Workplace Wellbeing services you didn’t know you had

If you already offer employee benefits and are committed to workplace wellbeing, you may have some hidden gems worth shouting about. Healthcare benefits can be about more than just insurance – so what workplace wellbeing ‘freebies’ could be part of an employee benefits package?

The evidence for why you should invest in workplace wellbeing is mounting. Organisations with high levels of employee wellbeing have outperformed the stock market by around 2%-3% per year over a 25-year period, according to the London Business School.

But before you break the bank to spend money on a wellbeing programme, it’s worth knowing what you can offer your employees as part of their benefits package.

Alternative treatments

Many Private Medical Insurance (PMI) providers include access to a range of therapies including acupuncture, homeopathy, podiatry, chiropractic treatment and osteopathy. Cover limits vary, but employees could enjoy, for example, up to 10 sessions as part of their plan.

Some of the bigger PMI providers offer packages for smaller businesses too, but these kinds of treatment may not be included.

A health cash plan is cost-effective alternative. Some cash plans give employees access to everything mentioned above, along with Chinese medicine, allergy testing, Alexander Technique lessons, hypnotherapy, reiki, and more – even hot stone massage!

Cover limits may be lower than with PMI, but the perceived value to employees of these therapies is worth considering. It’s unusual to get a free massage as part of your job and could make a real difference to how employees feel towards you as their employer – particularly if you’re a small business owner.

Physical wellbeing and preventative treatments

With musculoskeletal injuries among the top causes of absence at work, no wellbeing programme is complete without access to physiotherapy treatments. These tend to be included as standard in PMI and health cash plan products, but equally important is the education that helps to prevent pain and injury.

Many employees don’t even consider these conditions to be serious medical complaints, so it’s helpful that some PMI providers offer fast access to physiotherapy advice, without having to go through a GP.

Health cash plans can also offer virtual GP surgeries, saving time off work for appointments and giving employees helpful, preventative advice when needed.

Exercise plays a huge part in physical and mental health, so any benefit scheme that includes gym membership or cycle to work is already encouraging healthy behaviours. Even if you don’t offer discounted gym membership as a standalone benefit, it’s sometimes included with PMI schemes (as are discounted spa days, for those who prefer pampering to pummelling).

And for armchair enthusiasts, some PMI cover includes health age calculators and online health assessments – both of which could be a great incentive to action!

Mental health and wellbeing

Stress now outstrips musculoskeletal injuries as a cause of absence, so taking mental health seriously is a must. PMI cover often includes psychiatric treatment, while Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are included in many health cash plans and income protection schemes.

EAPs provide emotional, psychological and practical support from independent third parties, and can really help employees. Confidential counselling, online self-help, advice on financial and legal issues, and more – these are standard with most cover.

And thanks to the option of early intervention (without having to wait for GP referrals), reduced absence rates are a welcome side-effect.

Spread the word

These are just some of the wellbeing nuggets you could mine from your benefits programme. But they don’t mean much if your employees don’t know about them, so be sure to choose a benefits provider who can deliver timely, targeted and impactful communications. Then you can shine a light on how much you already do for your employees’ wellbeing.

Need more information? Contact us to speak directly to our wellbeing and healthcare benefits experts.