What are employee health assessments?

Employee health assessments are an occupational health service that aims to understand and improve the health of your staff. Medical personnel will assess your employees' mental and physical health and create individual, tailored action plans to help minimise immediate or future health risks.

Employee health assessments are available through third party providers who undertake the assessments and provide support services to your workforce on behalf of your company. There are many policies available with different cover and assessment options, but some examples include the following:

• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Exercise
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Lifestyle

What do employee health assessments cover?

Employee health assessment will cover your employees for assessments, medical support, and access to health resources during the cover period. A policy usually covers employees for the initial evaluation and ongoing support for up to one year.

How your employees are assessed will depend on your chosen policy and provider. Several cover levels are available, ranging from more basic to fully comprehensive. To learn about the options, please get in touch, and we'll help you compare your options.

Example assessments and cover options

We've created a list from multiple providers to help you understand what may be covered in your policy. Please note that some options may only be available through specific providers or policies.

• At home health assessments
• Core health tests
• Health risk assessments
• Hydration levels
• Body fat %
• Blood tests
• Cancer tests
• Lung health
• GP appointments
• Follow up coaching support
• Online mental health programmes
• Mental health GP appointments
• Advanced fitness tests
• Heart rate
• Blood pressure
• BMI
• Cholesterol and glucose levels
• Lifestyle review
• 24/7 nurse helpline
• Tailored action plans

What do employee health assessments aim to do?

Employee health assessments may be an effective way of managing and improving employees' overall health and offer a unique way of doing so compared to other policies. They aim to:

1. Help employees understand their current physical and mental health levels
2. Bring to attention any immediate or future health risks
3. Support employees with making changes that would minimise their health risks
4. Offer employers a way to care for the health needs of its workforce
5. Encourage employees to be proactive about their health
6. Allow your employees to speak openly about their health, away from their colleagues

How does this benefit your employees?

How each of your employees benefit will be unique to them and will depend on the type of policy you purchase. Some of the common benefits they may include:

• Improvements to their mental and physical health
• Easy access to medical support
• An improved understanding of how to improve their wellness
• Less time spent unwell in the short and long term
• Higher productivity through increased health
• Medical advice tailored to their unique health needs
• Reduced anxiety and stress that's caused by health issues

How does this benefit your business?

Employee health assessment may also provide many benefits to the businesses who arrange the coverage, such as:

• Improved general health across the workforce
• Higher productivity due to reduced absence
• Attract employees who see the benefits of health assessments
• Retain staff who are benefitting from health assessments
• Demonstrates to your employees that you care about their health
• Improve the way employees view your business
• Direct cost savings due to reduced absenteeism

“An estimated 141.4 million working days were lost because of sickness or injury in the UK in 2018, equivalent to 4.4 days per work” - ONS

Are employee health assessments effective?

As with all policies, it’s essential that they’re a worthwhile investment for the business and its employees. Some policies will be more effective for certain types of businesses than others, and understanding the need and effectiveness may help you to understand whether it’s the right choice for your company.

The need for health assessments

Champion Health publish an annual wellbeing report which aims to understand how healthy employees are. Their 2022 findings tell us that: 

• 60% of employees feel anxious
• 56% of employees are experiencing depression
• In 2022 UK, 7.3million working days were lost due to musculoskeletal disorders
• 67% of professionals are experiencing moderate to high levels of stress

How effective are health assessments?

While the above report may highlight the need, health assessments must provide a lasting impact before they can be considered a worthwhile investment. Bupa's 2020 - 2022 health assessment records show that: 

• 85% of customers have changed their lifestyle habits after health assessments and a second coaching call.
• 81% of customers said their health and wellbeing had improved following their health assessment.

Are there any alternative to employee health assessments?

Employee health assessments are one of many employee benefits available to purchase, however, they offer a unique benefit that can't be replicated through other policies.

Businesses may consider including employee health assessments as part of a wider benefits package with multiple policies. Doing so may provide a more comprehensive range of benefits that cover health and wellbeing in several ways. Some examples of additional policies to consider include:

1. Business health insurance
2. Healthcare trusts
3. Business health cash plans
4. Occupational health services
5. Business dental insurance
6. Critical illness insurance
7. Income protection insurance
8. Executive income insurance
9. Group life assurance

Compare employee health assessment plans

Employee health assessment plans are available from multiple providers, and many different levels are available. This may make it difficult to decide which is the best fit for your workforce, resulting in a less-than-optimal outcome.

We help companies looking for any business policies with this step, lending our expertise and connections within the industry. We aim to understand your company's and its employees' unique requirements before searching the UK market for policy options that meet your needs at the most cost effective price. This comparison service is free, and you're under no obligation to purchase. Just complete the form below, and we'll be in touch to help you.