How integrated health journeys are improving employee health outcomes

Integrated health journeys are associated with measurable improvements in health outcomes, confidence and productivity.

In recent years, employers across the UK have been expanding their investment in employee health and wellbeing.

More than half of organisations now offer mental health support and many provide access to physical health interventions, employee assistance programmes or wellbeing tools as part of their benefits package. Yet despite this progress, support is often delivered in silos - with physical, mental and lifestyle services operating independently.

Research shows that fewer than half of employers provide joined-up support across key pillars of health, and even where services exist, employees can be left to self-navigate a fragmented system, coordinating appointments, repeating their story and deciding for themselves what support comes next.

Integrated efficiency

For individuals managing illness, stress or long-term conditions, this disjointed approach can limit the effectiveness of support. Health challenges rarely sit neatly in one category - yet traditional workplace support is often organised around individual conditions or services, rather than the way these issues intersect in real life.

Integrated health journeys offer a more effective solution. By connecting physical, mental and lifestyle support in one place, employers can remove friction, improve engagement and support employees holistically rather than via isolated symptoms.

Recent evidence from Help@hand, the integrated health and wellbeing app from Unum, points to some key themes that help explain why supporting employees across multiple, connected services delivers stronger outcomes.

Results from a survey of 826 of the app's users, found that employees who used multiple Help@hand services reported improvements across every major category measured, including mobility and physical function, daily functioning, mental wellbeing, energy levels and sleep quality.

Outcomes were consistently stronger among those accessing more than one service, highlighting the value of supporting employees across connected issues rather than addressing concerns in isolation.

Those who accessed more than one Help@hand service consistently reported stronger improvements across both health and work-related measures. For example, 71% of individuals using multiple services reported improvements in mental wellbeing, compared with 62% of those who used just one service.

Addressing interconnected issues

This pattern suggests that the value of integrated care may extend beyond access to support and include greater continuity - enabling employees to proactively address root causes and interconnected issues, rather than treating symptoms in isolation.

The same trend is reflected in workplace outcomes – 69% of users who used multiple services reported taking less time off work, compared with 53% of single-service users.

Two-thirds of those engaging with multiple services also reported feeling more confident managing their health and wellbeing, highlighting the role integrated support can play in building self-efficacy, not just resolving immediate concerns.

Importantly, 70% of users who accessed more than one service agreed that the support helped them overcome challenges or personal setbacks, reinforcing the idea that connected care supports resilience over time.

Individuals who accessed multiple services were also more likely to report improvements in productivity, motivation and ability to manage day-to-day demands. Importantly, while resolution speed remained consistent, integrated support improved users’ confidence and resilience.

Taken together, these findings point to a clear opportunity for employers. Integrated services appear to support employees to build momentum in their health journeys rather than disengaging after a single interaction, and to address related needs as they emerge.

Confidence and productivity

At a time when sickness absence is at record levels and workforce health is increasingly recognised as a national priority, we are witnessing the limitations of fragmented support.

Integrated health journeys, by contrast, are associated with measurable improvements in health outcomes, confidence and productivity - helping employees access appropriate support earlier and recover more effectively, while also enabling employers to build healthier, more resilient workforces.