MetLife Employee Benefits has expanded its group income protection offering with the launch of an early intervention policy.
ProActive Protection aims to reduce uncertainty for employers and employees by helping them to improve employee health and reduce absence costs through early intervention.
MetLife said the policy takes a proactive approach to preventing absences and helping staff to return to work - noting that usually insurers are often notified of absences after the expiry of the policy deferred period when it could be too late to take action.
All employers are supported by a team of client relationship managers and larger schemes have a dedicated client relationship manager and a claims specialist.
These teams will pro-actively engage with employers to understand employee absences early on and assist with implementing any early intervention measures which may be recommended in order to enable staff to return to work more quickly.
MetLife's research among employee benefit consultants showed 85% of them welcomed innovation in group income protection on helping employees return to work - believing helping to prevent absence is the most attractive feature of group income protection policies, with 57% choosing it ahead of more flexible benefit limits and more flexible deferred periods options within group policies.
Staff are able to access online or by telephone, health and wellbeing information and support services via MetLife's Wellbeing Hub, which is provided in conjunction with AXA PPP healthcare.
Staff can access the Employee Health Gateway to calculate their own ‘health age' and obtain personalised health and wellness information. Staff are also provided with a comprehensive 24/7 employee assistance programme with practical life management support, guidance on health issues and counselling services, including if necessary access to five face to face counselling sessions.
MetLife UK employee benefits director Tom Gaynor said: "Helping staff stay healthy and preventing prolonged absence periods through early intervention underlines the benefit of group income protection to employers and employees."
ProActive Protection is initially available through a selected panel of financial intermediaries before being launched nationwide.
The minimum number of lives covered is three with no maximum on the number of lives that can be covered. Income benefit of up to £425,000 a year can be selected up to a maximum of 80% of earnings for employees and 50% of earnings for partners (e.g. equity partners), and deferred periods are 13 and 26 weeks on day one.
