Research from the employee benefits team at Everywhen has found that companies with overseas employees identify staff retention and the boost to productivity at the top of the list of advantages in offering health and wellbeing support to these workers. Staff retention rates were the top reason for companies with staff abroad to offer health and wellbeing support, stated by 32 per cent of employers, followed by 31 per cent who saw the main advantage being the boost to productivity.
“It is positive to see that global employers recognise the commercial advantages in supporting their staff,” commented Sarah Dennis, head of international at Everywhen. “Of course, duty of care is the fundamental reason to support the health and wellbeing of employees overseas, but there are clear commercial benefits too and these should not be overlooked.”
This links to the fact that quiet quitting causes the biggest concerns for businesses with overseas employees, stated as the greatest issue by 35 per cent of employers, well above other problems such as absence rates, cited by 23 per cent of companies that employ staff abroad.
Health and wellbeing support has to be in place for employees based overseas. With no NHS in other countries, and stipulations about health and wellbeing support being a part of many working visas, it is arguably even more vital than for UK-based employees. As Sarah Dennis says: “Offering health and wellbeing benefits is not a nicety, it’s a necessity.”
However, the commercial benefits are also clear. Companies offering robust health and wellbeing programmes to their global employees are likely to benefit from the rewards to the business as well as to the employee. With recruitment often an issue for companies looking to fill overseas roles, a full global health and wellbeing programme can be a very attractive proposition.
Employers should not, therefore, shy away from the commercial benefits of health and wellbeing support, particularly employers with overseas staff. When the advantages to the business are evident, it is easier to make the business case for offering health and wellbeing benefits, keeping them, and adding to them if needed. In this way, it is a win-win situation of the business and its employees alike.
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’s important that companies recognise this when looking at what benefits to put in place for their staff.
Sarah Dennis adds: “We welcome the scrutiny of the value of health and wellbeing support. It gives focus and direction to the support, and helps us to advise employers on what to put in place to best support their employees, and the business. It comes down to striking the right balance. Employees must feel appreciated and supported and in that way they will give the best of themselves to the company. Loyalty and respect work in both directions and good employees recognise this as much as good employers do.”
