EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Survey of UK private healthcare provision
More than four in ten companies say they will cut eligibility for healthcare benefits if costs continue to rise, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
As many as 80% of survey respondents believe they would have difficulty attracting and retaining good employees if they did not offer private healthcare.
Four in ten respondents (40%) say that over the past few years they have failed to successfully manage their healthcare benefits through effective integration and co-ordination. Steve Clements, European partner at Mercer, said: "Companies' healthcare benefits and services need to be actively managed as a whole, not in isolation. An integrated system can add more value than the sum of the parts, and turn a traditional employee benefit into a tool of real value to employers."
Want to know more?
Title: New Perspectives on Health and Absence: A UK opinion survey 2003, Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
Methodology: The survey was completed in April 2003. Over 100 companies participated throughout the UK, representing a wide cross-section of businesses.
Availability: Copies of the report are available from Antigoni Tsappis, tel: 01372 389 651.
Mercer Human Resource Consulting is the "largest consulting firm of its type in the UK, helping organisations create business value through their people". It employs over 3,000 staff in 17 office locations in the UK. To find out more visit www.mercerhr.com
Posted 8 September 2003