Three quarters of employers are critical of the lack of state support for workplace health and wellbeing initiatives.
The report, by trade body Group Risk Development (Grid) found that 74 per cent of employers said the government did not support employers with health and wellbeing, while 66 per cent said that being unable to access support for mental health was affecting their workforce.
According to employers, the other areas of health and wellbeing where a lack of state support affects staff are:
- Being unable to access support for preventative care (65 per cent)
- Being unable to access support for physical health (62 per cent)
- Being unable to access financial support if staff are unable to work through sickness or injury (56 per cent)
Grid says these concerns related to both the health and wellbeing of their individual members of staff, and the fact this is likely to cause increased absences and reduced productivity in the workforce.
Grid spokesperson Katharine Moxham says: “The UK lags behind many of the other G7 nations in terms of productivity, and both the Government and employers need to address this issue: the health and wellbeing of staff is a good place to start. Rightly or wrongly, there is a move away from state support to the onus being on the employer to fill this gap, and employers need to be ready to do so. Those who do not grasp the opportunity willingly may find themselves on the back foot when it comes to being able to recruit and retain the best talent.”
Grid point out that employee benefits, such as employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness offer a solution that encompasses all aspects of support, including mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing.
Moxham says that this can include support for the health of employees during and after an illness or injury, alongside preventative strategies and assistance.
She says access to talking therapies, virtual GPs, second medical opinion services, health apps, and rewards for leading a healthy lifestyle, can all help an employee stay in work. Meanwhile Grid points out that vocational rehabilitation support, which draws on a wide range of assessments, interventions and services provided by a range of specialist healthcare professionals, should also be embedded to support an individual whilst away from work and during a return to the workplace.
Moxham adds: “Changes in governments, policies, the economy, and state provision, mean that the expectation for managing absence and rehabilitation is increasingly falling to employers. Providing comprehensive support to staff needn’t be a burden if employers choose their employee benefits partners wisely. However, fresh fruit on Fridays will no longer cut it for businesses that do not want to see productivity levels drop.”
