UK SME leaders are prioritising employee wellbeing, with 92 per cent willing to pay higher insurance premiums for enhanced wellbeing services.
According to a survey of 500 senior managers from UK SMEs, 99 per cent of them think that employee benefits is a top priority, with 77 per cent describing it as “very important” and 22 per cent as “somewhat important.”
In addition to providing leadership training on mental health, SMEs are increasing employee wellbeing through counselling (47 per cent), helplines (41 per cent), and discounted benefits (37 per cent). Increased retention (39 per cent), productivity (40 per cent), and satisfaction (47 per cent), all result from this investment.
According to Aviva, 54 per cent of SMEs would pay an additional 6–10 per cent and 29 per cent –15 per cent for improved wellbeing services. In order to facilitate this, Aviva has added wellness benefits to its Group Personal Accident and Business Travel packages at no additional expense.
Aviva provides all-inclusive wellness assistance, such as the Line Manager Toolkit for mental health education, a 24-hour counselling service with six complimentary sessions, and Get Active, which gives savings on wellness and exercise initiatives.
Additional tools include a regularly updated Wellbeing Library with recommendations on health, family, and workplace wellbeing, as well as Cancer Care with Get Active, which provides individualised assistance for individuals impacted by cancer.
Aviva head of crisis management Luke Powis says: “The wellbeing of employees is crucial to the success of any business, and it’s positive to see that so many SMEs understand that, too. By providing mental health and wellbeing support as part of our Group Accident and Business Travel products, we aim to support businesses in creating healthier, more productive work environments.”
