Less than a quarter (22%) of employers target benefits to specific demographics in their workforce like age, lifestyle and risk factors, according to research by Towergate Health and Protection.
The survey of 500 HR decision makers found that 57% offered the same benefits to all staff, and 18% differentiated their benefits offering solely on seniority of staff. However, 49% said they would like to target employee benefits to different demographics, but found the process too complicated.
More than three-quarters (78%) said it would be valuable to have a better understanding of the risk profile of the health and wellbeing of their staff, with 49% stating that this would enable employers to tailor support to keep employees healthy and in work. A further 42% said it would mean they could tailor their health and wellbeing support to the specific needs of their workforce.
In addition, 39% believed that using risk profiling would aid recruitment and retention, while 38% felt it would help to meet corporate and social responsibilities. For 32%, the advantage of risk profiling would be to help prioritise what was most relevant if they were only able to offer a limited range of health and wellbeing support.
Debra Clark, head of specialist consulting for Towergate Health and Protection, said: “Risk profiling is revolutionary for employers, it can ensure health and wellbeing support is targeted and makes a tangible difference and, what’s more, it’s very simple to implement. This is a game changer for employee benefits, and the increase in engagement is quantifiable.
“If employers are only able to offer a small selection of benefits, then it makes a huge amount of sense to ensure that they are really relevant to the specific workforce and that the support will benefit the company too by helping to keep each employee healthy and productive.”