Nearly 96 per cent of employers are prioritising employee stress but only 44 per cent are concerned with heart-related illness.
The Aon’s UK Benefits and Trends Survey 2022 found that employers are more concerned about employee stress than heart-related health conditions, even though heart disease remains to be the number one cause of death for males in the UK.
The survey also found that 89 per cent of employers were concerned with depression and anxiety, 73 per cent with women’s health, 67 per cent with musculoskeletal conditions and 67 per cent with men’s health. High blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes are all ranked at 40 per cent, 36 per cent, and 33 per cent, respectively.
The Aon survey also showed a trend of UK firms focusing on health issue prevention through healthcare spending, recognising effective practices that assist build a resilient workforce while also making financial sense. Employers are spending 78 per cent of their money on prevention, 50 per cent on early detection of illness and intervention, 43 per cent on treatment access, and 23 per cent on long-term support, indicating that investment is aligned with where employees are most likely to be in their health journey.
According to survey respondents, an employer’s health and wellness programme has numerous components. 73 per cent of companies prioritise communications, which aligns with the concept of prevention over treatment. The next most common component is related to mental health support, mental health awareness training at 69 per cent and mental health first aid training at 63 per cent.
Aon Mark Witte principal health and risk says: “It isn’t surprising that stress is the highest concern for employers, given the increased pressures people have faced at home and work over the past two years. Indeed, figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show there were approximately 602,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety during 2018/19. By 2020/21, numbers had risen to 822,000 – a 38 per cent increase.
“At the other end of the scale, employers are less concerned about heart-related conditions, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. This is somewhat concerning as heart disease remains the number one cause of death for males in the UK, according to the Office of National Statistics, and poor lifestyles giving rise to these health issues are risk factors for a multitude of other conditions.”
Witte adds: “General wellbeing appears lower on employers’ list of priorities, with fewer supporting employees in areas such as physical activity, nutrition, smoking cessation or weight loss programmes.
“Improving lifestyle behaviours and detecting the early signs of ill-health deserve parity with other dimensions of wellbeing. In our view, physical wellbeing should remain a focus for all wellbeing strategies, especially given the significant physical, emotional and financial impact conditions can have for the individual and those around them both at home and in the workplace. A holistic approach to wellbeing will be most effective in building a resilient workforce.”
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