Can health and wellbeing fairs raise benefits awareness among staff?

By bringing together a range of providers in one place, health and wellbeing benefits fairs can be a good way for organisations to ensure their employees understand what they offer. So, how exactly can these be used to raise awareness among staff?

What is typically included?

Health and wellbeing fairs often include different benefit suppliers showcasing what they can offer employees. These are a chance for staff members to meet different providers face-to-face and find out what benefits they can access. This typically includes private medical insurance (PMI), health cash plans and mental health resources. Some providers may have kiosks for health checks and scans, and nutritional advice. Health-related activities and games can make it more interactive.

Benefits fairs often include a mix of informational and experiential offerings, explains Vicky Hedges, head of client success at Perkbox Vivup. “They can be organised as celebrations, showcasing what an employer does for employees, creating recognition and showing they care,” she says. ”Freebie promotional goods from suppliers tend to be appreciated and ensure information is front of mind.”

Some employers invite wellbeing practitioners from the local community, while others may create know-your-numbers stalls as part of schemes for staff to check their cholesterol, heart rate, weight and body mass index. Offering blood pressure testing, meanwhile, can highlight Blood Pressure UK’s annual awareness week.

Providers typically attend fairs to provide wellbeing presentations and, in some cases, one-to-one, confidential healthcare appointments, says Anne Chappell-Smith, director of sales and partnerships at Benenden Health.

“Our team regularly attends benefit fairs and aims to make as many employees as possible aware of the services, so they can understand and make the most out of them,” she says.

How are fairs run?

Often, health and wellbeing benefits fairs are set out like a marketplace in communal areas with high footfall, such as canteens, lobbies or conference rooms, with stalls for each provider so staff can speak to them individually. They can include between five to 20 external providers, depending on the number of benefits, and internal HR, reward and benefits team representatives.

Fairs usually run from one to a couple of days, depending on the size of the organisation, to ensure that as many employees can attend as possible. Some employers will have a theme, such as targeting mental health, men’s or women’s health, which can raise awareness of the benefits that can support a particular issue.

“The event timing is typically tailored to suit the specific needs and schedules of the workforce,” says Hedges. ”They might run from 11am to 2pm, catching people during their lunch, in the early evening if they work shifts, or the weekend so employees’ families can also attend.”

To engage all staff, employers could run separate events that speak directly to employees’ needs, says Mike Chiswell, head of wellbeing at the Retail Trust.

“Providers can run and attend sessions for people working on the shop floor or in distribution centres who need shorter sessions focused on the services that matter most to them,” he adds.

Employers could also opt to run a different format in the shape of a healthy lifestyle day, which can include short, personal health checks and expert-led wellbeing workshops, tailored to organisations’ needs.

Vicky Walker, chief people officer at Westfield Health, says: “They bring wellbeing directly into the workplace in a way that’s accessible, engaging and practical. This makes it easier for employees to access the wider support available to them and create a culture where health and wellbeing are openly acknowledged and genuinely supported.”

Use in engaging staff

Health and wellbeing fairs can be powerful tools to increase employee engagement with schemes. Allowing employees to ask questions directly to providers can foster connection and ensure they fully understand how the benefits can help them personally.

“Live demonstrations, such as fitness classes or interactive wellbeing webinars, make benefits fairs more interesting and appealing,” says Chappell-Smith. “Incentives such as gift cards or raffles can motivate participation, while storytelling through testimonials from employees who benefited from the benefits will add authenticity.”

Employee data can identify which benefits are perhaps underutilised, as well as those employees who have previously shown little interest with low or no engagement. Organisations can then target those employees and steer them towards the fairs to improve knowledge and understanding of the benefits on offer. Consistent communication to promote fairs, and timely follow ups through links and reminders, help reinforce their value in raising awareness of benefits.

“Health and wellbeing benefit fairs offer an opportunity to address employees who aren’t using their benefits by providing an interactive environment where they can explore them in an engaging way,” says Hedges. ”When employers celebrate the benefits they provide, it drives interest.”

By ensuring their health and wellbeing benefit fairs are well communicated to employees and feature a range of relevant providers, employers can effectively boost awareness of the support they offer.