The Health & Safety Executive’s latest Health and Safety at Work report reveals that one million employees experienced work-related mental health issues over the past year. In response to the findings, Cheryl Brennan, Managing Director at Howden Employee Benefits, has highlighted the increasing importance of robust healthcare and protection strategies for employers.
Cheryl Brennan, Managing Director at Howden Employee Benefits, commented:
“With nearly two million employees suffering from work-related ill health, and a million also experiencing work-related mental health issues, stats from today’s Health & Safety at Work report highlight how important an effective healthcare proposition is to employers who are looking to safeguard productivity against a tough economic backdrop.
According to Howden’s Changing Face of Employee Health report, medical inflation is set to spiral – reaching 7% in 2026 net of CPI – and addressing these problems will be paramount for businesses looking to maintain their bottom line. Mental health is the most significant driving factor in rising healthcare costs, according to 64% of UK businesses, and 74% of UK businesses are investing in preventative healthcare to try and curb the issues at source. According to the HSE report, over 40 million days were lost to ill health and injury, demonstrating the detrimental cost to employers. Employee health is rapidly shifting from perk to priority.
As greater strain is placed on the NHS and employees increasingly turn to private healthcare, having a benefits package which addresses these issues and reduces the negative effect on productivity has never been more important.”
