Yahoo Finance UK firms least likely in EMEA to have a defined plan to look after staff health
Companies in Britain overwhelmingly know that they are responsible for the health of their employees. However, they are also the least likely, when compared to their counterparts in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) to put in a defined strategy to aid staff wellbeing.
That’s according to a report by professional services firm Aon, entitled “2018 EMEA Health Survey,” which surveyed more than 900 employers from across 25 industries in the EMEA region, which account for 2.7 million employees in total.
The survey found that 94% of UK employers agree that they are responsible for influencing employee health and changing behaviours. While 63% of employers in Britain are taking steps to manage impact of employee health, they are also the least likely to have a defined health strategy, compared to EMEA respondents (28% vs 40%). This means that while they are starting to provide different types of health and wellbeing programmes, which include physical, psychological, social, and financial plans, there is no clear unified strategy for the long-term.
“The number of UK firms claiming to have a defined health strategy has decreased, down slightly on the 2016 survey and lower than across the respondents as a whole,” said Matthew Lawrence, chief broking officer, health & benefits, EMEA at Aon.
“Part of this may be due to many employers already having health initiatives in place, ones which are likely not ideal in terms of targeting the right people risk issues – and not packaged as part of a formal wellbeing framework. Putting in place a structured approach that is relevant, measurable, communicated effectively and maximises the value of stakeholders involved would be a positive step for many UK employers.”
Companies are becoming more in tune with their employees health and wellbeing and understand that a healthier workforce can lead to greater productivity. In turn, the impact on the economy can be huge.
Recently, a review by the UK government in 2017 showed that about 300,000 people with long-term mental health problems lose their jobs each year, costing the UK economy up to £99bn ($129bn)—of which employers bear the financial burden of £42bn.
