Iain Laws, CEO of health & benefits at Everywhen, predicts an increased focus on personalised health and wellbeing benefits for businesses to maximise opportunities for their commercial success in 2026.
Iain Laws says: “Companies face a multitude of challenges, including economic, tech and managing a multi-generational workforce, but these bring opportunities too, and with the right support, companies can thrive.”
Personalised benefits
Firstly, a progressive shift towards more personalised and flexible benefits packages is anticipated. Employees increasingly seek benefits that cater to their unique needs and lifestyles, and employers will need to adapt to remain competitive in attracting and retaining top talent. This is likely to include a greater emphasis on mental health support, meaningful financial wellness programmes, and family-orientated flexible working arrangements.
Technology
Technology will continue to play a crucial role in the evolution of employee benefits to enable personalisation, meet employee expectations and reach increasingly diverse working locations. From AI-driven tools that help employees choose the most suitable benefits for their situation to platforms that streamline benefits administration, the integration of technology will make it easier for both employers and employees to manage and optimise the value of their benefits packages.
Sustainability
Sustainability and corporate social responsibility will become more important in the benefits landscape. Employees increasingly seek employers who prioritise environmental and social issues, and this will likely lead to the inclusion of benefits that support sustainable living and community involvement.
Focus on older employees
As the workforce continues to age, there is likely to be an increased focus on benefits that support older employees. This is likely to include enhanced retirement planning resources, health and wellness programmes tailored to older workers, and initiatives that encourage knowledge transfer and mentorship between generations. Employers who understand the needs of their workforce, focus their benefits on specific demographics and make them relevant, will find their support has the greatest impact. In 2026, this is likely to include greater support for mental health and gender-specific issues.
SMEs offering a wider range of benefits
SMEs will need to compete with large corporates for talent in 2026, and that talent will expect more. There will be a need, therefore, for SMEs to offer holistic health and wellbeing benefits that are more wide-ranging than ever before. With the available benefits continuing to expand, this need will be supported by the industry.
Value for money will drive decisions
In 2026, more health and wellbeing decisions will be driven by value for money. As employers feel the impact of cost constraints, they will look for value for money from the support they offer. Metrics that show utilisation of benefits, improvements on absence, greater productivity and other business advantages will be invaluable.
Absence management
The Government’s focus on improving economic inactivity, evidenced by supporting the Keep Britain Working Review, coupled with poor productivity results in the UK, will drive focus on absence management. Support within group risk products – group income protection, group critical illness and group life assurance – will be utilised more than ever to support returns to work. Employers will also make the most of the preventative support within these benefits, aiming to detect and avert health conditions before they become a bigger issue.
Iain Laws concludes: “Although there will be challenges for businesses in the UK, it is vital that there are clear objectives for the health and wellbeing support to benefit both the individual employee and the business as a whole too.”
