Eyecare - A clearer picture (Whitepaper)

Eyecare:A clearer pictureUnderstanding your obligations and getting a programme that works for your organisation

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Contents

Employee eyecare – a clearer picture 3

Your obligations as an employer 4

Getting the right policy 6

Implementing a corporate eyecare programme 8

Communicating your eyecare programme 10


Employee eyecare – a clearer pictureEmployee eyecare is an important HR and health and safety policy area for employers. Not only is good vision critical for employees to do their jobs safely and effectively – whether that is driving or using one of the many screens which dominate today’s work environment – it is a critical component of employee wellbeing.

Unfortunately for employers, it is also an area where new rules regularly emerge which have an impact on the extent to which organisations must take responsibility for their employee’s eye health. The latest of these coming in January 2013 with a little noticed change to the rules which apply to the licences of bus or HGV drivers.

This report is designed to clarify employer obligations as they currently stand and map out the key issues to consider when reviewing or planning an employee eyecare programme.

“Eyecare is a critical component of employee wellbeing”


As an employer you have an obligation to look after the wellbeing of your employees at work while complying with any relevant employment or health and safety laws. With regard to employee eyecare, it is useful to think about the three categories which have an impact on your organisation.

1) Direct responsibility – VDU and protective eyewearThese are the areas such as VDU (Visual Display Unit) use or the provision of the right safety equipment such as protective goggles which are clear cut in the law.

VDU use comes under health and safety law. For those who use a screen at a workstation, employers are obliged to provide an annual sight test and basic corrective glasses if they are needed to use a VDU.

Protective eyewear covers visors or goggles which employees need to do their work safely. Again, employers are obliged to provide this equipment.

2) Indirect responsibility – driver eyecareThe introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter Act in 2008 has created significant uncertainty around how employers should manage their approach to driver eyecare.

While employers are not directly compelled to take responsibility for the vision of employees who drive at work, there is still a potential legal risk from this legislation for employers whose employees cause, or are involved in an accident while driving at work. Perhaps more important are the personal, reputational and commercial consequences caused by poor driver eyecare which have significant direct costs to employers and employees.

Your obligations as an employer

“As an employer you have an obligation to look after the wellbeing of your employees at work while complying with any relevant employment or health and safety laws.”


The two key areas for employers to consider around driver eyecare are as follows:

New obligations for bus and HGV drivers – a new EU directive introduced from January 2013 stipulated the need for bus and HGV drivers to certify their fitness to drive every five years as a condition to licence renewal. Eye health is a critical element of overall driver health and employers need to think about the extent to which they can ensure the fitness to drive of their drivers.

The formal and the informal fleet of company drivers – these are not just the people who make up their formal fleet – that is the drivers who are regularly out on the roads on company business – but the “informal fleet” of those who drive less frequently or inadvertently on company business. All drivers should have clarity around their responsibilities for eyecare and its role in safe driving, while employers need to articulate their expectations and the support they will give.

In both instances the key issue for employers is to clarify policy and consider how, rather than simply operating within the law, they support employees and reduce the scope for vehicle-related accidents to disrupt their organisations.

3) New responsibilitiesWith regular changes to employment and health and safety legislation and significant changes in the way people work, the question of an employer’s duty of care is an area which rarely stands still and is nearly always open to challenge.

Smart phones and tablets which are now so widely used – frequently by those who would not have used a VDU before – are also covered by the existing VDU legislation and employers need to think how such use sits with their duty of care obligations.

In addition, with many organisations proactively tackling employee health issues which impact on performance as part of corporate wellbeing programmes, employers need to consider how a proactive approach to eyecare should fit into this overall approach – reducing costs of sickness absence and mitigating against risks.

2,900 ROAD TRAFFIC

CASUALTIES

RESULTED FROM

POOR VISION IN 2010*

*Fit to Drive Cost Benefit analysis 2012 - http://news.rsagroup.com/assets/view/808


The best approach for ensuring your organisation is complying with all its obligations around employee eyecare is to put in place a policy which is up-to-date and reviewed regularly. This will clear up any ambiguity around what is expected of employees with regard to eyecare and also clarify the support you will give.

Here there are four key steps for employers to consider.

1) Purpose and scopeThis is where you explain what your eyecare policy is designed to do and which employees will be affected. Employees need to be clear about the activities which come under your eyecare policy such as driving, screen use and work which requires protective eyewear.

You should also clarify why you are doing it. This should spell out the need for a safe working environment for all employees, the importance of employees being fit to work and, in the case of drivers, ensuring that the people who drive vehicles as part of their role minimise any risk to their health and the health of other road users when driving on company business.

It is important to watch for any anomalies in the policy at this point: an example might be putting in place a policy which gives a handful of head office workers vouchers for eyewear for screen use but one which fails to provide for drivers out on the road.

2) Responsibilities: employer and employeeThe next area is to clarify what you will do as an employer and the responsibilities of your employees with regard to eyecare.

Here employers should specify that they will provide sight tests for VDU users, drivers on company business and those who need protective eyewear.

Getting the right policy

“Employees need to be clear about the activities which come under your eyecare policy such as driving, screen use and work which requires protective eyewear.”


You should also outline what employees must do. This should stipulate their responsibility for a regular eye examination and their responsibility to ensure if driving on company business their eye health meets the requirements of current vehicle licencing.

3) Compliance With so many grey areas around employer responsibility for driver eyecare, compliance is critical in ensuring eyecare provision translates into employees getting eye checks.

To do this your policy should state the need for employees to provide proof that they have had their eyes tested and that they don’t need to wear glasses. For those who wear glasses, you should ask for a signed document stating that they will wear these at all times if driving on company business and that their vision meets the standards of the relevant licence.

4) Recording and review The last part of developing your policy should identify a process for ensuring it is kept up-to-date and, if it is new, for managing its roll out. You will need to develop an appropriate system to log existing employees and new joiners and then all users that have been provided with eye tests to ensure that they are followed up at the required time (normally every two years).

Key questions: getting your eyecare policy rightAre the right people in my organisation covered?•Are the responsibilities for employees and employer clear?•Is the right person in charge of the policy?•Do we have supporting documentation and a process to •track this?


When it comes to implementing an eyecare programme, many organisations choose to work with an external partner who can ensure it runs smoothly by taking away the administration, delivery and, in some instances, helping with communication.

In order to do this effectively, organisations need to think about the needs of the business and its employees. This section outlines the important questions to consider in both areas.

1) Do they understand my organisation?Different businesses have different needs according to size, structure and location. Your corporate eyecare partner should understand how your business works, specific eyecare issues for your industry and common issues around communication. They should be able to add value and insight based on experience.

2) How easy will implementation be?For many organisations, a trouble free roll-out of an eyecare programme is a top priority. A clear process backed up by good ongoing account management is critical to this. The eyecare partner you work with should be able to talk you through each step from engagement to implementation and ongoing programme management.

3) What is the real cost of the deal proposed?Money may be tight in organisations, but so too is your time. To clearly assess overall cost – rather than headline cost – you need to consider the time you and your team will need to be dedicated to making things work with each supplier and the extent to which the extra administration will fall to you or your eyecare partner.

4) How flexible is the scheme?Every organisation needs to consider whether they want to tie themselves to a single deal with a retail chain or go for flexibility which gives employees vouchers which can

Implementing a corporate eyecare programme

“For many organisations, a trouble free roll-out of an eyecare programme is a top priority.”


be used more widely. Many employers see choice as a key driver of uptake of eyecare schemes while employees often want the convenience of using a familiar optician close to home or close to work.

5) What kind of reporting can I expect?With compliance playing a critical part of the success of an eyecare programme, you need to understand the extent to which your eyecare partner will deliver reports on eye tests and voucher take up, and so making life easier for the person managing the programme.

6) Have they got a track record?The last area to consider is the extent to which your eyecare partner is used to working with organisations like yours and can provide a good cultural fit to make the partnership as easy as possible.

Cash or vouchers?One question many organisations need to ask is whether they should use a cash or voucher system to deliver eyecare: so, what are the pros and cons?

Cash schemes tend to work either through reimbursement or petty cash. Ad hoc schemes may work in the smallest businesses, but the administration associated with reimbursement, providing cash and tracking eye tests creates a burden. The varied costs of eye tests and spectacles depending on prescription, location and optician means that there can be a lack of control over expenses, especially when there is no value at which employers can cap reimbursement. Additionally, schemes which require employees to pay ‘up front’ can undermine take-up and defeat the purpose of the programme you put in place.

Voucher schemes work by having an account with a voucher supplier andpurchasing the required amount of eyecare vouchers upfront for a fixed cost. These are then offered to employees to be redeemed when they have an eye test. Vouchers are also available to help with the cost of corrective spectacles should they be required.

This option means there are no sudden demands for petty cash advances and no varied expense claims to reimburse. Nor is there any possibility of misuse, as vouchers can only be used for their intended purpose and cannot be converted into cash. Some suppliers also provide a ‘certificate of recommendation’ to record who has had a sight test and if they are eligible for spectacles.


Communicating your eyecare programmeThe last element employers need to consider in putting an eyecare programme in place is how it will be promoted to employees.

Because eyecare is a ‘must do’ it often falls down the list of benefits communication. This means organisations miss the opportunity to position it as an employee benefit, as part of a wider wellbeing strategy to ensure that their employees are fit and healthy for work – which is after all the purpose of an employee eyecare programme.

Here are seven areas which organisations should consider in order to effectively deliver a corporate eyecare programme.

1) Get it on the communication agendaWhether your organisation is large or small you need to make sure you fight for a place for eyecare in benefits communication.

2) Get focussedOrganisations should focus on doing at least one high impact piece of communication per year really well. The best opportunity for this is around National Eye Health Week in September each year. Vision Matters (www.visionmatters.org.uk) has a range of material which can help you plan.

3) Target with precisionCommunication which is tailored with targeted calls to action around eyecare for different groups of employees such as drivers and VDU users is important in increasing employee awareness and action.

4) Position it as a benefitMany employees may not be aware of the support you may provide, the way it works and the fact they don’t have to pay. Position it clearly as a paid-for benefit to drive take-up and appreciation.

“Position it clearly as a paid-for benefit to drive take-up and appreciation.”


5) Create good collateralYour communication needs to be hard to miss and cut through the noise by deploying collateral which takes advantage of a range of communication channels. While email or posters won’t work alone, a well-thought through mix will have the impact you need to make a difference.

6) Use your managersYour managers are likely to be the ones who bear the brunt of questions about eyecare provision. Make them part of your communication plan, brief them in advance about any awareness campaigns or communication and put them in a position to answer any questions confidently.

7) Don’t forget to follow upTo reinforce your communication, follow up with case studies of those who have benefited from eyecare and show the benefits of good eye health.


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Accepted in 96% of UK opticians – that’s over 7,500 •outlets, the widest choice of opticians for employeesFree of National Insurance contributions for you and •your workforce, no VAT on their purchase and your company costs are deductible for Corporation TaxFree communication tool kit to promote the scheme •to employees effectivelyDedicated Account Managers to offer help and •advice if you need it

Edenred’s Eyecare Vouchers always see everyone right. Whether you use them for eye examinations, glasses or prescription Bollé safety spectacles, Eyecare Vouchers mean no expense claims to process or petty cash to arrange:

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Eyecare Vouchers Plus™• – your own branded website where employees can request vouchers directly to their work or home address, taking out all the administrative burden for you

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To find out more call: 0843 453 4406, email: [email protected],or visit: http://www.edenred.co.uk/eyecare-vouchers

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Eyecare - A clearer picture (Whitepaper)