Does preventative health in the workplace really make a difference?

?We are often asked by clients what is the best value for money in the medical space – private medical insurance (PMI), health cash plans, health assessments or do all of the above address different needs?

Reward Heads’ Consulting Manager, Christina Jones, has been reflecting on the benefits of offering Health Assessments to employees and how in doing so, we may help prevent many of the illnesses that are impacting on our organisations’ productivity.

Taking a proactive approach to health in the workplace isn’t a new idea and on paper makes perfect sense.? We know it isn’t a silver bullet, but why are employers who are offering benefits like health assessments still seeing sick days increase and private medical costs continue to rise?

What is a health assessment?

Health assessments are designed to monitor and improve health – dubbed an ‘MOT for your body’ they offer non-invasive health checks to identify health risks and other areas of concern at an early stage and identify changes that may prevent them becoming more serious, potentially reducing future sickness absence.

Employers can choose to cover the cost of the assessment (and often do for more senior members of staff), or offer them on a voluntary basis with the employee paying the cost themselves.

There are usually different levels of assessment available and costs can be anywhere from ￡100 to ￡500.?

Although health assessments have been available for a long time, they have been adapted over the years with one notable more recent addition being mental health checks.

Should you include health assessments in your Total Reward offering?

Data from the Brightmine benefits and allowances survey 2024 suggests that just under half of responding organisations offer health assessments for some or all of their employees and this is seen more in the manufacturing and production sector.

This suggests that many employers do not see this as an essential part of the package when in fact 86% of employees state they would consider leaving a company that neglects their health needs.

Of those offering the benefit, 57% make it available to all employees and where we see this in place it is more commonly offered on a voluntary basis, the exception perhaps being to senior leadership team members.

Arguably, an employee’s health is their own responsibility. Outside of the legal health and safety responsibilities of being an employer surely, we cannot dictate how people choose to live their lives – be that healthy or otherwise. So, what role could, or should, the employer play?

Given that untreated health conditions can lead to tangible challenges which can impact on productivity and both direct and indirect costs, there is a clear business case for embedding preventative strategies to protect employee’s health.?

·??????? Reducing Healthcare Costs: no-one will have escaped the spiraling Private Medical Insurance (PMI) costs. While it’s a popular benefit that can help employees return to work a little quicker, the problem is that at the point of claim, the damage has been done; it is designed to be reactive rather than proactive.? Most PMI providers are creating preventative health pathways to support their clients with this, and by helping employees identify issues early on, it could mean that they take steps to reduce risk, and in turn, the need for PMI claims.

·??????? Increased Productivity: The rate of sick days per employee has risen since 2018 to 6.7 days per year. It is estimated that poor mental health costs UK employers up to ￡56 billion annually, with absenteeism and presenteeism being key factors.? If we can use our data to identify cases of absence that could have been prevented with education or workplace adjustments it could mean fewer days absence are being taken.

·??????? Positive impact on turnover and retention: Employees are increasingly prioritising wellbeing and whilst that covers a wide range of things, showing employees that their health is a priority (rather than just saying it!) can have a big impact on culture and engagement and help companies stand out from their competitors.?

A particularly concerning statistic from the NHS is that 40% of their budget is being spent on treating preventable diseases. As with any business cost, there needs to be an ROI, so perhaps an interesting exercise would be to take a look at your data and see how your absence days or costs compares to that. If you find that reasons for absence could be largely preventable, educating employees on managing and improving their health and showing that you are supporting them in doing so could help address some of those challenges.

Ok so, we offer health assessments and in turn we have healthy employees and increased productivity. Easy. Right?

Health assessments give the employee insights into their own health – these insights are personal to them and as an employer you do not have the right to see the results of the assessment.?

However, it is unlikely that an employee would opt to take a health assessment and do nothing with the results.?

Research shows that:

·??????? 45% of the population are impacted by food intolerances. Disturbed digestion contributes to poor sleep, fatigue related accidents and presenteeism, which costs the UK economy ￡11.8 billion, ￡240 million and ￡15 billion respectively (YorkTest 2024).

·??????? 3.7 million people in the UK are living with diabetes and 1 million are undiagnosed (ONS 2019).

·??????? 1 in 6 adults have a vitamin D deficiency increasing the risk of conditions like rickets and bone pain (Gov.uk 2022).

In some cases, the risk of these developing into longer term concerns could be reduced.? By introducing the opportunity for employees to learn more about their health employers are taking the first, essential step in preventative health.

Aside from allowing employees to learn about their own health, there are a number of things employers could do to respond to some of the known health risks:

·??????? Know your data – look at your absence data and the reasons employees are taking sick days

·??????? Encourage employees to get out in the fresh air during working hours to top up their vitamin D intake (here at Reward Heads we’ve recently had a steps challenge and we have some days set aside to get together in the great outdoors to take a walk).

·??????? Raise awareness around mental health and how to help if you are concerned about a colleague or experiencing something yourself.

·??????? Think about other benefits you could offer such as health cash plans, EAPs, gym discounts and cycle to work.

But like with any employee benefit, it is only as successful if employees take it up.?

So if you offer health assessments, but perhaps aren’t seeing many people participate, consider these barriers and how to overcome them:

·??????? Cost: If you offer health assessments on a voluntary basis, you have probably already been able to secure them at a discounted rate i.e. an employee would struggle to find a more cost effective (and comparable) deal on the open market. But do they know that? Do they know that you are helping them access something that they might otherwise not be able to afford?

If cost is still a barrier (for example, you see that only higher paid employees are accessing the benefit), could you consider subsidising the benefit, or allowing payments to be made in instalments?

·??????? Health needs and interest: For an employee to decide to spend their earnings on something, they have to believe that it is of value to them. Many people are simply unaware of the importance of regular health assessments or underestimate their risk of developing serious health issues. Educational campaigns that emphasise the value of prevention can be pivotal in changing perceptions and encouraging proactive health behaviours.?

As with any employee benefit – communicate, communicate, communicate!

·??????? Choice:? With a diverse population, selecting a provider that can offer choice will help employees feel that they can select the offering that is right for them.? This will be on cost, location (in-clinic vs at-home) and the health concerns covered.?

How can we help?

Reward Heads consultants have helped many organisations review their wellbeing and broader benefits offering to ensure that it is both a good return on investment for the employer and meets the needs of a diverse workforce.? Do get in touch so that we can help you, on [email protected].

Reward Heads offer a variety of coaching courses, including two bundles that cover benefits and wellbeing. Our four-module benefits bundle covers benefits context and strategy, maintaining legal compliance, working with benefits suppliers, and benefits communication and engagement. Our six-module benefits and wellbeing bundle includes the four benefits modules, along with our two wellbeing modules which cover what wellbeing is and its importance and emotional wellbeing in the workplace. You can learn more about our coaching offering at coaching at Reward Heads.