Employers in the UK energy sector have seen increasing interest in environmental benefits and virtual wellbeing support for their workforces, according to research by Aon.
Its The energy sector employee benefits study, which surveyed 38 UK organisations in the energy sector, found that respondents have seen a growing demand for both preventative and treatment-based paid healthcare benefits. As a result, 73% of respondents have implemented straightforward access to virtual GP services and wellbeing apps.
They have also reported a strong take up of environmentally-friendly benefits, with 63% offering ultra-low emission or electric cars via salary sacrifice arrangements.
Maternity leave policies across the sector are gradually moving towards 26 weeks of full pay and paternity pay has largely stabilised at two weeks’ full pay. Meanwhile, only 3% offer fertility benefits and 27% provide menopause support.
Within the sector, there was a 16% range between the lowest and highest levels of employer pension contributions. In addition, 66% of respondents offer health screening, typically employer-paid annually.
In the sector, there were variations of 20% or more in the value of benefits as a percentage of pay.
Terry Gostelow, principal strategy consultant in UK health and benefits at Aon, said: “Employers are recognising the need to offer greater flexibility and accessibility in benefits, particularly as demand for preventative healthcare continues to grow. At the same time, rising insurance costs remain a challenge, making it crucial for organisations to strike a balance between cost management and meeting employee needs.
“Sustainability is also becoming a key factor in the energy sector’s benefits decisions, with strong uptake of initiatives such as salary sacrifice schemes for low-emission vehicles. As the workforce places greater emphasis on environmental responsibility, we expect businesses to adapt their benefits strategies to match their employees’ expectations, in order that they can remain competitive in attracting and retaining top talent. It was also interesting to see variation in levels of investment in employee benefits. That could have a real impact on recruitment and retention for individual firms, especially for those employers at the lower end of the range.”
