Greif, a leading supplier of industrial packaging products and services, were looking to boost their health benefits package for the 150 UK employees based mainly on-site at factories in Ellesmere Port and Burton-on-Trent.
Michelle Crown HR Manager explains: “For many years Greif’s benefit package was different for those in office-based roles. They had had eligibility for full private medical insurance, while those on the shop floor had a much more basic healthcare plan. The scheme when I joined wasn’t understood and wasn’t used - we wanted to bring that up to scratch, and harmonise our health and wellbeing support across the board.
Prioritising people
“Everyone who works at Greif is an important part of making our business successful. Our customers rely on us, and we rely on our employees. And that makes looking after everyone a priority.
“For us, it became particularly urgent when we noticed a marked difference in the accessibility of GP appointments and the length of NHS waiting lists. At any one time we could have several people out waiting for a medical appointment. We wanted to find a solution to reduce waiting times, get people seen quicker – and at a time that was actually convenient for them.”
Greif started looking for options that would support the health and wellbeing of their wider workforce, and found their way to Equipsme. It’s now part of their benefits platform - and open to everyone in the business. Those choosing to become Equipsme members get access to a 24/7 GP service, nurse advice line, physio sessions, and private specialist consultations and diagnosis via AXA Health.
Plugging a benefits gap
Michelle says: “We needed something that would be easy to add to the portfolio of benefits we already had in place, including those legacy PMI plans, our EAP helpline and our cash plan. We also needed it to be affordable, and sustainable.
“The problem with traditional PMI is that it’s age-based and the premiums go up every year with usage – that means the benefit in kind cost for individuals goes up too. That makes it less attractive to those wanting to opt into a PMI benefit, and means current members start considering opting out, with no alternative provision in place.
“We needed something different – something in-between PMI and cash plans, that could plug the gap. Equipsme did everything we needed it to and more. It’s the perfect cover at the perfect price point.”
Tackling key health issues
Greif creates industrial packaging solutions for life’s essentials, and is one of the world’s leading Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) manufactures. Amongst other packaging and transport solutions, it creates large-scale and speciality metal drums to fit various applications. They’re often used in industries such as chemical manufacturing, petroleum refining and agriculture, for storing and shipping hazardous materials under strict safety standards.
Michelle adds: “Employees in the manufacturing industry often have physical and repetitive jobs. It is important to practice safe manual handling and maintain good musculoskeletal health to prevent musculoskeletal injuries. By investing in health and safety training such as NEBOSH and IOSH for our operators, combined with regular health surveillance through our partnership with RPS Occupational Health, Greif aims to proactively protect the workforce.
“But in any physical job people can develop problems. If an injury were to arise, Equipsme services such as 24/7 remote GP access can quickly diagnose what’s wrong, provide medical advice, and issue electronic prescription medication. And unlike local GP surgery practices, they can provide convenient and out of hours appointments. If you’re anything like me your local surgery operates a call back system anytime during their opening hours – and you end up missing appointments due to being unavailable or in meetings.
“With Equipsme, people don’t have to wait for their GP – and they don’t have to be off for months waiting on the NHS for a physio appointment, or a diagnosis of a hip or knee condition, either. It’s also helping us help employees get seen quickly for the sort of minor illnesses that cause shorter-term sickness absences, and for mental health issues which can lead to longer absences.”
Packaging something special together
“It’s been really well received,” continues Michelle. “We’ve even had people swap from their PMI plan to Equipsme because it’s so good! And Equipsme have been incredibly easy to work with. Normally, we go through our broker, but it’s been refreshing to work directly in partnership with Equipsme - the customer service has been first class.
“We’re currently working together on a communications campaign to remind people about the Equipsme services available to them, encourage usage, and push the fact they can choose to pay in and upgrade to add family members, too.
“At Greif, our aim is to empower employees to prioritise their health and make positive choices for their overall wellbeing. We believe that contributes to a thriving and productive work environment. I’d say if you’re looking for a workforce-wide health and wellbeing solution for your company, it’s well worth giving Equipsme a call. Certainly it’s an investment we’re really happy to have made at Greif.”
