Towergate Employee Benefits believes that in 2025, HR must focus on ensuring “everyone benefits” from health and wellness support. Employee benefits are essential for businesses to prosper in the next year. This includes all employees at every level and the company itself.
Debra C. Clark, Towergate Employee Benefits’ head of wellness, says: “Employee Benefits are traditionally seen by some as the privileges of senior staff. A good employee benefits strategy should not be limited to the top employees, but include all staff members.
Employees’ needs are changing and expanding. Employers planning support programmes for the year 2025 must fully understand their employees’ needs and be able to provide the best support possible that will promote the well-being of the company and the employees.
The changing employee demands and pressures
Employers need to be aware of the new demands and pressures.
Many employees today are part of the sandwich generations, squeezed in between their children and parents. Both need more support than ever. ONS census data shows that more than 2.5 million carers work. Employers must ensure they are able to meet this demand if they do not want to lose employees.
Over 1.6 million people are waiting more than a month to see a doctor. The availability of routine procedures is severely restricted, and long-term patients are not receiving the help they need to return to work. Employers who provide support to their employees will be more likely to maintain a strong workforce.
Towergate Employee Benefits own research shows that mental health is the top priority for employers in terms of where they expect to see an increase in support requests. The next most popular category is financial health, followed closely by health screenings in general and mental health. Diverse needs such as fitness and fertility, neurodiversity addiction, gender identity, and other diverse issues were not far behind. When deciding how best to support their employees, employers should consider these diverse needs.
Employers’ Support
Employers will need to support themselves by 2025, with these pressures. It will be difficult to keep employees happy, healthy, and productive in the workplace, with so many different areas of support that they are requesting. If employers do not take care, they will fall behind as support options for health and well-being are developing rapidly.
There are many new programmes available, including gender-specific programs and options for the whole workforce that are much cheaper. Employers will be able to make the most out of these new developments by taking expert advice about what is available, but also on how to best understand the needs of their staff.
How to benefit your business
Employers surveyed by Towergate Employee Benefits stated that 41% of them believe offering health and wellness support increases productivity. Employers surveyed by Towergate Employee Benefits stated that offering health and wellness support increases employee engagement, loyalty and retention. 38% of employers also said it helps with recruitment, while 26% cited it as a way to reduce absenteeism.
Debra clark concludes: “Offering employees the right support means that the company benefits as well: enhanced recruitment, retention and engagement, productivity, loyalty and lower absence rates. But only if the right support is in place.” If employers fail to get this right, they will miss out on a huge opportunity by 2025.
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