Employers should promote eyecare provision, says expert
Businesses that employ drivers should provide ‘some level of company-funded eyecare’, thehrdirector.com reports.
That’s the advice of Jim Lythgow, a director at Specsavers, who asserts that HR professionals or key decision-makers should ensure not only that the right level of eyecare is offered but that the benefit is effectively communicated.
It’s a message that is pertinent to those operating a Driver Hire franchise, who’s candidates should all have their eye sight tested regularly. On this point, however, Lythgow says that there is a common misconception that under British driving laws, it is the individual’s responsibility to ensure they can see clearly.
There is a duty of care on the part of the employer under the health and safety banner to ensure that all drivers pass regular sight tests. Creating an eyecare policy would be a good way to tackle this, setting out the eyecare benefit provision and what is expected of staff.
In a survey carried out by Specsavers, it was revealed that the majority of companies use their staff induction to communicate their employee benefits – of which eyecare might be one. Two-thirds said they used this channel, employeebenefits.co.uk writes, while others relied on their intranet or employee handbook.
That said, half of the 200 HR directors interviewed said that managing benefits was still a paper-based exercise, thus keeping track of who have and haven’t had the requisite eye tests could be difficult.
The research also showed that 54 per cent of employers worry about their employees’ sight when driving.