Employers and employees are united in their belief that state support for those who power the UK’s economy, i.e. employees, is inadequate.

In new research*, the industry body for the group risk sector, two thirds (63%) of employers, and half (54%) of employees stated that they think there is a lack of Government support for the health and wellbeing of workers in the UK.

According to employers, their staff are impacted by being unable to access support across all areas of health and wellbeing, including support for mental health (57%), preventative care (52%), financial (if they are unable to work through sickness or injury), (48%) and physical health (47%).

While all areas of health and wellbeing are a concern, it is in employers’ interests to avoid staff absence in the first place. While much of primary care is moving in the direction of improving preventative support, it is clearly not going far or fast enough from an employer’s perspective.

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD, said: “The current pressures on the public purse mean that this inadequate support is not going to change in the foreseeable future, and every company could be affected if they haven’t been already.”

What can employers do about a lack of access to state support?

Prevention is better than the cure from both an employer’s and employee’s perspective, and so employers should always look to ensure their support comprises a range of preventative measures, from apps to fitness tracking and health tests, to appeal to people of differing demographics and preferences. Employee benefits, such as employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness – collectively known as group risk benefits – offer a powerful yet affordable solution that provides wide-ranging financial and health and wellbeing support to prevent absence, offer early intervention, help people return to work, and support those who need time off.

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD concluded: “While there are marginally fewer long-term sick employed people now than there were at the peak in 2023, the numbers are still worryingly high. Encouraging people back into the workplace is remarkably difficult, particularly where employers have little or no support in place, which is why preventing absenteeism in the first place should be the ultimate goal.

“State support for employees is only going in one direction, with Government ever-more relying on employers to step in and step up. Most employers will want to provide for their hard-working staff, and indeed, they will need to if they aren’t doing so already. There are a number of helpful employee benefit options available to employers on this front, and as the lack of access to support is likely to impact an increasing number of staff, there is no time like the present to put work-based support in place.”

*Conducted by GRiD