95% of employers acknowledge responsibility for employee Health and Wellbeing

Aon has released research showing that UK employers feel far more responsibility for employee Health and Wellbeing, yet formalised strategic action remains unchanged in the last year.

Aon’s UK Benefits and Trends Survey 2022 shows a significant increase in the last year in the number of employers that strongly agree they have a responsibility for the Health and Wellbeing of their employees, rising from 20 percent in 2021 to just over half of all respondents (51 percent) in 2022. Forty-four percent agree they have a responsibility, and just 5 percent disagree or have no view.

Conversely, only 44 percent of employers have a formalised Health and Wellbeing strategy, although 32 percent plan to have one within the next 12-18 months, remaining unchanged from last year. Additionally, 70 percent don’t have a dedicated budget for a Health and Wellbeing programme, just 8 percent measure return on investment of their Health and Wellbeing programmes, and less than half (46 percent) have an executive sponsor for their Health and Wellbeing strategy.

Aon’s Mark Witte said: “This stand-out statistic of 95 percent of employers agreeing they have a responsibility for their employees’ Health and Wellbeing is the most notable shift from previous years’ surveys. It is easy to draw connections to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened awareness of ill-health, but the word ‘responsibility’ is important.”

“Given the acceptance that the employer has a role to play in supporting employee wellbeing, it is disappointing that this year’s research shows no change in terms of the number of employers with a formal strategy in place or planning to do so in the near future”.

“The strain placed on human resources teams over the past 18 months is undoubtedly a factor in not seeing greater progress, as priorities and resources have been focused elsewhere. However, with investments potentially supporting other key objectives, securing budget, targeted condition management and C-suite sponsorship, it is recommended that employers consider ways to elevate health and wellbeing on their organisation’s agenda.”