Dental benefits ‘most valued’ by staff

Dental benefits are those most valued by employees, according to research carried out recently by the healthcare insurance provider HSA.

Almost two-thirds of the company representatives quizzed by HSA felt their staff would appreciate having their dental bills covered more than any other employee benefit.

However, a similar proportion of those polled considered offering the staff these kinds of benefits to be too expensive a strategy to implement, despite their potential as a recruitment asset.

Making its case for why offering a dental health cover plan is in a company’s own interest, HSA has suggested that if staff delay visiting a dentist it may lead to health problems and sickness absence that will cost their employer in the long-run.

“Companies should listen to their health conscience as dental benefits do not need to be expensive and can be purchased on a stand alone basis or as part of a package,” said Richard Halley, head of business to business sales at HSA.

According to figures previously compiled on behalf of HSA, teeth and gum-related treatments account for almost 12 million lost working days in the UK on an annual basis.