New partnership with Bupa helps our clients ensure cost isn’t a barrier to employee wellbeing and safety

The initiative aims to give employers access to the back-to-work support they need during lockdown easing with a specific focus on risk assessment, testing and support mechanisms to improve an individual’s Covid-19 risk factors. Beyond the pandemic, the intention is to provide a sustainable framework for an ongoing focus on supporting employee physical and psychological wellbeing.

This announcement comes at a time when although nearly two thirds (61%) of people trust their employer to look after their health and wellbeing, less than one third (29%) of HR leadership have a health and wellbeing strategy in place.*

The partnership sees a range of Bupa’s employer-funded wellbeing services made accessible to Generali’s Group Income Protection (GIP) clients, where a specific need is identified, via funding from Generali. This is made possible thanks to Generali’s innovative Wellbeing Investment Matching (WIM) initiative, which sees the provider partnering with a range of nationwide and accredited wellbeing partners to help support clients with anything from facilitated mental health awareness training to financial education.

The range of Bupa services, which has been selected to complement the early intervention and rehabilitation services already included as standard as part of Generali GIP, includes:

• Covid-19 Support Services – from return to work online risk assessments to antigen testing and a range of temperature checking solutions.
• Bupa SmartDNA test – one swab provides employees with a personalised health and wellbeing plan, including a diet plan with recipes and lifestyle coaching calls using behavioural change techniques, to support their physical and mental health.
• Health Assessments.
• Onsite health checks.
• Occupational Health Services.
• Remote Physiotherapy Service.
• Virtual GP. 

Where joint clients are concerned, the partnership will provide the potential for key wellbeing aspects of Bupa’s Private Medical Insurance (PMI) programme to be extended in a cost-effective way to whole workforces, where only a proportion are covered by PMI.

For Generali Employee Benefits’ (GEB) Multinational Pooling, Global Underwriting Programme (GUP) and Captive clients, the partnership also affords the potential for joined-up thinking – on a local UK level – with regards to health, wellbeing and risk data collation and analysis. This, in turn, gives the parent company central visibility of local actions, allowing for best practice sharing, global engagement reporting and more budget allocation.

Simon Thomas, Director, Generali UK Employee Benefits, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be partnering with Bupa. Everything the Generali Group does is underpinned by principles of partnership working and sustainability. And today’s announcement helps demonstrate loud and clear that we are walking the talk. 

“The need for strong employee health and wellbeing support has arguably never been greater. While remote working due to the pandemic was considered a temporary arrangement, for many it could become permanent and, with it, long-term risks such as fatigue, burnout and chronic musculoskeletal issues. For those returning to workplaces, there’s also of course a multitude of health and safety risks to consider. In this new normal – and beyond – employers need the industry to take a more joined-up health, wellbeing and risk approach. Our partnership with Bupa is designed to do just that.”

Alaana Woods, Commercial Director, Bupa Health Clinics, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Generali to offer a range of services to support employers safely return their staff to the workplace. We know that a lot of people are feeling anxious or overwhelmed about returning to work and we want to do all we can to help businesses create an environment where their employees feel safe, now and into the future.”

Source: 
*Mercer Global Talent Trends 2020