessed remotely — for example virtual GPs and virtual physio.
Grid spokesperson Katharine Moxham says: “Employee benefits providers and, in particular, those that offer health and wellbeing support, were swift to respond to the challenges presented by the pandemic.
“We are now in a situation where many employee benefits, including embedded support within employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness, have improved in two distinct ways.
“The method of delivery has been expanded to include additional digital channels to meet the support requirements of employees, no matter where or when they need it. Secondly, the type of support has also broadened: for instance through the likes of online physiotherapy, nutrition and fitness advice, meditation and mindfulness apps;,computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and access to virtual GPs and nurse practitioners. Some had been available previously, but have now become much more mainstream.”
Given that so much has changed, GRiD believes that employers would be prudent to benchmark their wellbeing provision against current support available and make sure they keep pace with developments, especially in supporting a hybrid workforce, with some staff working from home, others in the office and some splitting time between the two.
Moxham adds: “Employers may be under the illusion that they offer really innovative wellbeing support but they may be surprised just how much things have moved on if it hasn’t been reviewed for a number of years.
“The repercussions of the pandemic are very much still in evidence and employers have a duty to ensure they are providing the very best wellbeing support available.”
