customers. Research by Towergate Health & Protection of 500 HR professionals showed that for 57% of employers, employee mental health is their greatest concern regarding hybrid working. Mental Health topped the list, but was followed up by Physical Health (49%); Financial Health (44%); and Social Wellbeing (44%). Similarly, RedArc released the results of its annual patient survey earlier this year, detailing the priorities of those who sought professional support in a time of illness, trauma or bereavement. The most valued service for patients was having someone to talk to outside of their immediate family and friends (77%). Being there for people is important and can be one of the most valuable traits to exude and if there is a message I would like all to heed this Christmas, it would be around offering support to people in need of a conversation. In terms of the Protection market, many advisers still tell us that their workloads in the past few months have had a negative effect on protection sales. We have seen many firms developing their own in-house Protection specialists this year with our assistance, which has been extremely encouraging and we are looking at further ways to support new entrants to the market in 2025. This is all in addition to continuing to offer learning opportunities and support for those established specialists too. Consumer Duty says that all consumers should be made aware of the risks of not being adequately protected, so I would urge those who haven’t filled this gap yet to consider the alternatives, including signposting. I know this is often a maligned method but in the absence of anything else it could be something firms consider in the short term, until a more permanent advice process for clients is established. As you will know, we have a selected partner for this in Howden Life & Health – find out more Mike Allison Director of Protection Paradigm Protect Protection Market Update 04 WINTER PROTECT NEWSLETTER As we approach the end of the year, it’s only natural to reflect on the past 12 months and then plan for the year ahead. In our business, it’s no different… we look at what we have tried to do to support our members, and look at how we can enhance the proposition moving forward, offering even more solutions for you and your clients. This includes the work we do with Providers behind the scenes on areas such as technology and artificial intelligence (AI) – the latter which has already started to affect our lives, whether we recognise it or not. Life can be so busy, and we are often so entwined with work that we sometimes fail to reflect on our personal lives too, and in some cases the bereavements or grief we have faced in the past 12 months. As an industry, we work hard to support mental health and wellbeing, and at this time of year especially, it is good to talk about our lost colleagues, friends, and most importantly, family to help relieve the chasm in our lives that these losses often leave. Bereavement support and mental health support are generally now a part of most life insurance policies sold, and although statistics show how bereavement can hurt the living more than most issues, we still see very little usage of helplines for both bereavement and mental health compared to total policy sales. It is incumbent on us all to remind customers what they are entitled to and the value-added benefits included in the policies they’ve purchased - not just the potential monetary sums, this further adds to the value of the advice you give to your
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