Employers see £1.90 return for every £1 invested in health benefits, but employees want more flexible support 

Employers are seeing a strong return on their investment in workplace health benefits, but new research suggests many employees believe current support still fails to reflect the realities of modern working lives. 

A report from Simplyhealth found employers estimate they receive £1.90 in value for every £1 invested in employee health benefits. However, despite 90 per cent of employers saying their healthcare benefits are flexible, more than half (52 per cent) of employees believe they need greater flexibility than is currently available. 

The findings, based on research involving 5,000 UK employees and 500 HR decision-makers, highlight what Simplyhealth describes as an “access gap” between the healthcare support organisations believe they provide and what employees actually need. 

The research forms part of Simplyhealth’s forthcoming report, The Access Gap: Building healthcare around real working lives, which explores how barriers to accessing healthcare affect workforce wellbeing, productivity and retention. 

The study suggests flexibility is becoming increasingly important as workforces become more diverse. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, employees are seeking healthcare benefits that reflect different life stages and personal circumstances, including support for working parents, carers, people experiencing menopause or perimenopause, those living through relationship breakdown and employees approaching retirement. 

Digital healthcare services, virtual consultations and out-of-hours appointments were also highlighted as ways employers can make healthcare more accessible around work and personal commitments. 

The research found healthcare access remains a significant challenge for many employees. Fifteen per cent described their current access to healthcare as difficult, while 42 per cent said poor access to NHS services affected their ability to perform at their best at work. 

Workload also appears to be creating additional barriers, with 38 per cent saying they struggle to prioritise their own health because of work demands, while the same proportion believe taking time off for health reasons is viewed negatively in their workplace. 

Employers reported that difficulties accessing healthcare have tangible business consequences, with reduced productivity (32 per cent), increased sickness absence (30 per cent), employee stress (29 per cent), burnout (23 per cent) and presenteeism (23 per cent) among the most common impacts. 

Paul Schreier, CEO of Simplyhealth, said organisations need to rethink how workplace healthcare is designed. 

“The reality is that healthcare needs don’t arise evenly across a workforce,” he said. “A parent returning from maternity leave, someone caring for an elderly relative, an employee experiencing menopause, and someone approaching retirement all face different challenges in accessing healthcare. Yet many workplace healthcare benefits are still designed as if everyone has the same needs. 

“Today’s workforce spans multiple generations, life stages and personal circumstances, often requiring distinct access to healthcare. To best support employees, businesses need to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and offer flexible benefits that provide targeted support that is tailored to the realities of people’s lives.” 

The report argues that improving access to healthcare should be viewed as both a workforce health and business performance priority. By helping employees access services such as GP appointments, mental health support and physiotherapy more quickly, employers have an opportunity to reduce barriers to care, encourage earlier intervention and improve productivity. 

The findings reinforce a growing trend across workplace wellbeing, with employers increasingly moving away from standardised benefits packages towards more personalised support built around employees’ different life stages, working patterns and health needs. As organisations continue to focus on prevention, retention and workforce participation, flexibility is emerging as a key measure of whether health benefits deliver value for both employees and employers.