Nearly 59 per cent of employers prioritise social wellbeing support but only 12 per cent of workers genuinely want it while 36 per cent actually need mental health support, according to research by Towergate Health & Protection.
According to a study conducted by Towergate Health & Protection among 500 HR decision-makers, many businesses fall short in supporting their employees’ health and wellness. Although social wellbeing is now the type of help offered to employees most frequently, mental health support is the most desired.
The study identified the four areas of assistance that are prioritised in the workplace: Social health 59 per cent, mental health 56 per cent, financial health 45 per cent and physical health 44 per cent.
But support employers say that workers actually want support for their mental health, according to 36 per cent of respondents, compared to only 12 per cent who said they wanted support for their social health. Nearly 21 per cent cited physical health, 21 per cent said financial health 21 per cent
Towergate Health & Protection head of specialist consulting Debra Clark says: “The pandemic and working from home really pushed social wellbeing up the corporate agenda. This is positive, but health and wellbeing needs constantly evolve. Employers must consider what employees actually want in terms of support, and examine the particular demographics and specific risk profiles of their employees. For any health and wellbeing programme to be effective, it has to be relevant.”
Clark adds: “It is interesting that employers are not providing the support that they themselves believe their employees want. This could be down to requirements having recently changed, or finding some areas of support easier to implement than others. Financial health may well rise now in terms of demand among some employees, with the cost-of-living crisis, but in fact issues with physical, financial, and social health all have a knock-on effect on mental health. What is clear is that employers need to know for certain what support employees want and value, so that they can make their provision relevant to their unique workforce.
“It’s important that employers are aware of developments in support so they can make the most appropriate help available to the specific needs of their employees. A mismatch in what’s offered and what’s wanted, benefits no-one.”
