Legal & General has upgraded its group income protection Worklife Solutions package to help reduce the impact of absences with the addition of a new stress toolkit for line managers.
L&G said it will providing all of their policyholders with a range of health and wellbeing support for prehabilitation to tackle issues such as staff presenteeism.
The range provides information and advice about health, emotional and practical issues that are aimed to help resolve problems at the outset.
As part of the new package, Legal & General has also developed a new interactive online toolkit for line managers, with help from the national charity Rethink Mental Illness.
This has been designed to help managers to learn about and how to act on the signs of stress and mental health problems before they become a serious issue for the employees and the employer. The stress toolkit is free for all of their GIP customers.
The online toolkit also provides advice on how to support employees experiencing stress, from how to approach employees to helping them address the source of stress.
Features of the interactive online toolkit include:
• Stress management challenge - this allows line managers to recognise how individuals approach stress differently and understand the best way of supporting employees.
• Information about the different types of stress and how they can affect people: psychological, emotional, physical and behavioural.
• Expert advice video on dealing with stress related issues at work.
• Helpful links to a number of information and advice services on stress.
• Certificate to confirm completion of the stress management challenge.
L&G said two fifths of employers are doing nothing to address the problem of stress. This is a concerning statistic given that during 2011/12, 428,000 people in the UK had work related stress illnesses.
Jim Islam, executive managing director of L&G's Corporate Business said: This resource gives managers the support they need to spot the signs of stress in employees early and give them the confidence and advice to address the problem for the good of the employee and employer."
Charles Walker MP said: "It is important for employers to prioritise good mental health within their organisations and L&G is to be congratulated for its enlightened work in this area."
Katherine Crawshaw, associate director of engagement and social marketing at Rethink Mental Illness said: "We understand that managers can find it difficult to know how to best support employees experiencing stress or mental health problems.
We're pleased to have been able to work with L&G to develop this tool. It's a quick and easy way for managers to understand more about stress and mental health problems, how this may be affecting their team and the positive steps they can take to help people stay well."
Worklife Solutions is available to all L&G's GIP customers. It includes a range of benefits to support the employees of its customers in maintaining a healthier work life balance and can help employers to reduce absence in the workplace.
