Small business health insurance
How to prioritise workplace wellbeing in your business
Key takeaways: How to prioritise workplace wellbeing in your business
Prioritising workplace wellbeing means looking after your team’s physical and mental health, while creating an environment where your people can do their best work. For small businesses, having a clear strategy, meaningful employee engagement and the right benefits can make a real difference to your people and your bottom line.
What's in this article
What is a workplace wellbeing strategy?
A workplace wellbeing strategy is a plan that sets out how you'll look after your people. It covers physical health, mental health, financial wellbeing and the working environment. And it makes wellbeing part of how your business works day to day, not just something you think about when someone's struggling.
Having a clear wellbeing strategy can help you reduce absence, improve productivity and keep hold of the people your business depends on.1 You could start with these five foundations:
- Leadership commitment
Wellbeing starts at the top. When you take it seriously, your team will too. Role model positive wellbeing within your business by establishing a good work life balance. Ensure you’re taking a lunch break and avoid emailing your team outside of working hours to encourage them to switch off too. - Mental health support
Make sure your employees know where to turn if they're struggling — and that it's okay to ask for help. If you have an Employee Assistance Programme in place, let your team know how they can access it if they need support. - Physical health support
There are a number of ways that you can support your teams’ physical health, including:
- Providing employee health insurance
- Encouraging physical activity via standing desks or gym membership discounts
- Ergonomic assessments and proper workstations
- Healthy snack options and hydration facilities - Financial wellbeing
Financial worries can be a big source of stress for employees. Help employees manage financial stress by signposting them to any support you have available as part of your employee benefits package. - Measurement
Track absence and engagement so you can see what's making a difference.
What employee engagement ideas can help your team's wellbeing?
The best wellbeing initiatives are the ones your team actually want to use. Here are some practical ideas to help get you started:
- Mental health first aid training
A trained mental health first aider can spot early warning signs, offer a listening ear and point colleagues to the right support. Offering mental health first aid training to your team can help to reassure employees that they have someone to talk to within the business if they are struggling.2 - Regular one-to-ones
Create space for people to talk openly about how they're feeling and not just about their workload. Regularly checking in with your team can help them to feel supported and gives them an opportunity to discuss what’s on their mind. - Flexible working
Where you can offer it, flexibility helps your team balance work and home life. Whether it’s remote working or flexible working hours, it can make a real difference to your employees' wellbeing.3 - Gym discounts
With AXA Health business health insurance, your team gets up to 40% off Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing centre memberships and Hussle Monthly+ passes. Offers are subject to change and do not form part of the insured plan.
How do you promote health and wellbeing benefits to your employees?
Having great benefits is only half the story. It’s important that your employees know about them and know how to access them.
Share details at onboarding and send regular reminders, not just at annual renewal. Talk openly about what's available to help remove any stigma, especially around mental health support.
With AXA Health business health insurance, your team will have access to the following services included as standard:
- AXA Doctor at Hand: 24/7 phone and video GP appointments, powered by Doctor Care Anywhere. Subject to availability. Advanced Clinical Practitioners available 8am–10pm.
- 24/7 health support line: Nurses and counsellors around the clock. Midwives and pharmacists 8am–8pm Monday to Friday, 8am–4pm Saturday, 8am–12pm Sunday. The 24/7 Health Support line cannot respond to emergencies. If you require an urgent response or have a medical emergency please call 111/999 or attend A&E.
- Muscles, bone and joint support: Access to a physiotherapist online or by phone, no GP referral needed. Available to members aged 18 and over.
- Cancer and heart care: Specialist nurses supporting employees and their families.
How do you measure the impact of your wellbeing initiatives?
Absenteeism: Unplanned absence, due to illness or stress, is one of the clearest ways to track how your team is doing.4 Monitor it over time to spot patterns and see whether your wellbeing initiatives are making a difference.
Presenteeism: This occurs when employees show up to work when they’re unwell but can't perform at their best. It can be harder to spot but just as costly. Look out for disengagement, a drop in work quality, low morale or people consistently not taking breaks or holidays.
Other useful measures for wellbeing initiatives include: employee engagement scores, staff turnover rates and benefit uptake figures.
How can AXA Health support your team's wellbeing?
AXA Health business health insurance gives your small business more than just cover for treatment. It also comes with services that help your people get support quickly, which can help to take the pressure off you too.
Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) gives your employees confidential, 24/7 access to a qualified mental health professional, with no GP referral needed. They can also use our Life Management service for practical, impartial support with everyday challenges like debt, housing or caring for a relative.
Choose from two levels of EAP support:
EAP Essentials: includes 24/7 remote mental health support, an online wellbeing portal and our Life Management service.
EAP Premier: includes everything in Essentials, plus up to eight face-to-face or remote counselling sessions per employee. The EAP is available as an optional add-on alongside at least one other cover option.
Our EAP cover option is only available as part of a business healthcare cover plan when chosen with at least one other cover option.
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