Unlock the benefits of occupational health schemes

How much time and money does your business lose due to workplace-related injuries each year?

In 2021/22, 477,000 employees suffered from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder, and 565,000 working people sustained an injury at work. Together this resulted in 13.3 million working days lost in the UK alone. 

That’s a staggering amount of time lost to business, and whilst it is hard to produce an exact figure, the Health and Safety Executive calculated that the cost of workplace injuries to businesses alone is around £3.5 billion a year. 

It is figures like this that encourage employers to provide Occupational Health schemes to ensure their employees get back to work as quickly as possible if they happen to suffer a musculoskeletal disorder or workplace-related injury. These schemes provide a huge range of benefits to employees and employers alike. But what are they?

Before we have a look at the benefits of Occupational Health schemes, let’s ensure we understand what they are. 

What is our Occupational Health Scheme?

Our Occupational Health benefit helps your team get back to work faster if they suffer a non-fatal injury of some kind. Recovering from physical injuries can be difficult, requiring Occupational Therapy over many weeks. What is more, some employees may find themselves hindered by emotional trauma or poor mental health as a result of their accidents. 

Our Occupational Health benefit provides your employees with a range of medical services that work together to get them back to work as soon as possible. From counselling to Physical Therapy, this employee benefit provides access to a range of services that take a holistic approach to your employee’s care to get them back to work as quickly as is practical.

Additionally, an occupational health scheme can provide assessments of the workplace to help advise employers on safe working practices to ensure a safe/healthy working environment for employees. 

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So now we understand what an Occupational Health scheme is, what benefits should you expect?

Employee health scheme benefits

1. Get staff back to work faster

The biggest impact of Occupational Health schemes is that it allows employees to access medical services faster. There is no hiding from the fact that waiting times for NHS services are longer than they should be, and when you are in pain even a short wait can cause unnecessary suffering. 

Quick intervention through Occupational Health schemes reduces the time it takes to access the therapies that will help your employees recover from their injuries. This helps them return to work faster, reducing the impact their absence has on workplace productivity. 

2. Improve morale

Occupational health schemes can also help to improve employee morale and job satisfaction. When employees feel supported and valued by their employer, they are likelier to be engaged in their work and feel a sense of loyalty to the organisation. 

By providing health and wellbeing programmes - of which an Occupational Health scheme is one part - employers can demonstrate their commitment to the health and wellbeing of their staff, which can lead to a more positive workplace culture.

3. Reduce absenteeism

Thirdly, occupational health schemes can help to reduce absenteeism and increase productivity. By addressing musculoskeletal issues early on, employers can prevent injuries from becoming serious and requiring extended time off work. This can result in lower absenteeism rates and fewer disruptions to the workplace. Our Occupational Health scheme includes pre-employment checks, ensuring that any outstanding musculoskeletal problems are identified and treated early. 

4. Risk Assessment

Occupational health schemes can help employers to assess the risks in the workplace and make it easier to comply with health and safety regulations. Occupational health schemes can help employers to meet the health and safety requirements for their industry by providing a framework for managing workplace health and safety risks.

To what extent are you investing in employee wellbeing?

Occupational health is just one benefit that can support your team’s wellbeing. Human beings are complicated, and an individual’s wellbeing is not just based on how well they are physically. There can be any number of factors affecting your team member’s return to work following an injury or condition, from mental health issues to financial strain. 

To ensure you are providing comprehensive wellbeing support, providing benefits that support all aspects of your team’s wellness. It can feel daunting to build such a package, so we’ve created a great wellbeing toolkit, one that helps you:

• Audit your current programme.
• Give you a step-by-step process for building a comprehensive workplace wellness strategy. 
• Explain why workplace wellness is important for overall organisational success.

We call it our Workplace Wellness Step-by-Step Guide. Download it here and make sure you’re caring for all aspects of your team’s wellbeing.

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