Support for health and wellbeing has been cited as a primary reason employers keep hold of staff, according to a survey from Towergate Health & Protection.
The survey of 500 HR decisions makers by Opinium on behalf of Towergate found 42% said their support for the health and wellbeing of staff is a key reason people stay with the company. In addition, 31% said health and wellbeing support is a key reason people choose to work for them.
And the survey also showed nearly one in five (18%) employers stated that not offering enough health and wellbeing support affects their ability to recruit and retain people.
While support for health in general was viewed by 42% of employers to have increased the most in importance for enhancing the recruitment and retention of talent, 26% of employers said support for mental health had increased most in importance, and 19% said it was the overall health and wellbeing package that had grown most in terms of priorities.
Social interaction through work (11%), communication of support offered (9%), support for financial health (9%), and an environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy (8%), were also seen as increasing in importance.
Debra Clark, head of specialist consulting at Towergate Health & Protection, (pictured) said: “The research supports our anecdotal evidence of the wider reaches of health and wellbeing support, and why it is so important that employers have a clear and well-communicated strategy. The wider the health and wellbeing support offered, the better the array of talent it will attract and retain.
“Employees’ needs and demands have shifted dramatically since before the pandemic struck. We have all had a realignment of priorities, and employers need to match these if they are to attract and retain the best staff, which is only going to become more important.”
