"Income protection, whether individual or group, has evolved, so the conversation needs to evolve accordingly."
- Dr Tarun Gupta - L&G
New research from L&G has found that 94% of employers say they would value more support from advisers or insurers in relation to wellbeing and absence management, as 82% of employees want proactive return-to-work support from their employer following an illness.
At least 7 in 10 respondents at every job level, from manual workers to owner/proprietors, think proactive return-to-work support via the employer makes sense. 49% of workers say employers should offer it as standard, while a third think it should be offered as an added benefit.
In terms of specific areas of support, 44% said early intervention and return-to-work planning, as well as communicating benefits to employees. This is compared to 29% who pointed to navigating different benefit options.
"Employee needs assessments often happen when someone is already preparing to return to work," Vanessa Sallows, claims & clinical development director – group protection, L&G, said. "Many employers are already looking at ways to provide support throughout an employee’s absence.
"With the right support from vocational rehabilitation clinicians and other specialists, employers can help their employees access practical, personalised support sooner, which can reduce the length of absence and make returns to work more sustainable.
"We see this reflected year after year in our group income protection return-to-work outcomes, and have done consistently for the last two decades."
READ MORE: 65% of people afraid mental health will lead to declined cover
Dr Tarun Gupta, chief medical officer, UK Protection, L&G, added: "A 'seize the day' rallying cry came through loud and clear from independent experts contributing to the latest edition of our chief medical officer report. Income protection, whether individual or group, has evolved, so the conversation needs to evolve accordingly.
"It’s what UK employees and employers want, as evidenced by our research. The CMO report is designed to support and guide financial advisers to have these important conversations with clients."
