HSA WorkWell success spurs launch in Ireland

Following its UK inception last April, HSA is launching WorkWell in Ireland. HSA received a huge amount interest in the UK for this innovative corporate paid health solution, with companies such as Heinz finding that within months the health plan helped reduce sickness absence, and HSA hopes to duplicate this success with its Irish business.

ìAlthough the Irish health system is quite different to the UK, issues within the corporate marketplace tend to follow the same trends,î comments Cathy McCartan, Head of Corporate Sales at HSA Ireland. ìStress in the workplace, for example, has received a great deal of attention in the UK, and it is now increasingly becoming a topic of concern in Ireland. The Health and Safety Authority in Ireland has in fact recently classed organisational stress as a ëmajor priorityí.

ìThe Health and Safety Authority has also recently made amends to the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act which states what preventative measures companies must take to ensure that their employeesí health and wellbeing is cared for. These include ensuring that eye tests are provided for VDU users and that a stress audit is carried out. It follows, therefore, that a product such as WorkWell, that helps employers to meet their duty of care responsibilities, will be of great use to Irish employers,î concludes Cathy.

To support the launch, HSA has conducted some research on the corporate healthcare market in Ireland. The research has found that minor ailments such as cold and flu sickness absence is one of the top two causes of absence from work, stress is worse in larger organisations than small and that promoting employee wellbeing is the main reason that companies introduce healthcare benefits.