Among UK companies with overseas employees only 36 percent offer different health and wellbeing support depending upon the country in which their employees are based, research has revealed.
The data from Towergate Employee Benefits showed that 57 percent offer overseas employees exactly the same health and wellbeing support as those based in the UK.
Sarah Dennis, head of international at Towergate Employee Benefits, explained that offering the same support to everyone, whether they are working abroad or in the UK “is not an ideal approach”. She said this blanket management does not take into account the different risks and needs in different countries where health facilities may be lacking compared to the UK, or may be more remote and harder to access.
The provider urged employers to look at what the different needs might be in the specific countries where their employees are deployed. This assessment needs to take into account the specific health risks in each region, such as infectious diseases including malaria and tuberculosis. It should also examine environmental factors and pollution, how good the medical facilities are, and whether the region is remote.
Risks related to civil or political unrest must also be considered, along with increased threats to mental health. The provider said support also needs to encompass not just physical health but financial, mental and social wellbeing.
“Simply by virtue of working abroad, an employee will have different health and wellbeing needs to a colleague working in the UK,” Dennis said. “Working away from home can be stressful, isolating, and pose different challenges both mentally and physically, and the support must be designed to meet these needs.”
The provider stated that any employees who are UK citizens and working on an overseas assignment “will need full health and wellbeing support, even when the host country has free and universal healthcare”.
For example, in Australia, citizens have access to health and hospital services at low or no cost through a national health insurance scheme. But even with the ‘reciprocal health agreement’ between the UK and Australia, meaning urgent hospital treatment is free for UK citizens, UK citizens will still have to pay for other medical needs including GP visits, receiving a prescription, dental treatment, or if an ambulance is needed.
The provider urged employers to ensure that all employees working abroad have full and relevant health and wellbeing support, no matter how developed the country they are in. The example of Australia and the ‘reciprocal health agreement’ highlights that it can be easy to assume that all care is free, when it isn’t. A UK citizen needing an ambulance could be hit by a huge bill and then expect this to be reimbursed by their employer.
At the same time, the provider flagged that employers should not assume that they do not have to worry about providing health and wellbeing support for ‘local nationals’ employed to work within their own country. A number of countries lack universal or free healthcare, with the USA being the largest country without a free healthcare system. The USA uses a system of healthcare insurance packages.
Other key countries with no free healthcare include South Africa, Pakistan, Iran and Egypt. China is close to providing universal healthcare, with around 95 percent of the population covered, but there are still costs involved for some parts, so it is not fully free healthcare.
Dennis said: “It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure all employees are properly cared for while at work, wherever this may be. A full and rounded health and wellbeing programme, tailored to the specific circumstances in each country, will ensure that employees are healthy and happy, and that the company is productive and compliant.”
