Just over two-thirds (68%) of employers do not provide eye care for all staff, according to research by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare.
The research, which surveyed more than 500 HR decision-makers both in public and private organisations in the UK, found that, while 61% confirmed that they do offer workplace eye care benefits, only 32% made it available to the whole workforce.
Just over one in 10 (13%) said they provided eye care benefits specifically to screen users, 9% said they offer it as an employee benefit, 8% said they offered it to those with safety eyewear requirements, and 5% said they did to those employees who drive as part of their role. Two-fifths (39%), meanwhile, said they did not offer eye care benefits at all.
Jim Lythgow, director of strategic alliances at Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, said: “The figures make interesting reading. It appears that employers do recognise the importance of eye care, both for themselves and for their employees. They do not, however, seem to be giving it the blanket approach that would benefit the maximum number of people. When considering the advantages that eye care can have to employees’ overall health and wellbeing, it can be a highly valued benefit when offered to all.
“To provide employees with an eye check once every two years is not onerous, particularly with eVouchers and online systems to manage the whole process. It is also not a high-cost option. It is often the case that it takes more time and effort to exclude a few people from this low-cost provision than to let everyone benefit.”
