All Healthcare and wellbeing articles – Page 247

  • Article

    Presenteeism on the rise among UK workforce

    2013-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Presenteeism among the UK workforce is on the rise, with 93% of employee respondents coming into work despite being ill, according to research by Canada Life Group Insurance.Its research, which polled more than 1,000 UK workers, found that more than a third (36%) of respondents would rather use their annual ...

  • Article

    Aviva adds musculoskeletal service to private medical insurance

    2013-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Aviva is to add a musculoskeletal rehabilitation service to its corporate private medical insurance scheme for large employers.Its BacktoBetter service, which is aimed at helping employees with any musculoskeletal conditions return to work more quickly, will combine the insurer’s BackUp and BackUp Plus programmes into one employee-focused service from 1 ...

  • Article

    Top discussions from the Employee Benefits LinkedIn group

    2013-04-29T02:50:00Z

    There’s a world of difference between being supportive of employees who wish to become more active (which I think we should) and putting pressure, however well-intentioned, on employees to take up activities that might not be suitable for their level of health and fitness.Maria Padley, reward manager, GetronicsFacilitating employees to ...

  • Article

    Buyer's guide to private medical insurance 2013

    2013-04-29T00:00:00Z

    Private medical insurance (PMI) is a popular benefit, offering employees access to private medical treatment and helping employers to reduce sickness absence. But, with budgets squeezed, employers and insurers are looking for ways to keep the cost of cover down.This drive to cut costs can be seen in figures from ...

  • Article

    BGL Group launches fitness initiative

    2013-04-02T11:00:00Z

    BGL Group has launched an initiative to encourage its staff to be more active.The four-week Active121 programme aims to help employees complete 30 minutes’ exercise five days per week.Around 100 employees have registered for the free benefit, which includes unlimited email access to a wellbeing advisor for personal support, a ...

  • Article

    Kärcher encourages cash plan take up

    2013-04-01T00:00:00Z

    EXCLUSIVE: Kärcher UK has issued new communications to its 230 employees to remind them about their health cash plan.Between 1 July 2012 and 1 February 2013, 97 employees at the cleaning equipment manufacturer made a claim through the plan.As a result, Kärcher UK wanted to ensure its employees were taking ...

  • Article

    Federation of Small Businesses offers members health services

    2013-04-01T00:00:00Z

    The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has signed a three-year contract with Jelf Employee Benefits to offer its 200,000 member organisations access to discounted health and wellbeing services.The FSB’s small business owners, managers and their employees will have access to lower premiums for private medical insurance (PMI), hospital treatment insurance ...

  • Article

    Most employers proactively record staff absence

    2013-04-01T00:00:00Z

    The majority (82%) of respondents proactively record, monitor and manage employee absence, according to research by industry body Group Risk Development (Grid).Its Group risk employer research study, which surveyed 500 organisations, found that 27% of respondents already publish their absence statistics in their annual report and accounts, while 48% are ...

  • Article

    Informa runs global fitness challenge

    2013-03-27T12:07:00Z

    EXCLUSIVE: Informa has held a fitness challenge for its 8,000 employees globally to encourage staff health and wellbeing.February Fitness saw 100 teams from Australia, Switzerland, Singapore, the UK and the US cycle, swim, run or walk to support their favourite charity.Employees covered 50,000 miles, with three winning teams each receiving ...

  • Article

    Alice Sinclair: Should employers encourage staff to take up fitness activities?

    2013-03-25T14:34:00Z

    Participation in fitness activities can also relieve stress and lead to reduced absenteeism, better employee engagement and an improved employer profile.At the Institute for Employment Studies, we have reviewed a variety of success stories where employers have set up fitness classes, organised regular walks, subsidised gym membership and encouraged staff ...

  • Article

    Lisa Purcell: Should employers encourage staff to take up fitness activities?

    2013-03-25T14:33:00Z

    However, we are likely to be exhausted by stress and mental strain rather than by physical activity.The British Heart Foundation (BHF) research, carried out in December 2012 with YouGov, found that nearly one in five workers (18%) do absolutely no physical activity during working hours and only 27% manage 20 ...

  • Article

    Sally Gunnell: Should employers encourage staff to take up fitness activities?

    2013-03-25T07:21:00Z

    The only question is: which are the best schemes for improving engagement and making a positive impact on absenteeism, presenteeism and productivity?Fitness is coming to the fore in the prevention and treatment of many health and wellbeing problems, just as public and medical opinion is converging on more holistic approaches.The ...

  • Article

    Pam Whelan: How to create a dental plan

    2013-03-25T06:00:00Z

    Dental is one of the fastest-growing employee benefits, so it is important for employers to keep up to date with the latest dental news. This will help them provide the best market knowledge and understanding to their staff.According to a Denplan/YouGov online survey of 4,116 UK adults, conducted in January ...

  • Analysis

    How to integrate health screening into a business

    2013-03-25T06:00:00Z

    Looking after employees’ health and wellbeing is fundamental to being a responsible employer. But it should not be seen as just doing the right thing by employees; it is also about improving business performance. Health and wellbeing affect staff productivity and safety, and the working environment, in turn, affects staff ...

  • Analysis

    Age considerations to factor into a dental strategy

    2013-03-25T06:00:00Z

    There have been exciting developments in dental technology in recent years, which should inform all employers’ dental healthcare policies. For example, dental implants now integrate into jaws to provide a firm base to replace missing teeth, tooth-coloured materials now replace old amalgam fillings, and veneers enhance the appearance of stained ...

  • Opinion

    Jane Fenwick: Opinion divided on open-referral PMI

    2013-03-25T00:00:00Z

    Others are cynical, but accepting.Much of the challenge for us has been in communicating the reasons for its introduction. We invested a lot of time and energy in member communications, even offering personal meetings with a senior clinical director from our insurer for those who felt particularly aggrieved. Member perceptions ...

  • Article

    Mark Sharpe: How to manage musculoskeletal disorders

    2013-03-25T00:00:00Z

    A reduction in healthcare spend, coupled with an improvement in employee health, is always beneficial to a business. But what is the best approach, particularly for musculoskeletal disorders, which are one of the largest contributors to those costs?Employers should first identify the cause of the disorders and the cost of ...

  • Analysis

    Creating a musculoskeletal disorder strategy

    2013-03-25T00:00:00Z

    A staggering 131 million working days were lost through employee sickness or injury in 2011, with musculoskeletal disorders the biggest cause of days lost (35 million), according to the Office for National Statistics’ Sickness absence in the labour market report, published in April 2012.That is why a proactive, integrated approach ...

  • Analysis

    Evacuation and repatriation cover for expatriates

    2013-03-25T00:00:00Z

    IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE READ THIS…Most international PMI schemes include standard evacuation and repatriation cover, but this can be extended.When determining the level of cover, employers should consider location and the availability of medical facilities.Employers would be wise to consult their insurance provider and keep detailed information on the ...

  • Analysis

    How to manage healthcare costs

    2013-03-25T00:00:00Z

    The recent National Health Service (NHS) turmoil and serious lapses in quality of care have prompted a call by a number of employers to address these deficiencies and the potential impact on their workforces.But how should employers do this? Should they revisit strategic risks? Should they add private medical insurance ...