A new report has found that businesses are likely to be offering staff the wrong benefits. Healthcare and wellbeing provider HCML’s recent corporate health and wellbeing report found that despite 87% of employees stating they take responsibility for their own wellbeing, only 31% of them engage with workplace programmes, suggesting there is a mismatch between what employees feel they need in order to look after their health versus what employers believe their workforce needs.
- 87% of employees say they take charge of their wellbeing, but only 31% engage with workplace programmes
- Only around half of employees look after their nutrition
- 37.57% of employees want nutritional support
Employees who were surveyed said that they would be interested in a range of health and wellbeing benefits if they were offered to them by their employers. However, with only just over half of employers (53%) of employers saying they use sickness absence management information to define the wellbeing solutions they provide within their business and 31% of employees taking up health benefits when offered, it appears there is a disconnect between the health benefits employers are providing and what is needed by employees to ensure they remain healthy and productive in the workplace.
British businesses lose an average of 49.7 days per employee due to poor health. Understanding what their workforce needs will ensure businesses can offer the right health benefits and lessen the financial burden of staff absenteeism.
The report found that the top five things that employees are most interested in when it comes to their wellbeing is good nutrition including food and drink with 38% of those surveyed citing that as the most important. However, despite 87% of employees citing that they feel responsible for their own health and wellbeing, just over half of those people (48.31%) say they look after their nutrition. 36% said how to keep active was important while 36% of employees said they wanted help with sleep. 35% want help to maintain a positive attitude and 30% are interested in managing weight.
Pamela Gellatly, Strategic Development Director, HCML, says: “Companies have become much better at providing health and wellbeing benefits to employees, but are they the right ones? The survey results show that although employees feel it is their responsibility to take care of themselves, the majority want the support of their workplace to help them to do this in specific ways. There is no one size fits all solution, but armed with the knowledge of what employees want means that employers can put the right support in place and signpost their workforce to the appropriate initiatives.
With almost 2 in 5 (39%) employees who took part in the HCML report stating that assuming responsibility for their wellbeing will prevent further ill health, there is a willingness on behalf of many employees to take action or understand how underlying causes or personal risk factors can impact health. Therefore, employers who offer preventative health and wellbeing solutions will see good engagement. The report also highlights that to provide the right health benefits to staff, organisations need to capture sickness absence management information and use the data to define the wellbeing solutions they provide to their employees going forward. Only 33% of employers surveyed who capture the data say they use it to define the benefits they provide to their workforce.
Gellatly, continues: “Many illnesses and medical conditions can be prevented by taking better care of ourselves, addressing the underlying issues and root causes of any conditions to reduce their health risks. Employees need to ensure that their wellbeing is a priority. We know from our in-house data that many individuals do not get enough sleep or meet the recommended guidelines when it comes to keeping active leaving them more vulnerable to illness.
“Employees now have a better understanding of their health and how to reduce their health risks. Providing workplace benefits that are easy to access means they can take more responsibility to ensure they get themselves better. With an effective workplace wellbeing programme, which empower employees to take better care of themselves, employers can mitigate or reduce the level of sickness and absence in their organisation and reap the rewards of a happier, more productive workforce.”
HCML’s report highlights a significant gap between the health benefits employers are offering and the actual needs of their employees. While the majority of employees (87%) acknowledge taking responsibility for their own wellbeing, less than half are actively managing key areas like nutrition. This suggests that businesses are missing critical opportunities to provide targeted health support, especially in areas like nutrition, physical activity, and mental wellbeing. By leveraging employee health data more effectively, companies can tailor their health benefits to suit their employee’s needs better. This will reduce absenteeism, boost productivity and address some of the financial burden it causes businesses.
Methodology
Employee survey conducted with Censuswide in January 2024 amongst 503 employees in companies with 50+ employees. Employer survey conducted with Censuswide amongst 200 UK employers (HR leads / HR Directors / Heads of Wellbeing / People Directors) across companies with between 50 – 5000+ employees.