Making sure that we have a solid health and wellbeing strategy for all our employees is vital — they really are our greatest asset and we’re passionate about making sure that they are fit and well both in and out of work.

Briggs Equipment in numbers:

• Circa 1,300 employees
• Founded in 2006
• Paycare Policyholder since 2017

How has your Paycare journey changed over time?

When we first joined Paycare it was very much about everyday physical health as it directly impacts absenteeism, motivation and productivity — things like optical, dental and physiotherapy. In recent years we’ve welcomed the increased awareness around mental health and wellbeing at work so our focus has evolved alongside Paycare’s service offering.

What’s your big focus as a HR team right now?

Our business holds safety as a core fundamental to success, we understand to remain alert and take action employees must be able to take care of their all-round wellbeing, it’s a high priority for us as a HR and the senior leadership team.

In light of this, there is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health issues like depression, stress, and anxiety so we’re working hard to break this cycle especially within Briggs and with contributing services like the EAP and GP 24/7 continue to form a key part of our overarching health and wellbeing strategy.

 We also utilise third party services like MIND and are actively looking to introduce more training for our teams at all levels, with support from Paycare Wellbeing in the future.

Our Health Cash Plan always has, and always will, be a big benefit to our team. Some people are better at taking preventative measures to look after their physical health, whereas others are more inclined to wait until something has become an issue like toothache or backache. Having the opportunity to claim on various treatments pushes people to take care of themselves proactively which is so important.

The range of services gives our staff the freedom to try things they otherwise might not due to finances, including Professional Therapy like Acupuncture and Hypnotherapy. Other benefits like Hospital Stays, New Baby Payments, and the chance to add children under the age of 18 are also highly valued parts of the plan.

Our employees have access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a very useful signposting service which can be accessed quickly to allow individuals to speak confidentially about any issues they’re facing. Whether it be grief or relationship issues, debt and money issues, legal matters, or mental health issues such as stress and depression.

It also helps with absenteeism. Without an EAP service, employees may have to wait for a GP appointment, and take time off from work to attend, and in some case be signed off work. However, EAP means that people can speak earlier about any issues they are facing and receive the right preventative support, before a concern worsens to a stage where time off work is required.

We don’t expect our staff to leave these types of issues at the door to work, so having a service like the EAP allows us to ensure they have access to support should they ever need it. It’s part of our duty of care towards our staff and it’ll continue to be a vital tool moving forward.

The GP 24/7 app has also been fantastic. We have individuals based at various locations and work non-traditional office hours, which means getting a GP appointment can be difficult, particularly with growing waiting times. If needed, prescriptions are delivered straight to their door and they get their ailment or issue sorted quicker than they ordinarily would.

We’re always encouraging our people to use Paycare for their physical and mental health needs. We advertise the all-round support which the plan offers, and refer to the additional support from the 24/7 GP.

There’s also an understanding that the plan offers Paycare Perks which provides financial support through exclusive discounts on everyday purchases like insurance, holidays and entertainment, so it covers a lot of bases.

We issue a monthly magazine and include reminders about the range of services and benefits which employees can access as part of their terms and conditions. The marketing support that Paycare provides also helps, as we continue to embed our wellbeing strategy. As of April 2020, Briggs will increase the cover from level 3 to level 4 for all existing Briggs members.

Claims for services can be made online and by post, so it’s accommodating to staff of all individual preferences, with feedback also shared about how quick claims are processed.