A recent survey of 181 senior HR, Finance, and Payroll professionals � representing a global workforce of nearly half a million employees � suggests that most UK businesses are now expecting further COVID-19 restrictions in the autumn and winter months immediately ahead.
The research was undertaken by employee benefits consultancy Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing (Howden) just 3 working days prior to the Prime Minister�s announcement last week of possible �Plan B� measures should the pandemic situation worsen again.
More than half (53%) of employers surveyed �expected� new government restrictions to be imposed, with a further 43% conceding that such interventions remained possible.� Just 2% of employers did not believe any further government restrictions would be required.
Commenting on these findings Steve Herbert, Head of Benefits Strategy, at Howden said:
�Howden�s findings are not surprising given that UK COVID-19 infection rates at the start of September are around 30 times higher than at the same point last year.� So Human Resources professionals are being entirely realistic in accepting � and preparing for � a further period of restrictions should they be needed.��
That said, the government has made it clear that vaccines have lowered the mortality risk associated with the pandemic, and that lockdowns are now considered a last resort.� So any future restrictions are likely to be lighter-touch measures such as mandated mask wearing, a return to working from home for some, or possibly the more controversial issue of vaccine-only COVID-status certification requirements.�
Howden�s research also asked Human Resources professionals how damaging any further restrictions might be for their employer�s income and/or profitability.� Happily, more than 4 in every 10 respondents (42%) did not expect renewed restrictions to cause any harm, although more than half expected such limitations to damage their business significantly (15%) or a little (38%) should they be imposed.
Howden also asked employers how exposed they were to increased staff absences in the winter ahead as a result of the rapidly growing National Health Service (NHS) waiting lists across the United Kingdom.
More than half (51%) admitted that some (30%) or all (21%) of their employees were entirely reliant on NHS treatment pathways should an illness or injury occur.
On a more promising note, nearly 1 in 3 organisations (31%) already offer all their employees access to some form of private healthcare or treatments.�� A further 12% of respondents were unconcerned by the increasing waiting lists as they traditionally experience very low levels of sickness absence.
Herbert concluded;
�Despite the heroic performance of the National Health Service over the last 18 months � and the recently announced additional funding arising from next year�s National Insurance contribution increase � it is accepted by virtually all credible commentators that the already record NHS waiting list is likely to become even longer in the winter months ahead.�
The reality is that employees awaiting treatment might be prevented from working at maximum productivity, or indeed working at all, until such care is eventually received.� This represents another potential headwind for employers and the national economy as the nation seeks to bounce-back from the challenges of the pandemic.
Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing would therefore strongly encourage employers to remind employees who already have access to private healthcare treatments to use this option to bypass those NHS waiting lists.�
We would also urge employers without such benefits in place to explore the full range of company-sponsored support available � some of which are very low-cost solutions � before the winter months.� Options to consider include remote GP appointments, Employee Assistance Plans, Occupational Health support, health cash plans, and Private Medical Insurance.�
For more information, please visit www.howdengroup.co.uk
