New research from Personal Group and REBA reveals why traditional employee benefits are failing shift-based, frontline and deskless workers, and what employers can do about it.

If your benefits strategy was built for people who sit at a desk, it's probably not working for the people who don't.

Frontline, shift-based and deskless employees make up a huge share of the UK workforce - yet most benefits programmes still assume easy access to a laptop, a lunch break, or a 9-to-5 schedule. The result is a growing gap: employees who need support the most are often the least able to access it.

That's the focus of Affordable Access: Inclusive Benefits for Frontline and Shift Workers. The first report in a three-part series from Personal Group, developed in partnership with the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA).

Why this matters now

The UK Government's Keep Britain Working review has highlighted rising economic inactivity linked to ill-health, putting pressure on employers to do more to support workforce health and prevent long-term absence. This report argues that closing the benefits access gap has to be part of the solution, not an afterthought.

Inside the report, you'll find:

• Why traditional benefits programmes unintentionally exclude frontline and deskless workers
• The link between health, financial wellbeing and long-term absence
• Practical ways employers can improve access to support and healthcare
• How communication, trust and engagement drive (or block) benefits uptake
• Concrete steps to build a more inclusive benefits strategy

Personal Group is partnering with REBA on a trilogy of reports helping employers understand, and close, the protection gap facing frontline, mobile and shift-based workers.