Private medical insurance (PMI) is the number one choice for employees from their benefits package while the vast majority of HR leaders believe it is a necessity, according to research from Epassi UK.
The release of the findings coincided with the employee benefits technology provider agreeing a partnership with Qured providing a range of at-home health screenings and blood tests to businesses and their employees.
Most popular benefits
Overall, a quarter (25%) of the 2,000 UK employees surveyed by the firm named PMI as the single most important benefit they wanted from their reward package – ahead of pension contributions and hybrid working which were chosen by 24% and 22% of employees respectively.
The survey of 500 HR decision makers found four in 10 (43%) employers currently offered this perk, but only 16% of employees believed this benefit was on offer to them.
There was also greater demand from employees for health and wellbeing support – just 23% believed their employer cared about their wellbeing and a fifth (19%) wanted more health and wellbeing benefits.
Furthermore, the majority (56%) said access to health and wellness benefits through work had improved their physical and mental health.
The importance of PMI was recognised by employers as 86% of HR leaders believed it was now a necessity in the workplace.
However, this was not fully recognised in what was being provided, with the most popular benefits offered by employers being:
- Hybrid working – offered by 57% of employers
- Maternity/paternity support – 45%
- Private medical insurance – 43%
- Workplace savings scheme – 40%
- Company car – 39%
Matt Russell, CEO at Epassi UK and Zest, said: “Demand for private healthcare insurance continues to rise and employers need to ensure they’re investing in the right benefits to offer the support their workforce is calling for.
“However, there are other challenges too – many employees remain unaware of the benefits they are eligible for and in too many cases are missing out on perks they could be utilising.
“Employers need to improve communication to clearly explain the benefits on offer as well as boost engagement to ensure that they and their employees are getting value for money.
“Without regular and effective communication, employers cannot fully understand the support their workforce is calling for and employees can’t personalise their reward packages to meet their demands.”
Qured partnership
Through its app, Qured offers personalised health services and blood collection, providing a detailed health profile, a clinical results review, and a video consultation as standard for any abnormal results.
All Qured packages include optional live video-guided support, results in 48-72 hours, and a personalised care plan from a GP.
The combined solution aims to help identify immediate health concerns and deliver behaviour change, with 80% of users making lifestyle changes after completing their test, the firm said.
It can cover clinical consultations for heart health, weight and metabolism, clinical chronic disease and fatigue.
It also offers services for chronic disease and cancer screening for men over 40, and chronic disease, bowel cancer and menopause screening for women over 40.