Tailor-made benefits are vital to ensure a good fit on a global basis

By Sarah Dennis, head of international at Everywhen

When it comes to employee benefits and health and wellbeing support. the one-size-fits-all approach is rarely the best option. When implementing support for overseas employees, this is particularly true. There are so many additional factors that impact people working abroad – including the culture, the availability of healthcare, issues of isolation, and additional pressures for the assignment to be successful. A tailored approach to wellbeing is, therefore, likely to achieve the most from employees and from the benefits being put in place. And this is the crux of things, that health and wellbeing support needs to work both ways, supporting the employee but also, in turn, supporting the company.

We are aware from our own research and client contact that many UK companies are currently planning to expand their overseas workforce, so the benefits being offered will become even more important as numbers increase, with employers not wanting to incur the cost of irrelevant benefits.

Our research1 also shows that employers believe their overseas employees need more support than their UK-based colleagues. Indeed, 87% of employers stated that overseas employees need additional support, with mental health and wellbeing identified as the area where this is needed most.

Providing the right support

It is not solely about providing more support for employees working abroad but, importantly, providing the right support. Our research shows that 48% of employers with overseas staff offer the same health and wellbeing benefits to their global employees as to those based in the UK. This signals that they may not be considering the different needs of those abroad.

Employees based overseas often face more challenges, and they will also need different support depending upon the country in which they are based. Cultural differences and language barriers will be greater in some countries than others. Different countries will have different mandatory support and different wellbeing regulations that need to be complied with. Different countries will also, of course, have hugely differing availability of healthcare.

Providing access to appropriate support

Global employers recognise the importance of supporting mental health, and this is indeed vital, it is also vital that the support is accessible. Accessing support from around the world can be different to accessing support from the UK. For instance, in some countries it is still taboo to talk about mental health issues, and some countries may not recognise the term ‘mental health’, so it is important to make support easy to access and in confidence.

Likewise, support needs to be accessible for all areas of health and wellbeing. For instance, support for physical health may include access to medical care – as there is no NHS-equivalent in many countries or no access to state care for non-citizens – but also apps and advice on heathy lifestyles, so the stereotype of ‘expat excess’ can be avoided. Financial support may come in the form of education on money matters, including savings and retirement advice. And social health should be considered in line with cultural differences.

Beware of overcompensating

Employers should also beware of overcompensating and providing more costly benefits than required. It is prudent to look at what will be expected or needed, to be competitive. For instance, some employees may be entitled to local care, so this will not need to be funded by an employer. There are different rules and regulations for citizens and expats and from country to country.

Commercial benefits of global health and wellbeing programmes

The commercial benefits of providing health and wellbeing support to employees overseas include making staff feel valued and appreciated. They will then feel more engaged and are more likely to strive for the success of the business.

Overseas staff in particular often expect and need rich health and wellbeing benefits. Those already based abroad or looking to relocate will actively seek out businesses that look after their staff, so a full and first-rate support package is good for both recruitment and retention. Offering a high level of

support is a way to demonstrate that the business cares for its employees, no matter how remote they are from the head office. This is as much true for the now-common six-month assignments as it is for longer term relocation.

Appropriate benefits

Employing overseas nationals, rather than sending UK employees overseas, may be a solution for some companies. However, their benefits need to be balanced with those offered to employees posted abroad from the UK. This is not to say that benefits necessarily need to be the same for overseas nationals and UK employees posted abroad – rather, that they need to be appropriate to each.

Measuring success

When employees are spread across different, and sometimes numerous, locations, it is vital that the value of staff support is measured. The commercial benefits are many, and it is important that companies recognise this when looking at what benefits to put in place for their staff.

Think different

We would encourage employers to think in terms of offering different support, as much as additional support, to those based overseas. Employees overseas may have very different requirements to those based in the UK and, therefore, need very different benefits. Understanding how needs differ in each country will make health and wellbeing support really work for those employees, and for the business.

1. Research undertaken on behalf of Everywhen by Opinium in January 2026 among 500 HR decision makers across the UK. International figures refer to UK companies with overseas employees.