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Digital healthcare drives personalisation and improved access
As employers take on more responsibility for employee wellbeing, the move towards digital health services can be seen in employers’ plans. Used effectively, digital tools can enable more equitable, cost-effective access to healthcare, such as wider access to online GPs to mitigate long delays with NHS services. However, getting the balance right between digital tools and face-to-face support when needed will continue to be a priority.
In the next two years, REBA’s Employee Wellbeing Research 2024 finds the areas set for the most significant growth are personalisation of wellbeing using digital tools, followed by digital triage services.
Personalisation has the potential to boost engagement by supporting more focused employee needs, with digital triage enabling easier access to healthcare benefits. Financial wellbeing app(s) are also in demand as employers focus on this key area of wellbeing.
Digital healthcare offerings also better support employees to take greater responsibility or their own health and wellbeing by providing access to more personalised benefits that are suited to their circumstances and needs.
By improving health data analysis, employers can enhance and direct their health and wellbeing strategy and benefits to better meet the needs of their workforce.
Employees must also take responsibility for their health
While employers may be recognising the need to take more responsibility for employee wellbeing, the onus to improve health does not rest solely with businesses.
Half of employer respondents to REBA’s Employee Wellbeing Research 2024 are actively encouraging employees to take more responsibility for their personal health by including it within workplace personal development objectives. This is true across all company sizes, although there is a slightly higher rate of incidence in employers with more than 500 employees.
Many employers see health as a shared responsibility. Employers can implement an array of health and wellbeing benefits, but it is often down to the employee to take advantage of them. Placing an objective on employees to look after their health and wellbeing is one way to ensure that benefits are used.
