There is still too often a disconnect between how concerned employers say they are about employee health and wellbeing and what they are prepared to do about it – and spend on it – writes Debra Clark.

Barely more than half of employers provide support for mental and social wellbeing, and less than half provide support for physical and financial health, latest research from Towergate Employee Benefits has shown.

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Troublingly, the polling, carried out earlier this year among 500 HR decision-makers, found that too many employers are still falling short when it comes to supporting what we might term the four ‘pillars’ of health and wellbeing.

Just 54% said they provided support around mental health and wellbeing, with 52% saying the same for social wellbeing. The percentages fell further for support for physical health and wellbeing (44%) and financial health and wellbeing (43%).

While, positive, the fact that only 9% of employers polled said they provided support for ‘none of these’ is also a worry. In fact, if you extrapolate that across the 33.86 million people currently employed in the UK, this suggests that more than three million employees are receiving no health and wellbeing support at all.

Yet, at the same time, employers recognise that the need to support the health and wellbeing of their employees is a growing issue. So, there is potentially still a real disconnect here between employers being aware there is a problem and being willing to spend money to tackle it.

Mental health and wellbeing, for example, was employers’ biggest concern, stated by more than half (51%) of those polled. The physical health and wellbeing of employees was a concern for 49% of employers, and 46% were concerned about their employees’ financial health.

The social wellbeing of employees was a concern for a third (33%) of employers. Just 10% of employers stated they had no concerns for the health and wellbeing of their workforce.

Variation in provision

Drilling down into the findings, our research also found significant differences in support depending on the size of company.

If employees feel supported, this will benefit the company too, so it’s an area that no business, of any size, can afford to ignore.”

For all four of the pillars of health and wellbeing, companies with 20 or fewer employees were least likely to provide support, and large corporates with 250+ employees the most likely.

For mental health and wellbeing, large corporate employers with 250+ employees were almost twice as likely to provide support as companies with 20 or fewer employees, signalling there is a real corporate health and wellbeing lottery here for employees.

In all, when it came to mental health, while 78% of employers with 250+ employees said they provided support, this fell to just over half (51%) of those employing 21 to 249 staff. And then fell again, to 41%, of small businesses, employing between two and 20 people.

It was the same story with the other pillars. For social wellbeing, the spread was 66%, 53% and 42% respectively. For physical health and wellbeing, again going from largest to smallest, it was 59%, 43% and 36%. And for financial health, 63% of large employers provided support, falling to 41% of those with fewer than 250, and 35% of the smallest employers.

Given that there are approximately 5.5 million SMEs (or those with fewer than 250 employees) in the UK, these figures should be sounding alarm bells.

Social, mental, physical and financial

With so much readily available and affordable support for employers to offer across the four pillars of health and wellbeing – and the benefits, both for the individual and employer, of doing this well recognised – it is hard to understand why so many employers are falling short in making sure their workforce is fully supported.

If employees feel supported, this will benefit the company too – in increased motivation, less absence and higher productivity – so it’s an area that no business, of any size, can afford to ignore.

Our research, too, emphasises that provision of support is almost as strong for social wellbeing as it is for mental wellbeing, and is higher than the support provided for physical and financial wellbeing.

Nevertheless, social wellbeing remains something of a poor relation, the area of least concern to employers. It is important, however, that health and wellbeing support is provided to meet the most pressing needs and not just in the easiest way.

Employers may believe that by running a bingo night or bringing in pizza deliveries that they are providing for employee wellbeing but, in reality, the support needs to be directed in the right places to be effective.

It is vital employers take time to find out where their employees really need support. Then, of course, this must be followed up with action”

It is vital that employers take time to find out where their employees really need support. This can be as simple as running online surveys. Then, of course, this must be followed up with action, with support provided to target the specific areas of need.

In practical terms, mental health support may include access to counselling through an employee assistance programme or standalone employee benefit, or digital tools to promote mental wellbeing.

Support for physical health could include access to a virtual GP, dental, cash plans, or private healthcare, any of which could prove invaluable, especially given the pressure on the NHS and delays for diagnosis and treatment.

Equally, physical health could be boosted by something as simple as exercise programmes.

Offering support for financial health may mean providing access to financial planning information or debt counselling. Social wellbeing, meanwhile, can be boosted by encouraging a sense of community at work, and this can be particularly important with the possibility of isolation through hybrid working.

Therefore, the key takeaway here? Remember that physical, financial and social worries can also have big implications on mental health. So, it is a holistic approach that will be most effective.

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