Health and wellbeing supplement 2011

supplement

Editor’s comment

With cost pressures still hitting many employers, the move towards a proactive approach to employee health and wellbeing continues. In many cases, this means the days of offering staff a suite of costly healthcare benefits to help them source treatment are long gone, with employers instead focusing on a more holistic, proactive health and wellbeing package.

One issue that can often be overlooked is the impact of the physical working environment on employee wellbeing. While all employers will ensure their workplaces meet health and safety requirements, elements such as plants, fresh fruit and the temperature can all have a positive impact on staff wellbeing.

Of course, even with the best will in the world, people will become ill. This is where reactive benefits still have a role to play in supporting staff and helping them to source treatment more quickly than they may be able to on the NHS, and potentially return to work sooner. This is vital with serious conditions such as cancer, where employers are increasingly looking to support affected staff not just in terms of treatment, but also in dealing with the emotional impact.

It is therefore important that staff know what benefits are available to them, particularly when it comes to conditions that still have a perceived stigma attached to them, such as mental health issues.

Debbie Lovewell
Deputy Editor, Employee Benefits