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Prevention the best medicine, AIA finds
AIA, group insurer for some of Australia’s largest super funds, is having considerable success by taking an holistic approach to mental and physical wellbeing designed to focus on prevention, knowledge and awareness, as well as rehabilitation.
The insurer, which has worked with various mental health organisations for many years, including the not-for-profit-fund-backed SuperFriend, recently launched an initiative to survey organisations across a range of industries in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore which it calls ‘Australia’s Healthiest Workplace by AIA Vitality’.
The survey aims to provide both employers and employees with strategies to improve health and wellbeing. It will examine data on employee lifestyle, clinical indicators, mental health, stress and other areas of concern, with the objective of assessing the associated impact on health and productivity.
Companies with at least 50 employees can enter (see: www.healthiestworkplace.aia.com) for free until May 15. After registering, employees need to complete the survey by June 15. The results will be analysed and the winners of Australia’s ‘healthiest employer’, healthiest workplace’ and ‘healthiest employees’ will be announced in October.
The survey builds on a similar one in the UK, launched in 2013, which has succeeded in identifying root causes of absenteeism, which in the UK is said to average 23 days a year per employee.
AIA Vitality offers a health and wellbeing program which covers things such as nutrition and health checks. The insurer will hold its second AIA Vitality Summit later this year where it will discuss, with industry and key stakeholders, what can be done to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for Australians.
The initiative is part of a broader approach by AIA to look at ways to reduce the cost of physical and mental health problems in the workforce. Most workers are members of large super funds.
Stephanie Phillips, chief group insurance officer at AIA in Melbourne, says: “Prevention is an important strategy for AIA… our ambition is to make Australia the healthiest and most protected nation on earth.”
In 2014 AIA introduced its ‘RESTORE’ program, a unique work readiness initiative for people with mental health issues. RESTORE is designed to assist members to develop wellness and work readiness through a tailor-made program which may include individual rehabilitation goals and an exercise program to see what can be done to help eventually get them back to work.
“This can be a long journey for some people,” Phillips says. “Before they can go back to work, it’s about getting them back into the community first. For some, it can be a big step to just leave the house.”
AIA has a dedicated rehabilitation team with 14 specialist staff who will contact the member and determine whether an external rehabilitation provider is required to help. The insurer works with several professional groups that provide rehabilitation services across the country. Sometimes, the member may no longer be attached to employer, and the insurer becomes the main contact point for the super fund.
“There’s a real correlation between mental and physical health too,” Phillips says. So far, 61 per cent of the people AIA has got onto the voluntary program have returned to work.
Awareness is not just important in identifying whether someone is struggling – either by employers or work colleagues – but also for employers to be able to ensure they have a resilient workplace.
“AIA is committed to providing a supportive work environment and develop a highly capable claims staff that assist claimants who are experiencing one of the most challenging times in their lives,” she says. “We also want to be able to have a strong partnership with the funds to work towards a common goal.”
As part of its awareness program, AIA has partnered with publisher Conexus Financial to organise a series of mental health roundtable discussions. These will involve a mix of people including executives from large super funds, consultants, mental health practitioners, as well as insurance executives.
AIA is also a major sponsor of the annual Chant West Awards for super funds, which are to take place at a black-tie dinner at Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom on May 24. Information at: www.chantwestawards.com.au
