75% of employers take responsibility for staff health

Three quarters of UK companies believe that they are accountable for their workers’ wellbeing, according to a new survey.

Aon's Benefits and Trends Survey 2015 uncovered that whilst many employers feel responsible for influencing their staff body’s health, many do not appear to be doing so in an effective way. 75% of businesses say that they believe themselves to be accountable, yet 72% of them do not currently have a specific budget allocated to wellbeing, and 38% do not use any data or analytics to inform their schemes.

Matthew Lawrence, Head of Broking and Proposition for Health and Risk at Aon Employee Benefits, explained the statistics: “It has long been accepted that a healthy and engaged workforce is a more productive workforce. There are some positives in this year’s survey outcomes, as well as elements we can learn from too.

“The fact that employers are increasingly recognising that good employee health is important, and that they know they have a central role in positively influencing employee lifestyle and behavioural risks, is encouraging. We know too that 19% of employers intend to introduce a specific budget to focus on health and wellbeing within the next three years.