Meeting your duty of care through health cash plans
Organisations need to carry out risk assessments to ensure that their employees don’t work excessive hours and provide open communication channels so concerns can be voiced. They also need to create safe working environments, which means taking reasonable care to prevent personal injury, including mental or physical harm that can be caused by workplace stress. In today’s ‘always on’ working culture stress, depression and anxiety causes 9.9 million lost working days in the UK.
One of the many benefits that health cash plans offer is that they can support employers with their duty of care. Health cash plans can provide employees with 24 hour counselling helplines and cashback for a variety of treatments. They can also help to reduce stress in the workplace, assist with health & safety compliance and reduce the risk of litigation.
Health cash plan benefits
Health cash plans are a simple and affordable way for employers to look after the health and wellbeing of their workforce. Easy to implement, many health cash plans are designed to slot into existing benefits platforms and can either be company or voluntary paid. The growing flexibility of health cash plans also means that organisations can even choose the benefits that are most appropriate to them and create their own tailored health cash plan. After all, no two businesses are the same.
These are just some of the many ways health cash plans can help improve employee health and wellbeing.
Preventative benefits
- 24/7 counselling helplines that can support employees when they need it the most, providing professional advice on everything from stress to finances
- Some health cash plans even promote a healthy lifestyle by providing discounted gym memberships and online health assessments
- Cashback on dental, optical and physiotherapy costs can also encourage employees to have regular check-ups and minor treatments that can prevent small problems from getting bigger.
Health benefits
- 24/7 Virtual GP Surgeries enables employees to speak to qualified medical professionals on the phone or via webcam at a time and place that is convenient to them
- Cashback for massages and physiotherapy treatments can provide support for musculoskeletal conditions
- Cashback for health screens, hospital stays, specialist consultations and X-rays
- Some plans also cover alternative therapies such as acupuncture and sports massages that can help to relieve pain.
Health cash plan providers are constantly looking at new ways they can support employees, employers and HR teams to proactively look after the health of their workforce. One way they do this is to offer additional optional services that can help to minimise risks and provide early intervention.
These services include occupational health helplines, stress prevention programmes and assistance with fit notes as well as return to work plans. While other services can help to provide access to a variety of professionals to make sure organisations are fully compliant with fast-changing legislation. HR teams can also access advice about employment law, risk assessments and health & safety.
Through offering all of these benefits and much more, health cash plans can help organisations to meet their duty of care and proactively look after the health and wellbeing of their employees. By providing support at an early stage, they can help to reduce absence and improve employee motivation and productivity.
It means your employees can enjoy peace of mind and know their physical and mental health is being looked after by their employer. Is it time you took a closer look at health cash plans?
Philip Wood is executive director of sales and marketing at Health Shield.
This article was provided by Health Shield.
In partnership with Health Shield
At Health Shield we're passionate about improving people's everyday health.
