Cost needn't be a barrier to strategic wellbeing initiatives, says Generali-UK as it launches wellbeing investment matching

Generali-UK is partnering with the best providers in their various fields of wellbeing expertise to help ensure that cost isn’t a barrier to clients implementing targeted and much needed wellbeing support and services.

This is achieved via the provider’s newly launched Wellbeing Investment Matching initiative. It will help make a vast range of services – from virtual and artificial intelligence GPs to stress resilience training and critical incident support – more accessible and affordable to corporate clients where they have identified a specific need.

“We recognise the fact that the wellbeing requirements of companies are many and varied and this scope needs to be dictated by the client not the insurer,” says Simon Thomas, Director – UK Employee Benefits, Generali. “We already offer a raft of added value wellbeing services as part of our group income protection proposition. However, we recognise that in order to help fully support our clients in achieving their strategic or tactical wellbeing goals, we might also need to help them implement initiatives that sometimes fall out of the scope of added value benefits.”

Initially launching the initiative today with three partners – Optum, Babylon and Doctor Care Anywhere – Generali-UK is currently in discussions with many more and will make further announcements as the year progresses.

Kate Newhouse, CEO at Doctor Care Anywhere, commented: “Digital primary care is revolutionising healthcare. Doctor Care Anywhere provides 20-minute long video and phone appointments with a UK registered GP available 365 days a year from wherever you are in the world, with the ability to choose the GP that you see, jargon- free medical notes, prescription delivery and health tracking services all at the touch of a button.

“Our Wellbeing Investment Matching partnership with Generali-UK will help bring these valued services to more people, plus support to employers including MI reporting to better understand how they can further look after and support their employees and their families.”

Debbie Jacobs, Strategic Account Executive at Optum, said: “It’s fair to say that many businesses in the current financial climate are not always thinking about employee wellbeing. They’re looking at things from a short-term, money saving perspective. The irony is that investing in people’s wellbeing can actually save money by improving productivity and competitiveness in the long-term.

“Wellbeing investment matching will help ensure that wide reaching services are opened up to companies that might not otherwise have such access. For example, we offer full EAPs with face to face counselling, one to one biometric health checks and personalised programmes for improvement, training in various subjects from work life balance to managing change, plus critical incident support.”

Dr Umang Patel, Clinical Director at Babylon, added: “If companies want to offer an employee benefit that helps as many people as possible, virtual GPs and medical artificial intelligence are superbly placed. To employees it says ‘my company cares for me, it’s looking out for me and my family’. To the employer, it means improved engagement.

“One of our recent case studies shows that for a population of 15,000 staff, over 1 year 20% of the workforce interacted with the service, resulting in 10,700 man hours saved and a ROI of 30%.

“We’re excited that Generali is putting its money where its mouth is by helping make such services more widely available.”

New wellbeing flipbook goes live
This latest launch coincides with the design and publication of a new wellbeing flipbook by Generali-UK, which provides a full overview of the insurer’s added-value wellbeing services, plus information on the wellbeing investment matching initiative and partners.

Simon adds: “We’re hoping to help further educate the market that group risk is about much more than payouts on death and disability these days.

“Although the insurance aspect is key, so is the service aspect. Our clients value the fact that we work in partnership with them to help with absence management reduction and prevention – ultimately helping to better engage the workforce, improve productivity and achieve ROI.”

To take a look at the flipbook, please go to http://uam.me/generali-uk/wellbeing17