The majority of employers (55%) take a passive approach to encouraging the utilisation of the health and wellbeing support they offer, according to research issued today by Towergate Employee Benefits.
The research also shows that a concerning 36% of employers only direct employees to support when it is requested, which of course relies on them knowing that support is available and feeling able to reach out. While 32% state they promote support on the company intranet, there is work to be done here to ensure employees know where to look.
Debra Clark, head of wellbeing at Towergate Employee Benefits, says: “Our research shows that employers are often taking a passive approach to encouraging the use of benefits. We would encourage employers to proactively work to keep support front of mind, and ensure that employees know where to find assistance when it is needed. Otherwise the benefit spend will be wasted.”
Engage and involve
The more employees are engaged and involved in health and wellbeing support the better. It is very positive to see that 34% of companies have health and wellbeing champions to promote the support offered. This is a route from which more companies and employees could benefit.
Promote and track
While 40% of employers believe they are making it easy for employees to access support via apps or a digital platform, it is still vital to ensure that these options are promoted and that engagement is tracked. Having a mix of mediums is the best way to reach the maximum number of employees, so it is positive to also see that 27% of companies run webinars and 27% run regular promotions.
Make the most of expertise
In-person wellbeing events are arranged by 30% of companies, which is a great way to promote the benefits on offer and encourage the use of support. Twenty-six percent of companies use advisers to assist with the running of these events, taking advantage of the additional knowledge and expertise available. This capability is also captured by the 34% of companies for whom advisers provide written materials to be communicated by email and online. Advisers can help to encourage utilisation of support in numerous ways, including offering wellbeing calendars and access to online and offline assistance.
Debra Clark concludes: “The effectiveness of health and wellbeing support is often evaluated by how much it is used, but it is possible to have amazing benefits that are underutilised when access is not made easy, or promoted. We urge employers to encourage utilisation of benefits in order to get the best value from them.”
