Preventative healthcare: Helping employees know their numbers

In a hurry? Here are the top three takeaways from our blog on preventative health and the importance of helping employees know their numbers.

1. Employees need to know their numbers before symptoms appear: Blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar can change without obvious warning signs, making awareness and early testing essential.

2. Retesting helps turn awareness into action: One-off testing is only a snapshot. Tracking biomarkers over time helps employees see whether their health is improving, stable or moving in the wrong direction.

3. Employers can make prevention easier to access: Health checks, Online GP access, EAPs and affordable wellbeing benefits can help employees act earlier and build healthier habits.

Got time to stick around? Let's dive a little deeper.

The importance of awareness in preventative healthcare

You can't prevent a health problem you don't know you have.That's the simple idea behind preventative healthcare.

Many of the conditions that have the biggest impact on people's lives and employers' productivity develop quietly over time. High blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and many mental health challenges often show few obvious warning signs in their early stages.

The good news is that you can manage, reduce or treat many of these risks when you identify them early.

Healthcare costs are rising, sickness absence is increasing, and the connection between employee health, productivity, and retention has never been clearer. 

That's why this year's Know Your Numbers campaign matters, every day of the year.

It's about helping people understand personalised health information so they can take action sooner. From checking their blood pressure and seeking professional advice to reducing stress or making healthier lifestyle choices, early intervention can save lives.

Prevention isn't just better than cure.

It's often the difference between a minor intervention today and a serious health challenge tomorrow.

Quick takeaway: 

Preventative healthcare works best when it helps people act before symptoms appear, not after a problem has already escalated.

Why knowing your numbers matters

If you don’t know the numbers that matter – blood pressure, cholesterol, heart health – you don’t know that potential, preventable illness is on the horizon. 

Most people know their age. Many know their weight. Far fewer know their blood pressure, and  this matters because high blood pressure is one of the UK's biggest preventable health risks.

According to NHS data, 30% of adults have high blood pressure, with 15% living with untreated hypertension. 

Blood Pressure UK estimates that 6 million people in the UK have high blood pressure without knowing it, while 350 people every day experience a heart attack or stroke that could potentially have been prevented. 

That’s why one-off testing should only be the beginning. 

A test is a snapshot. Retesting helps people understand whether their health is improving, stable, or moving in the wrong direction. Some biomarkers can change within 3–6 months, so consistent re-testing is essential for prevention.

Alex Badalyan, Co-Founder & CEO, Emerald Health

Emerald's retesting data shows the potential impact of this approach: among members who initially had total cholesterol above 5 mmol/L, 67% improved their high cholesterol when they retested. A further 62% brought high triglycerides back into range, while 40% with raised inflammation brought hsCRP back below 1 mg/L and 40% with a raised total/HDL cholesterol ratio brought it back below 4.

Quick takeaway: 

Knowing your numbers matters most when employees can understand, improve and track them over time.

The challenge is that high blood pressure rarely causes noticeable symptoms. In fact, it's often called a "silent killer". You can feel completely healthy while your long-term risk continues to rise, which is why awareness matters.

Knowing your numbers helps people understand whether they need to act before a condition affects their quality of life, wellbeing, or ability to work.

Preventative health & the worrying awareness gap

Too many people don't know their health numbers. Recent polling found that 43% of UK adults do not know their current blood pressure reading (NHS England). 

Think about that for a moment.

Almost half of the workforce could be carrying an important health risk without realising it.

That doesn't mean people don't care about their health. It often means that life gets busy. Appointments get postponed. Symptoms never appear. Health becomes something people plan to think about later.

Preventative healthcare helps close that gap between intention and action. Explore related content on this in our blog, 'How to build a preventative health strategy in seven steps'.

Why preventative healthcare matters to employers

The business benefits of prevention are significant. When people are healthier, they're more likely to be engaged, productive and present.

When health problems go undetected, organisations often see the opposite.

• Increased absence
• Reduced productivity
• Higher healthcare costs
• Greater employee stress
• Higher turnover

Mental wellbeing is particularly important.

Deloitte estimates that poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion every year, with presenteeism alone accounting for approximately £24 billion. 

Prevention isn't simply a wellbeing initiative.

It's a business strategy.

The same research found that employers receive an average £4.70 return for every £1 invested in mental health and wellbeing support through improved productivity, reduced absence and stronger retention (Deloitte). 

The message is clear: healthier employees create healthier businesses.

Quick takeaway: 

Prevention is not only a wellbeing benefit. It can also reduce absence, build resilience, and improve productivity.

How employers can help employees know their numbers

For many people, the biggest barrier isn't motivation; it’s access, the time taken from work to see a doctor, the wait for appointments and in some cases, cost. Employers can remove these barriers by making health assessments easier to access, available digitally, and more affordable.

1. Make health assessments easier to access

For many people, the biggest barrier isn't motivation; it’s access, cost and time.

Emerald Health's message for Know Your Numbers Week is clear: blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol are a strong starting point, because changes can happen without obvious symptoms. More comprehensive testing can give people an even broader picture of their health, helping them spot risks before symptoms appear.

Health assessments and screenings help employees better understand their current health and potential future risks.

Employers can help remove barriers by promoting preventative health initiatives and making health information easier to access.

Pluxee Card users can earn cashback on an Emerald Health plan, making access to the information they need to stay healthier for longer more affordable. Emerald is one of the UK's most comprehensive GP-reviewed health checks, testing 124 biomarkers across heart health, hormones, metabolism, liver and kidney function, vitamins and more.

Emerald brings those results together with an employee's medical history and lifestyle before a UK doctor reviews them. That means people receive clear guidance on what matters, what they can improve and what to do next, helping them take a more proactive approach to their health.

Emerald isn’t the only health provider we partner with, and we’re proud to offer a comprehensive range of self-testing services at discounted rates through our employee discounts Marketplace within the Pluxee Employee Experience Platform.

Quick takeaway: 

Employers do not have to solve every health challenge. They can remove friction by making credible support easier to access.

2. Remove friction through Online GP access

Many people delay seeking medical advice because appointments feel inconvenient or difficult to access.

Online GP can help employees seek advice faster when they have questions, symptoms or concerns. Addressing small issues early can often prevent larger health issues later.

That's preventative healthcare in practice — awareness followed by action.

You can hear more about the impact of Online GP on reducing absenteeism in our podcast.

3. Recognise the connection between mental and physical health

Preventative healthcare isn't just about blood pressure monitors and screening tests. Mental wellbeing plays a major role too.

Long-term stress and anxiety can contribute to:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Poor sleep quality
• Reduced physical activity
• Fatigue
• Burnout

Which is why mental wellbeing support should form part of any prevention strategy.

An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) can help employees access confidential support for:

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Financial worries
• Relationship challenges
• Caring responsibilities
• Work-life pressures

Reducing stress supports mental health.

It supports physical health too.

4. Make healthy choices more affordable

Awareness matters. Action matters even more.

One of the biggest challenges employees face is affordability. People may know what would benefit their wellbeing but struggle with the cost.

Employee benefits can play a genuinely preventative role by supporting people with what they can actually use in everyday life.

• Gym & Fitness Discounts make gyms, bootcamps and classes more affordable.
• Our Cycle Benefit Scheme encourages healthier commutes.

We also have a wide range of retailers on our Pluxee Employee Experience Platform that make self-care more affordable. From vitamins to spa days, there’s something every employee can use to improve their health and wellbeing.

Making preventative healthcare part of everyday life

As Alex says, preventative healthcare is about more than one-off check-ups; it’s about consistency. Healthy habits aren’t just about what people eat and how often they exercise; being healthy means being aware and making healthcare something you consider every day, even if you have no complaints. 

Through the Pluxee Card and discounts platform, employees can access savings across a range of health and wellbeing categories. Alongside Emerald Health and our Online GP and Employee Assistance Programme, we offer employees access to: