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Why now is a great time to talk about group risk to your clients
Group risk has really come into its own over the past few years. Not only supporting people financially, but also helping aid rehabilitation and helping support physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
Group Risk Development (Grid) research shows that interactions with embedded services like employee assistance programmes (EAPs), online GP services, and second medical opinion services increased exponentially during 2021. Interactions increased to a record number of 220,886 – compared with only 138,222 during 2020 (1).
This trend is confirmed by our own clients’ behaviour. For example, Aviva’s Digicare+ Workplace app, provided by Square Health and available to insured members with an Aviva Group Income Protection and Group Critical Illness policy, saw more than 13,500 interactions in 2021. The annual health check proved most popular, accounting for nearly 47% of all interactions. Self-administered via a pin-prick blood test, the test checks 20 different health markers to spot problems early on. 62.7% of Group Protection customers who returned their health check then arranged a follow up Digital GP appointment through the app (2).
The second most popular service was the Digital GP service which, including the follow up appointments, accounted for 34.5% of app interactions*.
Changing employee behaviour
The recent period of uncertainty has given people the opportunity to reflect on what’s important to them. The resulting ‘Great Resignation’ is seeing an increasing number of people looking to change their career path to pursue different opportunities.
The Covid-19 pandemic has placed sickness, absenteeism, and mortality at the forefront of people’s minds. This has implications for employers looking to recruit high-calibre talent. Such individuals are now more likely to restrict their job search to organisations with a strong reputation for looking after the health and wellbeing of their people.
Controlling business risk
It’s not surprising that many businesses are looking at ways to strengthen the controls to help mitigate future health and absence risks. And they’re recognising the role a robust health and wellbeing strategy can play in preventing employee attrition, in addition to attracting new talent.
Group risk could be a good place to start- they’re highly valued as they provide financial protection for employees and their families.
With changing needs, forward thinking group risk providers have evolved their offerings to include specialist support for conditions such as long covid. After diagnosis, the insurer may work with clients to offer their employee a tailored, phased return-to-work plan. This may include wellbeing services to help them rebuild the mental resilience and physical fitness needed to do their job. Services may be available to support behavioural changes to help manage their condition and provide advice on symptoms. The provider may also offer services such as wellbeing apps, employee assistance programmes and counselling and nutritional consultations to help improve mental and physical wellbeing.
Aviva’s clinical rehabilitation, available with Group Income Protection, is supported by our expert clinical pathways which include Cancer, Mental Health, Cardiovascular, Long Covid, Musculoskeletal Conditions and more recently neurodiversity. The pathways offer end-to-end clinical support designed to help prevent and manage long-term absence.
In 2021, of all referrals for rehabilitation, 52% were for mental health conditions, 13% were for long covid and 10% for cancer. Of the employees for whom we provided rehabilitation support, 80% returned to, or remained at work (3).
Prevention is key
Some group protection cover will include services such as annual health checks, digital access to GP consultation, or support on mental health or nutritional considerations. There may also be additional support for employers such as training to help line managers identify signs of worsening mental health, and to hold appropriate conversations to help matters.
Group income protection can also play an integral part in a Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) strategy, offering guidance to help employers make appropriate workplace adaptions. Support can include specialist input to help neurodivergent employees reach their full potential.
For many businesses, the pandemic has underlined the status of employees as their most important asset, and a prime determinant of overall performance. The safety net of group risk could help mitigate some of the risks associated with the current environment. It’s an opportunity which employers need to be fully aware of.
*The Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace app is a non-contractual benefit Aviva can change or withdraw at any time. Find out more about the app via our website. Terms apply.
1 Group Watch GRiD 2022, Employees Benefit as Group Risk Industry Pays Out Record Amount in Claims During 2021, 12 May, 2022.
2 Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace usage statistics from January – December 2021, provided by Square Health.
3 Aviva Group Income Protection Rehabilitation statistics, January – December 2021
