A little more than half of employers provide support for mental and social health, and less than half provide support for physical and financial health, according to new research as Round Benefits of employees.
| For which of the four pillars of health and well-being do you provide support for employees? | |
| Mental health and well-being | 54% |
| Social well-being | 52% |
| Physical health and well-being | 44% |
| Financial health | 43% |
| Nothing of these | 9% |
Debra Clark, head of well-being at Towergate Employee Advantages, says: “With so much support to offer easily available and affordable employers through the four pillars of health and well -being – physical, mental, financial and social health – it is difficult to understand why so many employers are below to ensure that their workforce is fully supported.”
More than 3 million employees have no support
The 9% of employers saying that they do not support any of the four pillars of health and well-being is a very austere figure when it is duly taken into account. With 33.86 million people currently employed in the United Kingdom, this indicates that more than 3 million employees receive no health and well-being support.
Employers concerned with their workforce
Regarding what employers think of the health and well-being of their employees, mental health is the greatest concern, stated by more than half (51%) of employers. Employee physical health is a concern for 49% of employers and 46% are concerned about the financial health of their employees. Employee social health is a concern for a third party (33%) of employers. Only 10% of employers said they had no concerns for the health and well-being of their workforce. In practice, they must all be supported, as if an area was lacking, everyone can be affected.
Company size support
It is interesting to note that research shows significant differences in support depending on the size of the company. For the four pillars of health and well-being, companies of 20 employees or less are the least likely to provide support, and large companies with more than 250 employees are most likely to provide support. For mental health and well-being, major corporate employers with more than 250 employees are almost twice as likely to provide support as companies with 20 or less employees.
| For which of the four pillars of health and well-being do you provide employee support? | |||
| 2-20 employees | 21-249 employees | 250+ employees | |
| Mental | 41% | 54% | 78% |
| Social | 42% | 53% | 66% |
| Physical | 36% | 43% | 59% |
| Financial | 35% | 41% | 63% |
There are approximately 5.5 million SMEs (those with less than 250 employees) in the United Kingdom3 And they all need to recruit talents. This means that it is important to provide employees with the support they need – the support they are more likely to obtain large companies. The better the benefits package is better – including support for health and well -being – the better SMEs are in competition to compete for talents.
Debra Clark comments: “If employees feel supported, this will also benefit the company – in increased motivation, less absence and higher productivity – it is therefore an area that no company, of any size, can afford to ignore.”
Take the easy road
Research shows that the supply of support is almost as strong for social well-being as for mental well-being, and is higher than the support provided for physical and financial well-being. However, the results show that social well-being is the least worrying field for employers. It is important that support for health and well-being is provided to meet the most urgent needs and not only in the simplest way. Employers may believe that by organizing a bingo evening or by providing pizza deliveries, they provide the well-being of employees, but, in reality, support must be directed in the right places to be effective. It is therefore essential that employers take the time to know where their employees really need support. It can be as simple as carrying out online surveys. Then, vitically, the employer must act to provide specific support to the fields of need.
Assistance available
Mental health support may include access to the Council through an employee assistance program or employee services, or digital tools to promote mental well-being. Support for physical health could include access to a virtual, dental general practitioner, cash plans or private health care, each of which could prove invaluable, in particular given the pressure on NHS and diagnostic and treatment delays. Likewise, physical health could be stimulated by something as simple as exercise programs. Providing support to financial health can mean access to financial planning information or debt advice. Social well-being can be stimulated by encouraging a feeling of community at work, and this can be particularly important with the possibility of isolation thanks to hybrid work.
It should be recalled that physical, financial and social concerns can also have great implications for mental health, so a holistic approach will be the most effective.
