A third of employers signpost employees to health and wellbeing support only when requested.
According to Everywhen, this is often not the best approach to engaging employees. Its research found that 13% of all employers, and nearly one in five SME employers (19%), say they do not actively encourage use of support at all.
But the research notes that there is a varied mix of approaches and tactics among employers, which remains a positive aspect.
According to the research, this includes 30% of employers who produce wellbeing calendars of events and awareness days. These provide regular opportunities to remind employees of the support available, often focusing on a specific topic or area, and can cover a wide variety of topics.
Meanwhile, 29% of employers use the company intranet to promote support, and a quarter (25%) have apps or an employee benefits platform. Digital support is a good way to ensure lots of employees are made aware of the support available.
Additionally, 23% of companies have health and wellbeing champions and 19% use ‘lived experiences’ to help make support more personal and approachable.
The research also found that 21% run in-person events with health and wellbeing specialists, while 17% use providers/suppliers/advisers to help with their in-person events, and 21% use advisers/suppliers/providers to help with their written communications.
It also found that large corporates were more likely than SMEs to offer all the different types of approaches, showing the support they offer, with 35% of large corporates providing access via apps or a digital platform, compared to 19% of SMEs.
Around 36% of large corporates have health and wellbeing champions, compared to 16% of SMEs, and 31% of large corporates offer webinars, compared to 13% of SMEs.
Everwhen notes that a mixed approach is the best way to promote health and wellbeing support to different segments, with some responding better to written communication while others want case studies. It recommends that employers liaise with their health and wellbeing advisers and providers regarding employee engagement, as they will be able to help with communications and will have case studies they can share.
Everywhen head of wellbeing Debra Clark says: “Relying on employees to request the health and wellbeing support they need has issues, not least that they may not want to ask for help, and definitely wouldn’t if they do not know what support is available.”
“It is good news that a wide variety of approaches are being used to encourage employees to seek health and wellbeing support if and when needed, but generally more employers need to be implementing more methods of communication and promotion to engage with more employees regarding the health and wellbeing support available. This is the best way to ensure that the support in place has a positive impact for the employee and the company alike.”
