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Is your return to work procedure fit for purpose?

When employers were asked about their role in employees’ return to work after illness, 82% agreed that they played an important part.

Yet according to researchers from Aviva only 5% of those employing more than 100 people don’t have set procedures in place to achieve this. And when we look at the larger employers, just 38% offer private healthcare.

The findings from Aviva’s January survey of just over 500 UK employers show quite a gap between aspiration and reality.

The reality is that although private healthcare can be seen as a perk, in actuality the ability to see a mental health professional, physiotherapist or private GP can often be a lot less expensive, and cause a lot less disruption, than having a staff member go off sick. Or, worse, leave on ill health grounds taking all their knowledge and expertise in the company with them.

  • Our own clients at Verve Healthcare can see how it’s more cost effective to keep people well rather than (just) treat them when they are ill. A proactive approach can nip escalating issues in the bud.
  • So why don’t 62% of employers provide private healthcare? Our Verve On Demand service is a pay-as-you-go service where employers only pay for the appointments their staff use, so there are no ongoing subscription costs, just a laser-focussed spend on helping that staff member keep healthy and productive.
  • The UK is seeing more and more people go off on long-term sick leave. One in 13 adult workers is off on extended sick leave, according to the Office for National Statistics. Our own clients say that a proactive approach to help their employees return to work smoothly can save in the long run.
  • Helping staff stay healthy and productive is not just the right thing to do for them, their families and their co-workers, it makes good business sense too.
  • If we can help your or your teams, please do get in touch..
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