A few years ago, adding women’s health initiatives such as menopause and fertility support services felt groundbreaking. Today, employers are keen to support much broader gender-specific health issues, with plenty of options available to help them achieve this.
Ed Watling, head of employee health and wellbeing at Mattioli Woods, says he’s seeing more employers wanting to focus on gender-specific health issues. “The workforce is much more diverse now, in terms of both gender and age. It’s not just altruistic to support the health and wellbeing needs of this broader workforce, it’s good for performance too,” he explains.
Feeling supported in the workplace drives employee loyalty, reducing absence and helping an organisation retain its key talent. Inclusive benefits are increasingly expected by employees too.
According to Mercer Marsh Benefits’ Health on Demand 2023, 72 per cent of employees say it is extremely or very important that their employer supports women’s health. Similarly, when Gen Z were asked which benefits they found most helpful, the top three were menopause support (59 per cent); contraception access and coverage (58 per cent) and abortion access and coverage (56 per cent). “I’ve never seen so much change in what employers are expected to provide,” says Alison Byrne, workplace health consulting team leader, UK, Mercer Marsh Benefits. “Medical insurance used to be provided to fix something that was broken: today, employees expect to be able to access treatment earlier for health issues that were previously seen as just part of life.”
Gender specific health needs
Women’s health was the first focus for gender-specific options, with menopause support now widely recognised as a key benefit. Rachel Western, principal at Aon, says that some employers are taking this support further. “They might offer fertility benefits but also cover for women’s health issues such as endometriosis and period problems,” she explains.
Men’s health services are also becoming more commonplace as employers recognise they benefit from a different approach too. “Mental health is a major issue for men but also some of the male-specific cancers and sexual dysfunction,” says Watling. “We need to teach them to get help earlier.”
This is supported by research by Peppy, which launched its men’s health support platform in 2021. It found that although one in five men will die before they reach retirement, they reach out for help much less than women, visiting their GP 50 per cent less as an example.
The needs of trans employees are also being recognised with workplace benefits. This group only makes up a small proportion of the workforce – just 0.5 per cent of respondents to the 2021 census said they no longer identified with the sex registered at birth, although a further 6 per cent did not answer the question – but recognising the needs of these employees can be appreciated across the workforce.
Benefits are evolving, with many employers offering psychiatric cover for gender dysphoria for employees wanting to transition. Western says it’s tricky to go beyond this. “Even if someone goes private, treatment will follow the NHS pathway. This is a long journey requiring procedures such as hair removal, speech therapy and surgeries like breast removal or augmentation,” she says. “This can be expensive but can also raise issues around covering these procedures for other employees.”
Product propositions
Ready-made gender-specific health and wellbeing benefits are available to help organisations provide this support. Byrne says that cover often starts on the other side of the Atlantic. “A company with its headquarters in the US will act as the trailblazer, offering a new benefit to its employees. We’ll then start to see cover in the trust market, or as a standalone service, before feeding through into medical insurance,” she explains.
As an example, Aviva’s Optimum plan, which is available for groups of 250 employees plus, offers optional extras such as family and fertility benefit and gender identify benefit. Similarly, Vitality provides menopause support to employees on its plans through a partnership with Peppy.
Some insurers have developed products specifically for this market, for example WPA’s LifeStage Health. This is available for groups of two or more employees, giving them access to a pot of money – from £500 a year – that can be used to provide support through different lifestages including fertility, menopause and men’s health issues.
Sharon Shier, head of product development at WPA, says it been popular with employers looking to support their staff without incurring a significant additional cost. “An employer would pay £50 a head to provide £500 worth of cover. This would enable an employee to access consultations and diagnostic tests to get on the treatment path, without incurring a benefit-in-kind tax charge,” she adds.
Standalone services are another option, especially around fertility and women’s health. Companies such as Fertifa and Hertility offer testing and consultations around reproductive health and wellbeing.
Cost conundrum
Having so much choice is great but as employee expectations continue to rise and richer cover becomes the norm, employers will come under increasing financial pressure. “Costs will increase unless employers take more of a proactive approach,” says Byrne. “There is a real need to focus on prevention and keeping employees healthy by driving behavioural change.”
Some of this behavioural change may come through these gender-specific benefits. A key focus with many of them is on diagnosis, whether that’s a reproductive health issue or a male cancer. Whether the employee is then directed into the NHS or covered through the company’s medical scheme, this early detection should
result in lower overall costs as well as better outcomes.
There are also ways to extend benefits without increasing the spend significantly. Watling says thatemployers should start by looking at what they already offer before reaching for the company chequebook. “Group risk products will often include employee assistance programmes and virtual GP services that can providesupport for gender-specific health issues,” he explains. “A health cash plan can also give access to alternative therapies. These can be helpful for menopause symptoms for example.”
Culture factors
Offering a range of benefits is an obvious signal of employer support but the right culture can help employees feel supported when they’re dealing with gender-specific health issues. “Organisations need to make sure there are no taboos and that everyone feels comfortable talking about these issues,” Shier explains. “We’ve been doing this at WPA, offering free sanitary products and giving employees more flexibility around working from home. It can make a huge difference.”
Western agrees. She says that organisations should make sure they have policies in place that underline the support that is available to employees who are dealing with different issues. “Let employees know they can take time off if they’re dealing with something difficult such as IVF or a miscarriage. Setting out policies about the use of pronouns or introducing gender neutral toilets can make a workplace much more inclusive,” she says.
Education is another key ingredient, helping to raise awareness, remove stigmas and create a much more supportive workplace. Providing training to wellbeing champions on different issues can provide employees with someone to turn to for support who isn’t part of their day-to-day work life.
Employee networks can also help to break down the taboos. For instance, Watling says that his company has a menopause group, to which everyone is invited. “Employees can share their experiences and advice with others going through the menopause but it also helps other employees to understand what it’s like so they can provide appropriate support where needed,” he says. “We recently had a session on exercise and menopause, which was researched by a young male employee. The more people understand what’s involved, the better.”
