UK Power Networks introduce health insurance plans to 5,000+ workers
UK Power Networks (UKPN), the largest electricity distributor in the UK, were looking to strengthen health and wellbeing support for their wider workforce, after identifying a gap in their benefits and rewards portfolio.
The energy giant is responsible for owning and maintaining the electricity cables and lines that deliver power to homes and businesses in London, the Southeast, and East of England.
Steve Remnant, head of reward, HR services and employee relations explained: “We strive to be an employer of choice, so we want to offer the people that work for us a fair deal, and we care about their wellbeing.
“All our feedback was telling us health benefits were something people were very interested in. They were struggling to get in to see anyone at their GP or local hospital, and we felt we needed to step in to help with that," he said.
Equitable support
“Everyone at UK Power Networks has access to a health cash plan, an employee assistance programme (EAP), and even occupational health services. We’ve also got a traditional PMI plan, but as with most organisations it only covers those in the most senior roles. So there was this clear gap in terms of practical, physical diagnostic and treatment services for the wider population.
“In total, we identified five and a half thousand employees who didn’t have access to our existing PMI plan, including those working directly in the field and indirectly in support services roles. The equitable thing for us to do was to modernise and equalise our health support,” said Remnant.
UKPN were introduced to Equipsme by their brokers Mercer Marsh Benefits, as a hybrid-solution between PMI and cash plans. More than 5,000 employees now have access to a virtual GP service, physiotherapy sessions, and private diagnosis and treatment services.
It was exactly what Remnant had been looking for. “Equipsme was the nearest fit to getting full-blown PMI for every single person in our organisation, without breaking the budget,” Remnant said.
“Gold-plated health insurance for every single person isn’t practical, affordable or sustainable. We wanted something that would help give people a fast-track to a GP or a hospital, get them an early diagnosis and swift intervention, and would be there for the long-term.”
Clear cover
“One of the things we liked from the outset was that it does exactly what it says on the tin. It doesn’t cover cancer but it does go up to diagnosis - and people go back into the NHS for their treatment. At the end of the day, the cover choices and balance of care and cost made sense to us, and I think they’ve made sense to our people, too.
“For our workforce, things like cancer are relatively rare. More pressing issues for UKPN employees include things like musculoskeletal (MSK) problems – especially with so many people working in physical roles out in our network. The sort of complaints where you’d want to go to your GP and maybe to a consultant or therapist, but it’s going to be a three-month waiting list to be seen, let alone treated. With Equipsme people can get the attention they need much faster," said Remnant.
Successful rollout
“Our rollout programme included a whole suite of communications activities, with Equipsme supporting us every step of the way.
“They delivered workshops, webinars and drop-in sessions, as well as a dedicated page on our intranet, UK Power Networks-branded microsite, posters, leaflets, emails and articles to help explain to employees how their new benefits work.
“We’ve been particularly pleased with how many people have chosen to pay-in themselves to upgrade their cover or add family members. It means that as well as supporting the health of our people, we’re also supporting their families," said Remnant.
Business impact
For UKPN the pay-off isn’t just about a few points on staff satisfaction surveys, it’s also about boosting productivity, recruitment and retention.
Remnant continued: “We believe having this benefit will have a material impact on our business. People off work, for instance with an MSK complaint, should now be able to be seen for diagnostic testing and medical or therapeutic treatment in days or weeks rather than months. That’s going to impact our sickness absence rates – which is great – but not why we’ve made this investment.
“For us, it’s really about making sure we’re the sort of employer that people want to work for, and an attractive proposition in the modern market. We think these are the things businesses absolutely should be doing to support people, attract the best candidates, and retain them.
“This benefit has rounded out a comprehensive benefits and rewards offer we’re very proud of. We listened to people and responded with a solution that says ‘we value you, we understand you’re struggling to get the health support you need, so here’s a route out of it’," concluded Remnant.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Equipsme
Equipsme - the middle ground between traditional private medical insurance and cash plans.
