In 2022, Bupa, a British private healthcare insurance company, set a strategic priority to extend healthcare support to 100% of its employees. The ambitious goal came from the top, driven by the chief executive committee and a personal commitment from the CEO Carlos Jaureguizar to prioritise employee health and wellbeing.

The result was Viva—a comprehensive health and wellbeing proposition designed to address physical, mental, financial, environmental, and social health.

Introducing Viva: A five-pillar health proposition

The Viva initiative is built on five key pillars, focusing on holistic health. One of the standout elements launched under this proposition was MyHealthcare, a new primary healthcare service that was rolled out in 2023.

The service is available to approximately 15,000 frontline employees in the UK, accompanied by a £350 annual wellbeing allowance for each staff member to use on Bupa products. All of this is offered at no cost to employees, reflecting Bupa’s commitment to ensuring accessible healthcare.

Rapid implementation and agile approach

One of the remarkable aspects of the initiative was the speed with which it went from idea to reality.

After entering a discovery phase in Spring 2022—where Bupa conducted employee surveys, focus groups, and aligned the project with broader business strategies—a cross-functional team moved swiftly into implementation.

By September 2022, the team had secured multi-million-pound funding, and just eight months later in January, phase one went live. The second phase followed in July 2023.

According to Heather Glasgow, Bupa’s Employee Health and Wellbeing Consultant, the support from senior leadership and the adoption of agile methodologies were crucial. Weekly meetings and collaborative sprints ensured progress, allowing Bupa to deliver without compromising on employee experience.

A key challenge that Bupa aimed to address with Viva was low engagement among its frontline employees, a group traditionally harder to reach due to limited access to digital communication tools like email and intranet.

To bridge this gap, Bupa introduced a team of employee health benefit advisors whose role is to actively promote Viva. The advisors took a hands-on approach by meeting employees directly at their workplaces, whether it be a dental practice or a care home, providing face-to-face interactions to explain the benefits available to them.

Glasgow noted that this direct approach was a game-changer: “We’ve taken the benefits to the employees where they are, making them easy to understand and relevant to their needs. It’s not just about talking at them but tailoring content to what they want to know.”

The ‘in-person’ strategy not only increased awareness but also boosted the uptake of benefits among employees who were previously disengaged.

Turning employees into brand advocates

The broader goal of the Viva initiative was not just to enhance employee health but also to transform employees into brand advocates by offering them tangible benefits that they could appreciate firsthand.

The results have been overwhelmingly positive. Within the first year of implementation, Bupa saw significant improvements, particularly among its least engaged workforce segment. Employee engagement scores increased by 5 points to an impressive 82.

Some of the members of Bupa health benefit advisor team 

The company hit its target engagement score of 80 overall, while also witnessing a downward trend in attrition rates.

Employees responded positively to the new offerings, with many expressing surprise that these comprehensive benefits were provided free of charge.

“The gratitude from our employees has been almost humbling. They were genuinely surprised and appreciative of the new healthcare services and allowances,” said Glasgow.

Ongoing improvements and future plans

Since the launch of Viva, Bupa has continued to build on the initial success. Early in 2024, it introduced a dedicated benefits platform to further enhance accessibility and engagement.

The platform, launched in response to feedback from employee surveys, has seen high engagement rates, making it easier for employees to explore and utilise the benefits on offer.

According to Glasgow, the platform is a crucial addition: “It’s great to have these benefits, but we needed a way to make them more accessible, especially for our frontline teams. The platform has been a game changer.”

The success of Viva has sparked a reinvestment of resources into further employee benefits. For example, Bupa is exploring options like free will-writing services and integrating benefit awareness throughout the employee journey via digital channels. It’s even shifted its primary care service to a digital model, offering a 24/7 healthcare app instead of a traditional phone-based system.

The dedication to employee care earned Bupa a silver award at the UK Employee Experience Awards 2024 in the Health and Wellbeing category, underscoring the positive impact of this transformative initiative.

Glasgow highlighted that rather than resting on their laurels, the team is focused on continuous improvement: “We’re constantly looking for ways to expand and improve our offerings. Whether it’s repurposing underspent funds to add new benefits or finding efficiencies in our existing services, there’s always room to do more.”

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