EXCLUSIVE: Two-thirds provide support and counselling services to employees

support and counselling services

EXCLUSIVE: More than two-thirds (69%) of organisations provide support and counselling services to some or all of their employees, making this the highest-ranking type of health benefit, according to research by Employee Benefits and Health Shield.

The Employee Benefits/Health Shield healthcare research 2018, which was conducted in July and gathered 162 responses, found that the second most popular type of healthcare benefit is insurance (59%). This includes private medical insurance (PMI), dental insurance, personal accident insurance and healthcare trusts.

Occupational health and health cash plans are almost as popular as insurance benefits, with 58% and 57%, respectively. Wellbeing provisions are ranked fifth, ahead of group risk in sixth place for 2018, whereas group risk came in at fourth place, above wellbeing benefits in fifth, in 2017.

Although insurance benefits, group risk benefits and occupational health services provided by respondents’ organisations have decreased in terms of percentages overall since 2017, these still rank highly as benefits offered to some or all staff.