The pandemic has brought about a step-change in the way they support the health and wellbeing of staff, say 73 per cent of employers, with 57 per cent believing the transformation is positive.
Research from Group Risk Development amongst HR directors has found ‘checking-in’ with staff is expected to see the biggest level of growth, with 71 per cent of employers believing the pandemic will mean a continued uplift in this more informal way of supporting staff.
Long-term increases for support in the areas of improved communication are predicted by 68 per cent of employers, with 65 per cent expecting improving engagement and utilisation of available support, and 64 per cent predicting an increase in mental health support.
Employers predict an increase across all 10 areas of support included in the research with around half of expecting to increase investment in providing support for physical wellbeing, social wellbeing, financial wellbeing, improving the choice of benefits and providing support for dependants.
Grid spokesperson Katharine Moxham says: “Supporting the health and wellbeing of staff is now integral for every employer, and where some employers may have not fully embraced this before the pandemic, it’s now a different story. It’s heartening that employers consider the measures they’ve put in place over the past twelve months to be positive changes and not simply short-term fixes to get through the crisis.
“Although vaccines and easing of lockdown restrictions are providing some light at the end of the tunnel, we’re a long way from this being fully over. It’s good that employers recognise they can’t simply retract Covid-19 support in the immediate future.
“Before buying or renewing a contract, it’s important and indeed advisable that employers get to grips with all that’s now available. By engaging with specialist providers, advisers and suppliers, employers will be able to find out how benefits have been adapted in light of the pandemic, before selecting solutions that are most suitable within their own organisation.”
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