Advocate Magazine - Autumn 2020

advocate the magazine from the UK’s leading business advisory

HR in Lockdown special supplement page 10.

cover feature

changes at the top

Aetna’s Simon Miller on building mental health resilience page 22.

page 09.

Issue #35 autumn 2020

Employee Benefits

HR & Training

Payroll

Private Clients

advogroup.co.uk | who we are

who we are & what we do... advocate magazine is produced by advo and published quarterly. advo is an award winning business advisory with a focus on people and technology and includes advo group companies including Sagegreen HR. Our aim is to deliver essential services with added value, a philosophy to be different and invaluable.

Our business technology platforms are standalone or linked, delivering corporate style benefit management and communication to SMEs and smaller corporates, a unique proposition.

Our clients have dedicated account managers with smaller portfolios allowing active account management, and better understanding of client needs.

As an IIP Gold employer we continually update staff knowledge to ensure we can integrate and apply the best of new thinking.

For general information, and/or to join our online community, please follow http//issuu.com/advogroup.

Speak to us for: • • • • • •

UK and overseas employee benefits employee benefit, HR and payroll technology platforms staff support, wellbeing and wellness programmes HR consultancy and support payroll & auto-enrolment solutions private client protection insurance

t: 01622 769210 e: info@advogroup.co.uk w: advogroup.co.uk

advo supports

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk |02

ellie sultana her official ‘lock awards picture

advogroup.co.uk | what’s inside issue #35

kdown’ e

what’s inside issue #35 In the latest edition of our advocate magazine we have the second HR in Lockdown special supplement covering issues that challenge HR in our new world of work where advo hr takes a closer look at alcohol dependency, which has seen a rise since lockdown. We also focus on the surge in tribunal cases and the need more than ever to focus on accurate record keeping. In addition the supplement looks into the importance of wellbeing support for homeworkers and employer commitments to retaining flexible working post pandemic.

insurer, Aetna International who focuses in on the mental health challenges during COVID 19 and the use of technology in helping building resilience.

The HR in Lockdown feature also includes an update on the shifting job market, common redundancy mistakes, the do’s & do not’s of dismissals & social media and a look at the male/female wellness divide.

We update you with the latest advo news, including our wins at our industry ‘Oscars’ and other advo award recognition in addition to taking a look at how the press reported the changes to the advo board.

We have two guests contributing with features that both focus on technology and health. Firstly, we have an exclusive interview with Simon Miller of global

Remember that all past editions of our advocate magazine are free to read online at issuu.com/advogroup.

With articles on the surge in telemedicine we have an interview with Ximena Besnier of Now Health International looking at the importance of telemedicine and remote treatment in a COVID World.

We also enclose a news story that confirms that living a healthy lifestyle will mean statistically lower claims on your health insurance.

meet the advo team

For more information visit www.advogroup.co.uk

larry bulmer

gill mateo

kevin crew

colin boxall

it director

executive director

lucy pearce

Larry founded advo in 1997 and leads the group across all advo companies

Gill joined advo in 2006 becoming Operations Director in 2013 overseeing the smooth running of advo.

Kevin oversees our award winning online service and is further developing staff, HR and Payroll platforms.

Colin joined advo group’s board in 2008 and has over twenty five years sector business experience.

Lucy oversees advo’s connected proposition bringing together payroll, hr and employee benefits.

lbulmer @advogroup. co.uk

gmateo @advogroup. co.uk

kcrew @advogroup. co.uk

cboxall @advogroup. co.uk

lpearce @advogroup. co.uk

ceo

operations director

commercial director

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 03

advogroup.co.uk | contents

contents

ISSUE #35 | autumn 2020

advo|news advo news roundup

Page 06 Page 08

| advo wins big at industry ‘Oscars’

Page 09

| changes at the top - how the press viewed the advo board changes

HR IN LOCKDOWN HR IN LOCKDOWN SPECIAL

Page 10

|

Page 11

| alcohol-related dependency at work

Page 12

| redundancy pitfalls & coronavirus related mistakes

Page 13

| tribunal claims surging

Page 15

| employer mental health support is the employee priority

Page 16

| productive homeworking needs wellbeing support

Page 17

| employers give commitment to offer flexible working post pendemic

Page 18

| a shifting job market

Page 19

| the male/female wellness divide

Page 20

| the importance of record keeping

Page 21

| the do’s & do not’s of dismissals & social media

advo news roundup page 6.

Interviews and comment Page 22

|

Simon Miller, aetna international: mental health challenges, technology & building resillence

Page 28

|

Ximena Besnier, Now Health International: telemedicine and remote treatment in a COVID World

Health & other news Page 25

|

healthy lifestyles mean lower claims

page 26

|

online wellbeing: surge in virtual healthcare

HR IN LOCKDOWN: special hr supplement page 10.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 04

advogroup.co.uk | contents

cover feature: changes at the top

page 09. advo wins at industry ‘Oscars’ page 08.

telemedicine and remote treatment in a COVID World page 28.

advo interview: Simon Miller, director of proposition aetna international page 18.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 05

advogroup.co.uk | advo news

change at the top

staff ma

Lucy Pearce has joined the advo board of directors as the group’s commercial director. Lucy takes over responsibility for advo’s three main areas of payroll, employee benefits and HR co-ordinating a joint approach to services and technology.

The move has been popular with advo staff and warmly welcomed by the health and protection industry.

Colin Boxall, previously commercial director has moved to an Executive director position which better suits his wide range of responsibilities as a working shareholder of the group.

You can read more about Lucy’s successful career with advo and how the appointment was reported by the protction press on page 9.

advo’s excellence awards

The finalists for one of the protection industry’s premier events, the COVER Ex Awards, has been announced with advo recognised for its work on employe benefits and advising clients on healthcare.

The Cover Excellence awards aims to ‘celebrate the leading firms and interm within the protection, life and health insurance space’.

The awards that recognise both providers and advisory firms, and are judge a panel of chosen by a panel of top industry experts, will this year be a ‘virtu ceremony held on the evening of the 10th November 2020.

advo are finalists in two of the nine categories, the ‘Best Healthcare Interme and the UK’s Employee Benefits Intermediary for the Year for 2020.

Commenting on advo’s success advo’s Executive Director, Colin Boxall said is up against stiff competition but looking back over the last year, and in par how we have continued to support clients during lockdown, we are looking in both categories. Last year advo was fortunate to win the Employee Benefi Intermediary of the Year category so fingers & toes are crossed for this year.

Colin added “In March this year, advo, along with the rest of the UK was in lo and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The shortlistings for the two is testament to how our staff have continued to deliver excellent service des such challenging conditions. It is because of them that advo has not only su lockdown, but thrived.”

Jamie Tuffield picks up the UK’s Best Employee Benefit’s Intermediary on behalf of advo at the 2019 awards.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 06

advogroup.co.uk |advo news

agazine As we start a new lockdown, communication and the fostering of a ‘comradery community’ is more important than ever. Here at advo we do our best with regular communications and updates. One of our more popular events is the publishing of our staff newspaper. Packed with latest staff news and advo updates it is a fun way to keep staff connected as they work apart. The advo weekly staff magazine, the ADVOGOODNEWS news which started the first week of lockdown has just published issue 29, a Halloween Special edition.

lots of new faces

alison gill advo hr manager

With the new lockdown advo has again moved staff to homeworking but still continued to recruit across all parts of the business from account management, administration, IT & technology and HR to support our continued growth. Our latest management appointments are Alison Gill, appointed as advo’s new HR Manager, overseeing both advo hr and Sagegreen HR and Marilyn (Mal) Tomlin who moves from a Marketing Manager role to a newly created Offices Co-Ordinator position.

Alison is chartered CIPD Level 7 with over 25 years’ experience as Head of HR at EAT and Monsoon Accessorize, as well as working in consultancy-based HR roles. “Alison brings not only a wealth of experience but a good dose of passion that matches our existing culture.” Commented Lucy Pearce, commercial director adding that “Mal is just simply brilliant, and has such a wide range of business skills and experience.”

offices covid ready

xcellence ee

mediaries

ed by ual’

ediary’

d “advo rticularly g good fit’s .”

ockdown o awards spite urvived

As England is again in lockdown the majority of advo staff have returned to homeworking.

The offices had previously reopened, mainly for the training new staff, but are again now closed except for our essential workers. Prior to the recent lockdown the offices had been reorganised to closely adhere to the government’s COVID-safe office guidelines in addition to signage and sanitiser stations, with reorganised seating, newly installed plexiglass partitions, non-touch swipe-card entry and team ‘working bubbles’. All now ready for hopefully an early December return. “advo staff continue to be resilient and take the constant changes in their stride” says executive director, Colin Boxall, adding “We understand that our people are our greatest asset and try to look after them as best we can, they have excelled in adjusting to the new way of working ensuring our clients receive the same level of support.”

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 07

advogroup.co.uk |industry ‘Oscars’

Ellie Sultana picking up her first major award in 2017 and again in 2020 ‘lockdown’ style

On hearin “We work and offeri really rew from our p

advo, up also finalis Corporate Other fina retention

Recogniti managem in the ‘Bes category won by ad Smith, in 2

There was advo wer both insur recognise “It was pa in this spe we have h our staff. W standards culture an added co

advo wins big at the 2020 Health & Protection ‘Oscars’

The Editor David Saw been outs has been the entrie decide a been toug before. Am examples work, help

advo has been recognised as the UK’s ‘Best Adviser for Group Protection’ and finalists in four further categories in the prestigious Health Insurance & Protection Awards 2020.

The 2020 Employee Benefits ‘Oscars’, the Health & Protection Awards, were a much different affair from last year when at a Black-Tie event at the London Grosvenor Hotel, Claudia Winkleman recognised the industry’s best, including advo who were recognised as having the ‘best sales & retention team’ and best private clients PMI intermediary.

This year the announcements came direct from the Health & Protection magazine’s editor.

The lack of this year’s celebrity event does not diminish from the incredible achievement of advo as finalists in five of the twelve categories and

the winner of the UK’s ‘Best Adviser for Group Protection’. advo won this category through the pandemic support given to clients and in particular case studies and client testimonials highlighting the excellent work done by advo account manager, Ellie Sultana.

Ellie is a previous winner of a Health Insurance award having been recognised in 2017 as our industries most promising newcomer. “Many of the predictions made at the time of her 2017 win of becoming one of our industry leaders of the future appears to be coming true” said advo’s executive director, Colin Boxall.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 08

Summing Jamie Tuf benefits te pulled tog highest qu their clien condition being an and it is g practical working e the wider

ng of her win Ellie commented k hard to provide the best service ing of protection to our clients so it’s warding to receive the recognition peers.

against global advisor firms, were sts in the Best Adviser for International e Clients, a fantastic achievement. alist categories were the ‘Best Sales & Team’ won by advo in 2019.

ion came again for advo’s ment of individual client as finalists st Adviser for Individual Healthcare’ (health insurances), which was also dvo’s Head of Private Clients, Sue 2019

s a new category for 2020 where re finalists. In a category open to rers and advisory firms, advo was ed in the ‘Best Coronavirus Response. articularly pleasing to be recognised ecial new category given the success had in supporting both clients and We have been able to maintain high s across advo due to our supportive nd investment in technology.” olin.

r of Health & Protection magazine, wers,commented that “There has standing work across the sector. It a headache trying to whittle all es down to a shortlist – and then to winner – has not been easy. It has gher this year, even more so than mong the shortlisted entries are s of quite brilliant, entrepreneurial ping everyone.”

Sue Smith, head of private clients

up advo’s strong performance ffield, who heads up the employee eam at advo, said “The team has gether and continued to offer the uality advice and support to all of nts despite some very challenging ns this year. We pride ourselves on extension to company HR teams, great to see their focus on offering solutions in a fast changing environment being recognised by industry.

advogroup.co.uk | change at the top

advo board changes Lucy Pearce has joined the advo Board of Directors as the group’s Commercial Director.

“Lucy is a true advonian” says Colin Boxall, previously Commercial Director, now an Executive Director. “She represents what we are all about. She has passion, empathy, compassion, works hard and has a commitment to do the right thing.”

Lucy started her advo career in her teens in a junior administration position. Colin adds “This is a well-deserved promotion. Lucy has been instrumental over the last few years in advo’s growth. Her journey within advo typifies our approach of recruiting from the bottom up, the majority of advo management experiencing a similar career journey.

Lucy’s promotion is an extremely popular decision with advo staff and is seen as a positive step in taking the group forward in the years ahead” Lucy, commenting on her new role said “Looking back over the years my passion for advo, our proposition and our people has remained consistent. It’s been such a great journey so far and I’m honoured and proud to be part of the group and to have witnessed the growth and positive changes first hand.”

“Being promoted to Director is a huge personal achievement, as well as an acknowledgment of the contributions I have made. I will continue to bring the same passion and drive I always have, working closely with the Director and Management teams, to ensure advo remains not just a great company for our clients to work with, but also for our staff to work for.”

Gill Mateo, Operation Director commented “I am so pleased for Lucy she has worked so hard and really deserves this. I predict great things will happen for advo with Lucy as Commercial Director, and I am really looking forward to this next stage in the development of our business.”

Larry Bulmer, advo group’s CEO commented “Welcoming Lucy Pearce as an advo Group director marks another milestone in the growth and diversification of the group. Our clients are increasingly looking at more connected service delivery where the HR function is managed more holistically allowing services to be blended and complementary, rather than disjointed parts. Having a director with the remit to deliver services as one is a key part of meeting clients’ expectations, as the advo group evolves into a rounded HR outsource company. examples of how Lucy’s appointment to the advo group’s board of directors was reported in the trade press.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 09

HR IN LOCKDOWN In the second of our HR in Lockdown special supplements we cover more of the issues that are setting new challenges for HR professionals in our new working world. alcohol-related dependency advo hr takes a closer look at alcohol dependency, which has seen a rise since lockdown. How should you support staff and what should you be aware of?

common redundancy pitfalls & coronavirus related mistakes

number one priority that employees believe their employer should be responsible for supporting.

productive homeworking needs male/female wellness divide wellbeing support.

New research challenges gender

Two thirds of employers report home workers more, or as As we enter a second national productive as when in the lockdown in England organisations workplace, but cite a need to may now be considering support their mental health. redundancies. But take care, many will make fundamental mistakes big commitment to offer flexible

tribunal claims surging during lockdown There is a surge in tribunal cases since lockdown with organisations, more than ever before, needing help to avoid the cost of getting it wrong. We take a look at what is fuelling the upturn and what should be done.

employee priority: mental health support Out of the four key pillars of wellbeing, mental wellbeing is the

a reminder to employers to ensure apt support and benefits are in place alongside more flexible working.

working

According to a recent study, nearly two-thirds of employers plan on offering flexible working to their employees following the pandemic. What makes companies change their traditional way of working?

shifting job market More than half of UK workers plan to make career changes to in the next 12 months as a direct result of the Coronavirus pandemic,

stereotypes and highlights that when it comes to wellbeing female employees have more health and concerns than their male colleagues. We take a closer look.

the importance of accurate recordkeeping We focus on the importance of accurate records which can now include personal data relating to the NHS Track and Trace, Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme claims, Job Retention Bonus claims and claiming SSP.

do’s & do not’s of dismissals & social media With the BBC bringing in harsh new guidelines what should organisations be aware of?

advogroup.co.uk | alcohol-related dependency

alcohol-related dependency As an employer, mental health and alcohol-related dependency are difficult issues to approach and address. advo hr provides information, hints, tips and resources to help you support employees.

Before lockdown, in March, alcohol related absence cost the UK £7.3 bn a year. Alcohol sales increased by 22% and outstripped food purchases in the immediate aftermath of lockdown and studies have found that 27% of people say their alcohol consumption has increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There a numerous pieces of employment legislation that relate to alcohol and drug misuse at work and all employers should have a clear policy on drug and alcohol misuse. We would always recommend that any alcohol related dependency issue is regarded, primarily, as a wellbeing issue. There should be a supportive culture in which employees are encouraged to disclose any problems and help is offered to prevent or address issues rather than waiting to take disciplinary action if any incidents occur.

of a response than ‘Is everything alright?’ (to which a person may just say ‘yes’);

any element of the employees’ role that may put them or others at risk.

Stress that the intention is to try to support the person;

Confidentiality

Focus the discussion on specific examples of concerning behaviour (e.g. unkempt dress, changing attitude, deterioration in punctuality, and so on); If the employee is prepared to discuss the situation with you, ensure that they do not feel under pressure or judged. Use the terms ‘problem with alcohol’ rather than ‘alcoholic’ or ‘alcoholism’ or ‘addicted’; Treat the matter in a nonjudgmental and confidential way; Thank them for their disclosure.

Offer support

Offer the support of occupational health and your Employee If you notice changes in behaviour Assistance Programme if in place or performance, e.g. increased and explain how employees can absence, lateness, poor work access these services. You may performance that alert you also want to list other sources of that there may be an issue, it is support that employees could important to raise your concerns. approach (e.g. their GP, specialist charities e.g. AA, NA, Drinkaware However, this may be a difficult or FRANK). conversation, as these signs may be caused by any number Time Off of things, e.g. a mental health If the person has already problem. In these situations, we contacted specialist agencies for would recommend the following support or is seeking professional approach: support, identify how the company Use open, non-judgmental questions to start the conversation.

For example, ‘You’ve looked very tired over the last few days. How are you feeling?’ may elicit more

can accommodate them (e.g. what time off might be needed).

The Workplace

Consider any health and safety implications and whether there is

Reassurance that only those who need to be aware of the employee’s situation will be informed.

If the employee denies that there is an issue, or is not prepared to discuss it with you, and if you have access to an occupational health service, you could suggest this route as the employee may be more open to help from external services.

To fulfil your duty of care to your employees, you may also consider subscribing to an Employee Assistance Programme which could provide valuable help, such as confidential helplines and counselling. advo Employee Benefits team would be pleased to help you source an Employee Assistance Programme for your business.

You may also need to keep a ‘watching brief’ on the employee’s behaviour over a period of time to see if the problematic behaviours continue. Make a note in their HR file to record the fact that you have raised the issue and recording the person’s response.

If things do not improve, you may want to retry the approach above, although you may need to consider starting your disciplinary or performance management/ capability procedures. In these circumstances, advo hr would be able to provide guidance and support.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 11

advogroup.co.uk |redundancy pitfalls & mistakes

common redundancy pitfalls & coronavirus related mistakes With England again in lockdown and the Job Retention Scheme extended for another month, organisa-tions may, with the constant strain of trading in challenging conditions, be considering redundancies. But take care many companies are making fundamental mistakes.

Businesses that are operating, but need to continue to furlough workers can still get support for wages through an extended JRS. Guidance on this can be found on https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ claim-for-wage-costs-through-thecoronavirus-job-retention-scheme.

But even with the above support staying in place, some employers may have to consider redundancies as a last resort and the Coronavirus pandemic will not be a valid excuse for skipping any necessary steps.

Here we look at the common redundancy pitfalls and how to avoid them:

Not a genuine redundancy situation Some may see a redundancy as an opportunity to replace under performing employees. Keep in mind that a redundancy is where there is no longer a need for a specific job role within the business, not the need to remove a specific person. Redundancies relate to roles, not individuals. If an employer fails to prove there is a genuine redundancy situation, they could end up facing a claim of unfair dismissal.

Unfair selection criteria

Those employees may have been off for childcare reasons which may lead to discrimination claims as more women may have been furloughed as generally women take the majority of the childcare.

Whilst in the consultation process, employers should be looking internally to see if there are any roles that would be deemed as suitable alternative employment. Whether a job would be classed as suitable alternative employment is based on a variety of things:

Opinion based scoring should be avoided and more than one person should be involved so the average • How similar the work in the new of scores can be calculated and role is to their current job used. By using a range of objective • The terms and conditions of the selection criteria, this should reduce job being offered the risk of discrimination claims.

• The employee’s skills and abilities to carry out the new role and Lack of consultation their circumstances in relation to With Coronavirus impacting on the the job ability to meet face to face, it is still • The pay (including benefits), vital that meaningful consultation status, hours and location in processes occur, whether that be in comparison to the current role a socially distanced meeting or via to be made redundant. video calls.

For those that are making 20 or more employees redundant within any 90-day period at a single establishment, employers must follow ‘collective consultation’ rules as well as consulting with individuals too. There are specific steps to take and time frames to consider. If fewer than 20 redundancies are planned there is only the need to consult with individuals and no set time frames.

There is the requirement for a trial period in the new role too. If an employee refuses the offer of a role that is deemed as suitable alternative employment, they may forfeit their right to any statutory redundancy pay. If it comes to light that there was a suitable alternative role that was not offered then the individual may be able to claim for unfair dismissal.

If employers do not meaningfully and correctly consult with employees in a redundancy situation, it is possible that any redundancies made will almost certainly be unfair and could lead to an employer being taken to an Employment Tribunal which may result in a costly award to the employee.

Also remember that those on familyrelated leave such as maternity, adoption etc. should be given preference when there is suitable alternative employment available.

The selection process for a redundancy should be fair. In order to do this the selection criteria should be transparent, consistent and objective. For instance, you cannot use last in, first out alone as a reason as this may lead to age discrimination claims as it may negatively impact the younger employees. Another example would Making no offer of suitable be automatically selecting those alternative employment where furloughed for redundancy.

it is available

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 12

If you find yourself having to consider redundancies, please do get in touch as we can provide advice and template documentation to enable you to be legally compliant throughout the process.

advogroup.co.uk | tribunal claims surge

tribunal claims surging during lockdown The Ministry of Justice has published its quarterly update on employment tribunal statistics revealing an 18% increase in single claims during lockdown with organisations, more than ever before, needing help to avoid the cost of getting it wrong.

Lawyers believe the number of cases will continue to increase over the next year as the impact of the coronavirus epidemic takes hold on UK businesses Experts are warning the rise is likely to continue if employers are not meticulous about redundancy processes, and are urging firms to avoid basic errors.

the number of single claims – where claims are made by an individual claimant – made between April and June this year was 10,318, an 18 per cent rise compared to the same three months of 2019, when this figure stood at 8,772.

It means the outstanding tribunal caseload has risen by 31% to a The Ministry of Justice said the rise record 37,000 cases, higher than was most likely due to the rise in the previous peak in Q2 2009/10. unemployment and changes to working conditions caused by This was accompanied by a Covid-19. drop in claims being disposed of where the court issues a summary The latest statistics from the judgment without a full hearing.

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reveal These fell to 4,496, down 21%

compared to 5,695 the previous year.

In its quarterly report on tribunal statistics, the MoJ attributed the increase in claims to rising levels of unemployment because of “the impact of Covid-19 on the economy”, and said this was “the highest level of single employment tribunal claims since 2012/13”.

“This rise in employment receipts is likely to continue as the government’s job retention scheme comes to an end at the end of October,” the report said. continued on next page.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 13

advogroup.co.uk | tribunal claims surge

tribunal claims surging during lockdown Continued from page 13.

In a bid to deal with demand, the report said Nightingale courts – a similar premise to the Nightingale hospitals set up to cope with Covid-19 patients – had been set up to “add temporary capacity” and the use of audio and video technology increased, “enabling judges to conduct remote hearings to a far greater degree”. advo hr’s Jessica Hall outlined the situation facing employers. “With the number of tribunal cases rising, it is possible that some cases may not be heard until 2022.

An Employment Judge will not see the Coronavirus pandemic as a valid excuse for businesses to mistreat employees or to behave in an unfair manner, especially with cases being heard when hopefully this period of time will be a distant memory. There is little excuse for employers choosing not to follow fair and consistent procedures. We urge those going through any HR change to seek advice and guidance to ensure that employers do not fall foul of their obligations.”

However, some employment lawyers have warned that the number of cases brought to tribunal is set to increase further, putting the tribunal system under more strain. Claims were likely to “skyrocket if employers [were] not meticulous in how they managed the redundancy process,” warned Ranjit Dhindsa, head of employment at Fieldfisher.

“Some employers are automatically making furloughed employees redundant, but employees have been furloughed for numerous reasons, such as childcare obligations or health concerns,” Dhindsa said. “This automatic move to redundancy could trigger claims over discrimination.”

Malcolm Gregory, partner at Royds Withy King, also warned the number of claims could still increase further, with some currently “suppressed” as employees opted to “sit tight” during furlough.

“I think the number of claims is set to rise significantly now and we will likely see a lot of claims relating to unfair redundancy, changing terms and conditions unlawfully and contractual issues around pay and benefits,” he said, expressing fears that a surge in cases “will soon overwhelm the system”.

The best way for employers to minimise the risk of a claim was to take advice at an early stage, Gregory said: “It may cost initially, but it could save you a lot of time and money down the line.”

Glenn Hayes, employment partner at Irwin Mitchell, said he also expected the number of claims to rise. Some employers, in their rush to cut costs, are making “basic errors in their redundancy programmes such as not going through a fair procedure”, while others are “getting rid of older staff which is directly discriminatory,” he said.

“Companies should be aware that they are at risk of tribunal claims if they attempt to use redundancies as a cloak for breaching employment rights.”The rise in claims is “concerning”, added Rachel Suff, senior policy advisor for the CIPD. “The current crisis means there’s significant potential for conflict in workplaces, and employers and HR need to consult and communicate with their employees to support them through these challenging times,” she said. advo hr manager, Alison Gill, sums up the problem facing employers “The downturn in the economy has led to some businesses making redundancies, implementing restructures and changing their employee’s terms and conditions of employment in regards to pay and benefits, hours and working arrangements.

All these changes require formal processes and some employers may not be aware of all of the steps required by employment law.

This has resulted in an upsurge in the number of claims at tribunals, with the prediction that the number of cases being brought to tribunal set to increase further.”

Alison adding “here at advo hr, we are able to help you to avoid the cost of getting it wrong by supporting and guiding you through the legalities and practicalities of any changes to your business.”

If you feel your organisation needs more help in supporting your staff then advo hr can help. In the first instance email advohr@ advogroup.co.uk to start a conversation.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 14

advogroup.co.uk |mental health support

mental health support from employers is the employee priority Out of the four key pillars of wellbeing, mental wellbeing is the number one priority that employees believe their employer should be responsible for supporting.

With half (49%) of employees choosing this over the other areas of wellbeing, shows research* from GRiD, the group risk industry body. And when asked about which area of wellbeing the individual employee would most like to have support for, mental wellbeing was again the top priority, with a third (34%) choosing this over the other areas.

face in gaining access to the right kind of help for them, and funding support privately can be prohibitively expensive. The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is ‘Mental Health for All’ and calls for greater investment, but that investment may not have to be as significant as many employers think.

Whilst the research shows a clear desire for mental health support over and above other areas of wellbeing, a significant number of employees also want their employer to provide financial (29%), physical (22%) and social (16%) wellbeing support too. Of course, all of these areas affect mental health, so help in any of these areas will have a knock-on effect of supporting mental wellbeing too.

“Employers would do well to look at the mental health support that’s included within their group risk purchase (such as access to an Employee Assistance Programme, fast access to talking therapies, apps for managing mental health and more). Accessing the mental health support that’s fully funded by group risk providers, not only saves time and cost, but most importantly, lives.”

For many, the first port of call for mental health support will be the NHS, but with the pressures the NHS faces, employees are likely to have to wait a long time to get the help they need. When people have mental health challenges, it’s imperative that they get help as quickly as possible to improve outcomes.

Mental ill health was the second main cause of claim under group income protection policies in 2019, clearly demonstrating the value that many employers and employees receive for mental health from group risk.

Employees are clearly looking to their employer for support, and although supporting mental health is rising to the top of the corporate agenda, many employers may be at a loss as to how to go about doing this, or feel they need to set aside a huge fund. However, there is a wealth of support at their fingertips within group risk benefits (employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness), and these frequently come with embedded support, including fast-track access to professional mental health support, at no extra cost.

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD, says: “Accessing mental health support independently is a minefield given the practical difficulties people

Mental health issues are as varied as physical conditions. Whilst each condition can differ in severity from person to person, the acuteness of the illness depends on a number of factors and comes in many shapes and forms, from mild anxiety to severe psychotic episodes. As such, various types of support may be required and this can include providing access to therapy, treatment and counselling.

Employers who make good use of group risk embedded mental health support can meet their employees’ expectations and help them on their journey back to good mental health.

If you feel your organisation needs practical help on which employee benefits can assist in supporting employee wellbeing or additional HR support then advo can help.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 15

homeworking seen as productive, but needs wellbeing support Two thirds of employers report home workers are more, or as productive as when in the workplace, but cite a need to support their mental health.

The new CIPD research also highlights the risks of creating a two-tier workforce, as a gap is set to grow between home workers and other employees who have to go to the workplace as their job does not allow the flexibility of homeworking. The research shows the shift to home working over the pandemic has been a positive experience for most employers, who report people’s improved work-life balance (cited by 61% of employers), enhanced employee collaboration (43%) and improved focus (38%).

Overall, 28% of employers report that the increase in home working has boosted productivity, while 37% say it has not impacted productivity levels, with 28% of employers reporting a decrease.

However, the research also highlights the challenges of managing home workers with employers highlighting reduced staff mental wellbeing (47%), problems with staff interaction/ co-operation (36%) and difficulties with line managing home workers (33%) and monitoring their performance (28%).

Nonetheless, the CIPD research Embedding New Ways of Working, based on a survey of more than 1,000 employers and 12 in-depth organisation case studies, shows the benefits significantly outweigh the challenges, and that a large majority of employers are planning to introduce or expand the use of home working once the crisis is over.

However, employers are much less likely to be planning to introduce or increase other forms of flexible working, for example: annualised hours, term-time working, compressed hours or job sharing, which can be used by workers who are unable to work from home.

to benefit from better work-life balance. This can also help with inclusion and how we can create positive work opportunities across our economies.”

“But it doesn’t suit everyone and increasingly organisations will have to design working arrangements around people’s choice and personal preference over where and when they would like to work, whilst also meeting the needs of the business. Employers will also have to redouble efforts to introduce flexible working arrangements for staff unable to work from home otherwise they will increasingly have a two-tier workforce of those who have opportunity to benefit from home working and flexibility and those who don’t.”

Key findings from the research include: • In all, 65% of organisation report that the increase in home working has either increased productivity (28%) or had no impact on productivity (37%). In contrast 28% of employers reported a decrease and 7% don’t know • Employers expect the proportion of their workforce that works from home regularly to double to 37% of the workforce on average after the crisis is over, compared to the pre-pandemic incidence average of 18%.

Organisations also predict the proportion of the workforce that works from home all the time to more than double to 22%, compared to 9% before the crisis.

• The main benefits associated with more homeworking are reported to be a better work-life balance (61%), greater collaboration (43%), greater ability to focus with fewer distractions (38%) and IT upskilling (33%).

Peter Cheese, CIPD CEO, comments: “The step-change shift to home working to adapt to • The biggest challenges reported by lockdowns has taught us all a lot about how we employers include the unsuitability of jobs can be flexible in ways of working in the future. to be done from home (48%), reduced This should be a catalyst to change long held well-being among staff (47%), reduced staff paradigms and beliefs about work for the benefit interaction (36%) and the effectiveness of line of many. Employers have learnt that, if supported management of home-based workers (33%). and managed properly, home working can be as productive and innovative as office working • 44% of organisations are planning to put in and we can give more opportunity for people place additional measures or investment

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 16

to support thirds of em organisatio homework they were technolog of technol laptops an

• Overall, jus they plan t working or flexible wor once lockd changes a regularly (7 most comm time workin compresse

The CIPD resea Ways of Workin https://www.ci trends/working

homeworking. Of these, two mployers (66%) plan to change onal policy to promote more king. A majority of employers said going to increase investment in gy in terms of improving the quality logy (59%) and the quantity of nd computers (51%).

st a third (33%) of employers say to introduce new forms of flexible increase the uptake of existing rking arrangements more broadly, down restrictions ended. Where are planned, working from home 70%) or all the time (45%) are monly cited, followed by partng (40%), flexi-time (39%) and ed hours (25%).

arch entitled Embedding New ng can be viewed by visiting ipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/ g-post-pandemic

advogroup.co.uk | flexible working

big commitment to offer flexible working According to a recent study, nearly two-thirds of employers plan on offering flexible working to their employees following the pandemic.

The CV Library surveyed 250 UK companies to understand their attitudes towards flexible working; with the findings showing that 62.4% of respondents already offered it before the pandemic.

Alongside this, 92.7% understand that more professionals will want to work flexibly or remotely going forward.

However, job adverts in certain industries were more likely to mention flexible working in their job adverts than others, with the top sectors including Social Care (14.1% of jobs), Charity (9.6% of jobs), IT (9.3% of jobs), Marketing (7.4% of jobs) and Design (6.8% of jobs).

Naturally, flexible working isn’t an option for all professions; plus, In today’s world, flexible working it could relate to anything from flexible shift patterns, to working has become somewhat of an expectation amongst UK workers; from home. as more people look to create a balance between their personal Highlighting it when hiring and professional lives.

When the CV Library asked how employers plan on highlighting This has forced many companies that flexible/remote working is to shake up their traditional available in their organisation, working practises and move the most popular circumstance away from the traditional 9-5, was when speaking to office-based operation. candidates about their vacancies (83.6%). How you Alongside this, the global communicate with candidates pandemic has encouraged is massively important. Plus, organisations that may not have you’ll want to ensure you’re been as flexible previous, to to explaining the benefits of consider it going forward; after working for the company. seeing that remote working and productivity can go hand-inIn addition to this, a massive hand.

74.1% of employers say they will mention flexible working in As the CV Library study shows, their job adverts. This is definitely employers understand that more important as it may make the people will be looking for remote different between someone or flexible working after the applying or not. events of 2020; so, it’s important to shout about it throughout your Two-thirds (66.4%) say that they’ll hiring process. mention it to candidates during interviews; a great opportunity to Including flexible working in shout about your culture and the job adverts benefits of working there.

The data shows that a proportion Finally, 46.6% say they’ll mention of jobs that include the term ‘flexible working’ in them has risen it when offering someone the job; from 3.4% in 2019 to 4.6% in 2020; 44.8% on their career website; indicating that more companies and 44.8% across their social are showcasing this option in their media profiles. job adverts.

A shift in attitudes

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 17

advogroup.co.uk |advo ‘Oscars’

shifting job market

the

More than half of UK workers plan to make changes to their careers in the next 12 months as a direct result of the Coronavirus pandemic, a reminder to employers to ensure apt support and benefits are in place alongside more flexible working.

Resear female

Insurer, Aviva’s How We Live Report finds the most popular career aspiration emerging from the COVID crisis is the desire for flexibility. One in 10 (10%) UK workers say that in the next 12 months, they aim to find a role that will allow them to work from home.

The desire to work from home is strongest in London where one in six (16%) of workers intend to find a role which will allow them to work remotely. This compares to just three per cent or workers in the East of England.

Just behind the hope for flexibility is the aspiration to retrain or learn new skills, a plan for 9% of UK workers. This rises to 15% of people aged 25-34.

Echoing this view, 8% of workers hope to gain more academic qualifications in the next 12 months.

Covid-19 has also expedited some people’s retirement plans. Within the 55-64 age group, 10% of workers say they plan to retire within the next 12 months, as a direct result of the Covid situation.

The How We Live report also found that almost half of the nation’s adults (45%) have tried their hand at new hobbies in 2020, provoking further ideas for career changes.

People planning to work from home in the future on a long-term basis may need to review their home insurance requirements. Many policies include cover for office equipment, which provides Six per cent of hobbyists intend peace of mind for those people to transform a hobby into a who work from home either career – equating to just over 2 permanently or occasionally. million(1) workers – while a further 9% ­- equivalent to just over 3 “However, a standard home million(1) workers – plan to gain insurance policy may not be a second source of income adequate if someone wishes to through their run a business from their home, new side-line. particularly if they have stock on site or customers visiting their Gareth Hemming, MD, Personal property.

Lines, for Aviva commented on the findings of the survey: “The If they’re in any doubt, workers additional time at home and should speak to their insurance the temporary closure of many provider, to make sure they services has meant that people have the right level of cover have found different ways to for buildings, contents and use their time, and in some business.” cases developed new skills.

Lockdown has also allowed time to reflect on lifestyles and vocations, so it’s possible that innovative career paths may be forged, making use of these new talents.

(1) Based on ONS estimates of 34,295,000 economically active people aged 16 and above (March – May 2020). https://www.ons.gov.uk/ employmentandlabour market/peopleinwork/ employmentandemployee types/bulletins/uklabourmarket/july2020

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 18

GRiD, the risk sector, their healt and found have more male colle challenge

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advogroup.co.uk |wellness divide

e male/female wellness divide

rch challenges gender stereotypes highlighting when it comes to wellbeing e employees have more health and concerns than their male colleagues.

industry body for the group , asked UK employees about th and wellbeing concerns*, d that female employees e concerns than their eagues. The research also ed gender stereotypes.

ey asked employees to ix key areas of health and and identify whether they ersonal concern to them. The w that women have more in three areas, one specific cerned more men than nd they were equal in two

and anxiety relating to work as pressures of overwork, tainty of future) concerned f women vs 18% of men.

and anxiety relating to ces and debt concerned 18% men vs 14% of men.

general lack of fitness caused by a non-active lifestyle.

• But neither were particularly concerned about ill-health related to lifestyle such as obesity, smoking and alcohol dependence (5%).

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD commented “I’m sure that these results will surprise some employers and challenge the stereotypes that can be associated with gender in the workplace, for instance with women being more concerned about finances than men, and men more concerned than women about issues relating to home life. With that in mind, it’s hugely important that employers do not make assumptions about the health and wellbeing needs of their workforce on gender, or of course, any other basis.

“Changes in the law and workplace practices, such as shared parental leave, mean that work and home life are becoming much more balanced and anxiety relating to living across both genders, and that needs to ong-term chronic illness or h conditions (such as diabetes) be reflected in the employee benefits erned 14% of women but only that are offered to all staff.” men.

The concerns give a good indication were marginally more of what support both men and women erned than women about will value, and employers that offer and anxiety relating to home such support will be ahead of the ch as caring responsibilities, game. Providing help to alleviate stress ging difficult relationships) at from responsibilities at home; financial s 12% for women. support; assistance with long-term and women were equally health conditions – or to improve any erned (12%) about their area of health and wellbeing – will all

be appreciated particularly as businesses adapt to working models which may be very different from preCovid 19.

A holistic and balanced employee benefits package that incorporates support for these areas will clearly be valued by a workforce.

Katharine added “Most members of staff will be healthy and well throughout their entire time at work but no-one can predict what is just around the corner in terms of family or work life.

An additional project at home, an ill child, sudden responsibilities as a carer, or health problems can all be difficult for an employee to manage at the same time as trying to work. And that’s without adding in any extra work pressures such as vying for a promotion or pay rise, navigating a relocation, or new responsibilities, or of course, new challenges that we’ve seen with Covid-19.

“No employer should expect their staff to leave their personal problems at the door any more but employers who have support mechanisms in place for their employees are able to intervene before the situation escalates, which is not only a great support for the individual but also mitigates the likelihood, frequency and length of any absence related to such issues.” * survey of 1,165UK employees

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 19

advogroup.co.uk | accurate recordkeeping

the importance of accurate recordkeeping In the latest advo hr feature we focus on the importance of keeping documentation and accurate records which now includes collecting and storing personal data relating to the NHS Track and Trace scheme, Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme claims, Job Retention Bonus claims and claiming back SSP. This is especially important for any potential Employment Tribunal claims that may be related to processes happening now but may not be heard at Employment Tribunal for several years due to • the current backlog of cases.

Decisions made by employers should have an audit trail to be able to justify why decisions were made and to keep an accurate record of events.

has been given due to the circumstance but previously others had only been given a written warning for a similar incident; Selection processes for furlough and redundancies and justification why these were used.

Coronavirus Job Retention and Job Retention Bonus

For those employers who have utilised the Coronavirus Job Employment Tribunals Retention (CJRS) and wish to With Employment Tribunal claims claim for the Job Retention Bonus, linked to Coronavirus potentially there are specific criteria that not being heard until 2022, any needs to be met in order to prove decisions made this year will you are able to make the claims. need to be recorded and justified Employers must keep a copy of by the employer to ensure that all records for 6 years relating to if any cases are lodged there is CJRS claims, including: a clear and accurate reflection • The amount claimed and of these documented. The claim period for each burden of proof often falls to the employee; employer to prove they acted reasonably and fairly given the • The claim reference number circumstances. Things to consider for your records; documenting would include: • Your calculations in case HMRC need more information • Ensuring you have any witness about your claim; statements as soon after the event as possible as given the • For employees you flexibly time lag, key witnesses may furloughed, usual hours no longer work for you by the worked including any time a case is heard; calculations that were • Any decisions to take action that would be different to normal is recorded with a reason given as to why this decision has been made e.g. if a final written warning

required;

• For employees you flexibly furloughed, actual hours worked.

You may have seen on the news

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 20

that HMRC are conducting audits and arrests have been made relating to fraudulent claims under CJRS. It is vital that accurate records are kept in case HMRC audit the business. Please visit the following link more guidance on this and to see if your business is required to collect personal data in line with GDPR https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/jobretention-bonus

Statutory Sick Pay

You must keep records of SSP that you’ve paid and want to claim back from HMRC. The following records should be kept for 3 years after the date the payment is received for that specific claim: • The dates the employee was off sick; • Which of those dates were qualifying days; • The reason they said they were off work – if they had symptoms, someone they lived with had symptoms or they were shielding; • The employee’s National Insurance number.

You can choose how you keep records of your employees’ sickness absence. HMRC may need to see these records if there’s a dispute over payment of SSP.

GDPR Trace

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advogroup.co.uk | do’s & do not’s of social media

do’s & do not’s of dismissals & social media and the NHS Test and Scheme

the NHS Test and Trace e, some sectors are required p records of staff, customers sitors for 21 days in line with protocols to ensure the al data is only used for the ed purpose and is securely ed of or deleted after 21 his became mandatory 8 September 2020.

idance states that, with d to data protection, consent equired and the information e shared for health and purposes, unless in respect itive personal data such as dance at religious or political ngs, in which case consent is mended. It should be made why the information is being ed, to those concerned. visit the following link for guidance on this and to your business is required to t this personal data in line DPR: https://www.gov.uk/ nce/maintaining-recordsf-customers-and-visitors-tort-nhs-test-and-trace

and Safety: Covid lace Risk Assessments o recommended that hould be an audit trail ng the communication of easures put in place to make orkplace Covid secure. This rail should also include gnage that is used and the e given to employees and , as well as any disciplinary taken, following a fair nary process and as a last if these measures are not ed.

eel your organisation needs upport then advo hr is here p. In the first instance email us o@advogroup.co.uk to start versation.

BBC director general is set to introduce new social media rules to enable disciplinary sanctions up to and including dismissal for breaches of this policy.

The reason for such a hard line is down to the impartial nature of the BBC. To have presenters who are the face of the BBC sharing political views may be seen to bring the impartiality of the BBC into question and therefore potentially cause reputational damage.

What does this mean for other employers when dealing with conduct issues relating to social media?

Employees are entitled to a private life and to say what they like in a personal capacity. The issue then comes if an employee uses a work social media account in an inappropriate way or says something on their personal social media account that is detrimental to the employer which is likely to bring it into disrepute. Other examples include posting content that could be considered abusive, harassing or discriminatory.

There may be instances where an employee has an opinion that is not supported by the employer and if this will cause reputational damage, this may be something to be investigated.

If it has been made clear to employees what is and is not acceptable then it would be possible to take disciplinary action if required, following on from a fair and thorough investigation.

It is worth keeping in mind that what an employee does in their personal time would generally need to be of a very serious nature and impact the employer negatively in order for there to be a legitimate basis for a fair dismissal. That does not mean

that the other levels of disciplinary sanction cannot be used if deemed necessary.

If you do become aware of any of the examples mentioned above or similar, it is vital that evidence is collected in case there may be a need to investigate under the disciplinary policy.

Practical steps may include taking a screen shot of the post(s), keeping a record of how many people have viewed the post or may have viewed this by recording the number of “friends” or “followers” the employee has on their profile.

Other important factors include any complaints received regarding the posts, any evidence of loss or damage the business has suffered as a result of the posting e.g. losing a client or not winning a tender as a direct result of the social media post. Next steps would be to get the post removed. Simply asking the employee to delete the offending post may be the easiest and most effective way of doing so. Following this, a decision will need to be made as to whether disciplinary action is appropriate.

It is recommended that employers have either a social media policy or reference within another policy to the rules relating to what is and what is not acceptable to post on social media. advo hr can provide you with a Social Media policy for insertion into your Staff Handbook.

Please do get in touch if you would like our assistance with this.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 21

advogroup.co.uk |mental health challanges

advo interview of proposition,

advo’s Advocate magazine caught up about the mental health challenges fa can help build resilience and positive Q. Firstly Simon, can you tell us a little bit about you and your role at Aetna International?

Sure. A marketer by profession, I’ve been in product, proposition and innovation roles in health insurance f the past 15 years – the last two with Aetna Internation having come from a UK domestic PMI provider. It’s been a fascinating journey as product development has moved way beyond just treatment benefit limits t finding ways that actively manage everyday health care needs – mental, emotional and physical.

Q. What’s driven that change in health insurance?

There’s been a conscious shift in mindset to a proactive, preventative and personalised approach rather than just stepping in when someone is already sick. It’s a move we’ve been championing at Aetna International and it’s particularly important when it comes to mental health, where there can be hidden costs to both employers and insurers that a reactive approach may never fully account for. If we don’t engage early enough with a member, for example, then we might not associate an underlying mental health issue with a claim for co-morbidities. The knock on impact for an employer could be a potentially delayed return to work. Equally, if we don’t take a holistic view of a member’s health at point of claim, then we may miss the opportunity to support someon with the emotional impact that diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation can often have. So, engaging early and supporting holistically means a much bette outcome for patient, employer and insurer.

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenges to earlier mental health intervention?

Simon Miller

Senior Director of Proposition Aetna International

I think a lot of employers and providers are either ove reliant on a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to mental wel being support or, at the other end of the spectrum, a providing a suite of solutions that leaves an employee potentially confused and disengaged.

Our research tells us that members want four things: a clear understanding of their mental health and well-

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 22

advogroup.co.uk |mental health challanges

w: simon miller, director , aetna international

p with Simon Miller, Senior Director of Proposition at Aetna International, to talk aced in the wake of COVID-19, what employers can do, and how the latest apps coping mechanisms.

being cover, an understanding of how that might be relevant to them in their situation, ease of access and continuous support. This might not sound like especially shrewd insight but when you take a step back and put for yourself in the customer’s shoes, it quickly becomes nal apparent that there is still a lot of opportunity to improve. It’s one of the reasons we’ve recently t refreshed our Aetna Well-being proposition, which to includes a wide range of support services – from selfcare to remote and physical care from a professional.

By splitting our apps and offers into straightforward categories, including body, mind and living and working abroad, the relevant resources and tools are much easier to navigate, understand and use.

y

n

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could look to the future and start to see the positive mental well-being of a workforce featuring in annual reports and influencing company KPIs?”

to speak to a stranger or commit to a structured counselling programme – particularly younger digitally native workforces. Wysa is secure, confidential and provides a very accessible front door to support a wider population with everyday mental health support. We see it as a key tool to drive wider early engagement in emotional and mental well-being.

Q. What about the dichotomy of providing digital solutions to overcome what are often digitally induced anxieties?

You’re right. There is no doubt that screen-time can be unhealthy – both physically and mentally – and our recent report The Digital Health Dilemma highlighted some of these challenges. For example, tech can contribute to an unhealthy ‘always-on’ mindset. 70% of respondents admitted to checking their phones first thing in the morning for work-related messages, whilst nearly two-thirds do the same thing right before going to bed.

On the flip-side, there is significant evidence to show that digital tools can drive social connectivity as well kas help deliver well-being support for those that might Q. Where does your recent launch of the Wysa app fit not otherwise engage in traditional channels. And into this? amidst Covid-19 physical restrictions, an essential aspect of providing remote care. So it’s vital that ne Wysa is a simple, scalable digital solution that’s like companies provide a range of solutions to meet having a mental well-being buddy in your pocket. It’s the needs and preferences of employees, with an app that uses conversational language to enable appropriate triage, guidance and navigation to the er people to openly but anonymously share thoughts and right solution at the right time. feelings in a safe place, via text, on their terms, at any time of the day.

The AI-driven chat function is really clever, having been programmed by therapists. It learns from you, er then guides you onward towards self-help resources to ll- build mental positivity and resilience. If needed, it also are provides access to qualified human coaches who can e have a 1:1 conversation to help address specific issues and goals through text, chat and online journaling.

a

One of the things I really like is, Wysa understands, as valuable as Employee Assistance Programmes and other therapeutics are, that not everybody is ready

“It’s also about supporting people to take everyday steps to develop positive mental fitness in the same way you might approach physical fitness – prioritising well-being because it helps you achieve a well-balanced lifestyle and positive mindset, not just because you’re ill or at risk”

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 23

advogroup.co.uk |workplace absenteeism

advo interview: simon miller, aetna international continued from page 23

Q. In your opinion, what’s involved in achieving a ‘thriving’ dynamic in the workplace?

Q. How is Aetna International approaching mental health challenges for their members?

First and foremost, it has to be about culture. It’s incumbent on executive teams to lead the way, encouraging employees to help foster change by openly contributing to a workplace that prioritises wellness. I think it’s also about changing the rhetoric. Too much focus has been on driving the agenda through looking at the cost of poor well-being indicators such as lost productivity, absenteeism and presenteeism. These are important measures, but they tend to focus on the negative and the few in that space that are struggling or at crisis point.

Our focus is about empowering members and supporting them wherever they are with their mental health journey. It’s also about supporting people to take everyday steps to develop positive mental fitness in the same way you might approach physical fitness – prioritising wellbeing because it helps you achieve a well-balanced lifestyle and positive mindset, not just because you’re ill or at risk.

own staff, with both digital and non digital solutions. For example, as we as Wysa, we broadened access to virtual primary care service, vHealth make sure employees’ physical hea was taken care of.

We’ve also undertaken a very successful webinar initiative called ‘Let’s Get Talking’ across our region using an interactive online platform This has allowed people to virtually gather on tables of six, listen to presenters, and then easily hop around to speak to colleagues on other tables. It has been a good opportunity to pause, reflect, conne Of course, individuals have very and share. And we recognised the different well-being needs and need to provide mental health train preferences, so we need to take into for managers to equip them with th account personalisation, accessibility skills and confidence to have insigh Personally, I’d like to see a shift in focus and convenience. We also want to conversations with their teams, spot to measuring the positive impacts of ensure frictionless customer journeys the early signals of distress and if a well-executed well-being strategy with escalation to appropriate onward appropriate, navigate their staff to across a workforce. One where we support, if necessary. Wysa is a great right resources and support hold ourselves to account on more example of this in motion. It helps with available to them. holistic measures like sense of purpose, the everyday anxieties associated energy, connectedness, happiness with change and uncertainty as well In truth, nothing could have prepar and gratitude. As well as absenteeism as any personal challenges. But it also us for the impact of COVID-19 or the and the like, businesses could then solves the practical issue of having resulting mass migration to working validate the impact of the initiative private conversations when private from home. But we’ve viewed it as back to harder measures such as space may be hard to come by, builds an opportunity to take a fresh look employee engagement results and positive coping mechanisms, and at how best to support our workforc even, dare I say, health insurance effectively bridges a spectrum of need and ensure they have access to the claims and outcomes. Wouldn’t it be by directing into our onward clinical support they need, when they need great if we could look to the future support if needed. and start to see the positive mental You can find out more about well-being of a workforce featuring Q. Does Aetna International take this Aetna International and how they in annual reports and influencing approach with their own staff? support clients by speaking to your company KPIs? advo account manager or by Yes, I’m pleased to say we’ve made visiting their website https://www. sure we are walking the talk with our aetnainternational.com/en/index.h

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 24

advogroup.co.uk |lower claims

healthy lifestyles mean lower claims Data shows that people who engage in healthier lifestyles ‘Significantly’ claim less from their health insurances.

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A study published by The Lancet Public Health has revealed that health risks which can be improved by engagement with healthier lifestyles were linked to more than $730bn of healthcare spending in the US in 2016. The report showed that five ‘modifiable’ health risk factors alone rack up 27% of US healthcare bills.

why health should be at the centre of all policy discussion, not just those related to sickness. We are seeing with Covid-19 that prevention is paramount to our own health and the health of our economies. It’s time to apply the same urgency to these other preventable diseases.”

The research by Vitality Group and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) found the costs were largely due to five risk factors, which include overweight and obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, poor diet and smoking. US healthcare spending on these factors alone reached 27% of the $2.7trn total in 2016, the study revealed.

The study also found that controllable and treatable risk were strongly related to costly US medical conditions – including cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.

The findings come at the same time that Vitality UK data shows that claims were significantly lower across main claims categories for those who had engaged with a healthy and active lifestyle, to reach a higher Vitality status, during the same period.

Of Vitality members’ five most common types of claims for the period, cancer claims costs were 25% lower for those with a gold or platinum Vitality status compared to peers with a bronze status; gastrointestinal claims costs were 41% lower; cardiovascular claims were 33% lower, and trauma claims were 30% lower.

Interestingly, the same relationship was not seen for musculoskeletal claims which were 2% higher for gold and platinum members.

ce e d it.

‘Prevention is paramount’ Francois Millard, chief actuarial officer, Vitality Group, and a study author, said: “Given that US healthcare expenses are almost double that of other developed nations, we set out to understand how much of these costs could be attributed to modifiable risk factors.

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“While the relationship between lifestyle risks and medical conditions is understood, this is the first study to offer a comprehensive analysis of health spending related to these risks. This helps inform how our society is investing its resources, and

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Healthcare costs

The breakdown of costs for the five modifiable risk factors were overweight and obesity (high body mass index), $238.5 billion; high blood pressure, $179.9 billion; high fasting plasma glucose, $171.9 billion; dietary risks, $143.6 billion; and tobacco smoke, $130.0 billion. The Lancet study also showed that health care spending increases significantly with age, with the greatest proportion of risk-attributable spending associated with those aged 65 years and older (44.8%).

Dr Keith Klintworth, managing director, VitalityHealth said: “This is a significant study that illustrates the huge costs tied to poor diets, high blood pressure, smoking, and obesity.

“This new data comes at a time when health has been catapulted to the forefront of people’s minds, and is a timely reminder for a renewed focus on preventing and managing these key risks early before they turn into costly diseases and illnesses.”

“At Vitality we want to help more people get active and live healthy lives and we can see that by engaging in our Vitality Programme, members can realise the numerous benefits of taking care of their health and wellbeing.”

If you would like to know more about Vitality’s approach to health and wellbeing incorporated within their health insurance plans then advo can help. In the first instance contact your advo account manager or email info@advogroup.co.uk.

advocate autumn 2020| advogroup.co.uk | 25

advogroup.co.uk |online wellbeing

online wellbein surge in virtua healthcare advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 26

ng: al

advogroup.co.uk | online wellbeing

There is a surge in the use of virtual health care since the beginning of lockdown with twice as many mental health appointments.

Employee benefits provider, Unum, has seen more than a 100% increase in the number of mental health appointments booked each month through its digital health and wellbeing app, Help@hand.

The number of registrations has increased dramatically since the start of the pandemic with over 1,000 businesses now registered and over 200,000 employees eligible to use the services. The increase is in line with other healthcare insurers and providers who are also reporting a steady rise in the use of their virtual health and online GP services.

Compared with March, Unum has seen more than twice as many mental health appointments offered since the UK entered lockdown and now exceeds the number of physio appointments requested via the service.

these pressures are likely to continue over the coming months. Employers can support wellbeing and productivity by ensuring their staff are fully aware of mental health support and other remote health services they have available to them.”

Unum’s Help@hand app, available to their members, provides access for employees and their families to five key health and wellbeing service including remote GPs. Insured employees with an eligible Unum policy and their partners can access up to up to eight mental health consultations per year between them. The treatment plan is usually delivered via video consultation and can include supported online cognitive behavioural therapy modules. In person treatment may also be recommended by the therapist during a video consultation assessment.

Unum is not alone with many insurance and protection providers offering virtual health support as Jamie Tuffield, who heads up advo’s employee benefits team confirms “Vitalityhealth, in my opinion, have the leading integrated UK solution, with their own Virtual GP moving seamlessly into their full claims process directly. Also, Aetna, along with many international health Peter O’Donnell, CEO of Unum UK insurers, are now offering an international commented: “Our remote healthcare Virtual GP for their members, with local service has been a lifeline for many over GP’s around the world where needed and the past few months, facilitating access prescription delivery for the expat market. to mental health clinicians and GPs Other international insurers including quickly without the need for face to face Cigna and AIG offer virtual health bringing appointments and avoiding additional together virtual GP, dietician/ nutritional pressure on NHS resources. Of the mental advice, lifestyle coaching and stress support health appointments provided by Help@ all in one online wellbeing service. These are hand [Unum’s health & wellbeing app] over offered at no additional cost to the client.” the summer, 76% related to stress, anxiety or depression. These are conditions that can If you would like to know more about how benefit significantly from early support and your employee benefits can support your intervention.” employees in lockdown or need wider HR support then email advo on info@ “The challenges of the last six months have advogroup.co.uk to start a conversation. clearly had a physical, psychological or emotional impact on many workers and Unum has stated that 96% of these appointments were offered within two working days of the date they were requested, enabling employees to get medical advice swiftly as well as preventing long waiting periods, additional stress and time off work.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 27

advogroup.co.uk |telemedicine

telemedicine in a COVID wo

Health Insurance provider, Now Health International’s Ximena Besnier, l Telemedicine and Remote Treatment in a COVID World. decisions and advise, diagnose, and prescribe treatment, as well as arranging for medicine to be sent to the patient, without physically meeting and examining them.

Telemedicine usually involves the use of video calling technology, as it allows clinicians to make a visual assessment, as opposed to traditional telephone medical services where a medic would be reliant exclusively on the oral description of symptoms from the patient.

As day to day life in countries around the world continues to be affected by COVID-19, one of the many things that has changed is the way we access medical advice and treatment. With many governments still advising people to self-quarantine or self-isolate in the first instance of experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, accessing medical consultations virtually may be something many of us are being exposed to for the first time.

What is Telemedicine?

In general, telemedicine refers to the practice of providing evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment using telecommunications technology.

Telemedicine allows clinicians to make

Telemedicine can also sometimes be referred to as telehealth or e-health.

While these terms are often used interchangeably, telemedicine is usually a more specific service that deals with clinical services, whereas telehealth incorporates a broader range of services.

When & where is Telemedicine used?

The main use of telemedicine in a patient context is to allow clinicians to consult with patients who are in remote areas, or who may otherwise find it difficult to travel to a medical facility.

Telemedicine has also been used to help alleviate pressure and reduce waiting times in locations where there is a shortage of healthcare professionals

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 28

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• Reducing the waiting time to see a doctor, including specialists. This could be potentially lifesaving in locations where access to for example, oncologists is low.

How Do I Seek Medical Treatment Remotely?

Depending on your location and your health situation, you may have already been offered or be able to access telemedicine services. Even if you live in an urban area with good access to medical facilities, you may still wish to use telemedicine services now or in the future.

• In some case telemedicine is offered 24/7, providing access to medical consultations outside of normal working hours – thereby reducing pressures on accident and emergency departments. Your first port of call should be either your private health insurer or your registered • Improved patient engagement, leading doctor if you live in a country with a to better clinician-patient relationships universal healthcare system. Contact them and potentially better medical first to discover what telemedicine services, outcomes. if any, are available.

It also offers the potential to more effectively monitor patient’s with longterm conditions remotely, for example using technology to monitor changes in heart rate.

A better quality of care in the longer term. Telemedicine can enable patients with conditions requiring on-going management, including chronic conditions, to get more regular feedback from their medical professional, helping to prevent the need for acute intervention at a later stage.

While there are some potential drawbacks to telemedicine, including the need for a good internet connection which may not always be accessible, overall the benefits offered both to the patient and medical professionals are significant.

Why Might Telemedicine be Important in a COVID-19 World?

With many countries still in a state of so-called “lockdown”, patients in sine locations may be advised not to use medical facilities except in the case of life threatening emergencies or where they have been specifically advised to travel to them.

As a result, telemedicine has played an increasingly important role in helping people access medical advice during the pandemic. Telemedicine may end up being the answer to tough questions around how clinicians can assess patients more quickly without risking their own or others’ health by physically meeting with those who may be contagious.

While it will take time to fully implement the necessary technology and processes for telemedicine services in some part of the world, we should expect it to be become more prominent in the future, even after the pandemic passes.

Many telemedicine services require you to pre-register to access them, so even if you don’t need to seek treatment now it’s good to find out what services are available so you know where to go should you need a remote appointment in the future.

If you don’t have immediate access to telemedicine through your local healthcare system, then you can search online for telemedicine providers. There are numerous websites and smartphone apps that enable patients to access telemedicine services.

You will likely need to register your details and be required to pay for the services you use.

If you do choose to seek telemedicine services and have private health cover, you should discuss this with your insurance provider to check what telemedicine treatment is covered and how and when you may be able to claim back the costs.

Telemedicine and Remote Treatment in a Changing World Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, technology has been changing the world around us at a rapid pace. While the early years of telemedicine adoption and growth were driven primarily out of necessity, in the coming years you can expect to see an increase in access to these services as the benefits become more widely understood.

In-person appointments and consultations will remain an important part of diagnosis and care for a variety of conditions, but for millions of people, seeing their doctor via video call will undoubtedly become part of our ‘new normal’.

If you would like to know more about your options for telemedicine from your insurer then the advo employee benefits team are here to help. In the first instance drop us a email on info@advogroup.co.uk.

advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 29

advogroup.co.uk | thanks for reading

find every copy of advocate magazine online at issuu.com/advogroup issue #34 summer 2020 In this issue we have a special COVID 19 ‘HR in Lockdown’ supplement. Articles cover maintaining good staff mental health, returning to the workplace, the pros and cons of home working with practical information on contractual issues. We cover advo bringing national HR consultancy firm, Sagegreen HR into the group. We include an HR blog from one of Sagegreen HR’s area Directors. Jamie Tuffield, who heads up the employee benefit team was part of a roundtable interview which resulted in two articles by Cover magazine, we enclose a summary. We have two interviews, one with Vitality UK’s CEO who outlines his thinking on the health of the nation and that there needs to be a change of mindset. The second interviews the founding Partner of Salus, a specialist risk protection adviser giving additional options to high-risk clients.

issue #33 spring 2020 advo news starts with an open letter from our CEO, Larry Bulmer, who reassures our business partners and clients that we are very much still ‘business as usual’. The big advo news was our attainment of the ISO Cyber-security accreditation which now gives us parity with global firms. .The Spring edition is heavily focussed on home working given that for many organisations this is a new experience with the whole workforce moving to their virtual office. We enclose a feature from International Insurer Aetna’s European Director who gives guidance on mental and essential resilience. In the same theme we feature an article from Investors in People who give practical advice in managing a team, remotely. In employee benefit news we focus on eyecare, an often forgotten, but nonetheless important, staff benefit.

issue #32 winter 2019 In the winter edition we bring you up to date with all the latest advo news, including the results of the advo awards where we reveal who were voted ‘best of the best’. We have an article written by Dr. Phil Sharples, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare Global who outlines why mental health should be a top priority for Expats and their employers. In HR news we look at the year ahead for Employment Law changes and include a feature that looks closer at the scourge of workplace discrimination. Looking at employee benefits and protection we focus on the ‘must do’s when communicating staff benefits and explore the myths around serious medical conditions, their impact within the workplace and how employers can protect their business. While in medical news we take a look at the facts and effects of the rise in people living with cancer.

don’t miss a copy, subscribe to our issuu channel... its 100% free! advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 30

advogroup.co.uk | the advo group

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