Supporting the health and wellbeing of its UK employees is important to technology organisation Oracle. To help achieve this, in November 2015, it introduced a vocational rehabilitation helpline, Swift, for managers in collaboration with Unum, alongside its existing portfolio of healthcare and wellbeing benefits.
This acts like a triage service, says Claire Hallmey, wellbeing manager at Oracle UK. “If an employee has any health issues their manager can call this helpline and get advice from a vocational rehabilitation specialist,” she explains.
“They understand all the products and services we offer and can help the manager to signpost the employee to the most appropriate support. This could include a referral to the employee assistance programme, a desk assessment with the health and safety department or into the private medical plan.”
Since the helpline was introduced, it has made a significant difference. Hallmey says: “We do see a lot of enquiries going through the helpline and it’s also increased the number of referrals that are made while employees are still at work. Helping them at this early stage can make a big difference to their prognosis.”
To ensure it brings as much benefit as possible to employees, Hallmey is planning a new communications programme this year. “When we launched Swift our focus was primarily on managers,” she says. “This year, we’ll also communicate it to employees. It’s important they know this support is available for them.”
