Dawn Lewis
Content Editor, Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA)
Evolving employee expectations and a drive for greater equity and inclusion have seen the focus on health and wellbeing continue to increase in UK businesses.
Findings from the Reward and Employee Benefits Association (REBA) ninth annual Employee Wellbeing Research 2024, published together with AXA Health in June 2024, highlighted that support for specific employee groups — such as those experiencing menopause, carers, neurodivergent employees — is driving an increase on the amount employers spend on benefits.
Why the drive for inclusion
Inclusive workplace cultures — those that support people with all kinds of differences — boost employee wellbeing. These cultures improve fairness and help to attract and retain people from wider demographic pools, supporting business sustainability, as well as meeting employee health and wellbeing needs.
Health and wellbeing initiatives and benefits should therefore reflect this inclusivity and recognise differences between various demographics in the workplace. The majority (98%) of respondent employers to REBA’s research said wellbeing spend — the amount employers spend on wellbeing initiatives and benefits — has or will increase due to building/supporting an equitable, inclusive and diverse workplace.
In the next two years, 52% of employers
intend to use wellbeing data to ensure
equity and equality of health
and wellbeing offerings.
How to support employee wellbeing
Offering more support for specific groups and expanding the range of employee benefits to be more equitable were just some ways employers are aiming to improve health and wellbeing support. Examples include introducing menopause policies or providing health insurance to the whole workforce, rather than just the senior leadership team.
As explored in REBA’s Employee Wellbeing Research 2024, investors, government and employees are all placing more responsibility on employers to support employee health and wellbeing. As a result, inclusive practices will be paramount to future workforce resilience and sustainability.
Employers aspire to connect wellbeing and DEI data
Central to the drive towards greater health and wellbeing inclusivity is the need for better data. Although employers already collect information on employees such as gender and age, a more detailed picture is needed to truly provide support that meets employee needs.
In the next two years, 52% of employers intend to use wellbeing data to ensure equity and equality of health and wellbeing offerings across the workforce; fewer than two-fifths (38%) currently use data for this purpose.
Connecting wellbeing with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a clear business priority and will continue to be a driver of change as businesses seek to create long-term sustainability.
