How to build the business case for employee health benefits (and get buy-in)

Most HR and benefits leaders already know their workforce needs better health support. But the challenge is getting Finance, Legal and senior leadership’s buy-in . This guide breaks down how to build a business case that lands with all stakeholders.

You already know your people need better health support. You've seen the absence data. You've heard the stories. You may have already made the case once, or twice, and been met with budget questions, competing priorities or a polite "not right now."

The problem isn't your argument. It's how the argument is framed for different stakeholders.

Building a business case for employee health benefits requires data that Finance will respect, risk framing that Legal will take seriously, and a narrative that senior leadership can connect to strategic outcomes.

This article walks through the core elements of a strong business case for employee health - and where most internal proposals fall short. For a deeper dive including a ready-made internal briefing template you can share directly with stakeholders. 

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Why is employee health now a boardroom priority?

Employee health is no longer a "nice to have" perk or a line item buried in HR's budget. Unmanaged health conditions are directly linked to the metrics that boards care about most: absence, productivity, retention and legal risk.

Consider the scale:

• 23% of women have taken time off work due to period pain in the past six months
• 1 in 4 women have considered leaving work because of menopause symptoms; 1 in 10 actually do
• 40% of men have low testosterone, affecting mood, energy and performance
• 90% of people going through fertility treatment report feeling depressed
• 17% of women leave employment entirely within five years of having a child
• 88% of employees say they would change jobs for better fertility support

These represent a significant proportion of any workforce - and the cost of inaction compounds over time through higher absence, lower engagement, increased recruitment spend and growing legal exposure.

What health issues are employers missing in their current benefits?

Before you build the case for new support, it helps to understand what's already happening and what's being missed.

Most organisations already invest in employee health to some degree, whether through an EAP, private medical insurance, occupational health or ad-hoc wellbeing initiatives. The issue is rarely a complete absence of support. It's that the support available doesn't reach the health areas where employees struggle most, or where the business impact is highest.

Conditions like menopause, fertility challenges, men's health issues, pregnancy-related complications and women's health problems are often invisible in workplace data. Employees don't disclose them. Line managers aren't trained to recognise them. Plus, standard benefits don't cover them in any meaningful way.

The result is a workforce where people are present but underperforming, taking more sick days than they should need to, or quietly planning their exit - all because they couldn't access the right support at the right time.

The impact shows up in four main areas, each one measurable and each one addressable:

1. Absence - health-related absence driven by conditions that go unmanaged
2. Presenteeism - employees at work but significantly less productive due to symptoms
3. Retention - talented people leaving because they don't feel supported through key life stages
4. Legal and compliance risk - growing tribunal activity around menopause, pregnancy and disability-related health conditions
   

What are the most common reasons employee health proposals get rejected?

If you've tried to get employee health investment approved before and been knocked back, you're not alone. There are predictable internal blockers that HR and benefits leaders encounter - and each one can be addressed with the right approach.

"We already offer an EAP / PMI"

Existing benefits rarely cover specialist support for fertility, menopause, men's and women’s health or pregnancy beyond a basic level. EAPs are designed for crisis intervention, not proactive, ongoing health management. PMI often excludes the conditions that affect the most people. The key reframe: this isn't about replacing what you have. It's about closing the gaps that existing benefits can't fill.

"We don't have the budget"

This is usually a framing problem, not a financial one. When the cost of the solution is presented in isolation, it looks like new spend. When it's presented alongside the cost of absence, replacement hiring and productivity loss, it becomes a cost-saving intervention. For example, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority found that the cost of Peppy was "insignificant compared to what we spend on absence."

"It's not a priority right now"

The Employment Rights Act is changing the legal landscape in the UK. Tribunal claims referencing menopause have increased significantly. Pregnancy and maternity discrimination claims remain consistently high. Waiting for a trigger event, such as a claim, a high-profile resignation, a Glassdoor review - is more expensive than acting proactively.

"How do we measure ROI?"

A good employee health benefit should be able to demonstrate measurable impact on absence reduction, symptom improvement, engagement scores and retention. Look for providers who report clinical outcomes, not just engagement metrics. For example, Peppy data shows menopause-related work impairment drops by 15% within 90 days, and severe menopause symptoms reduce by 58% at 180 days.

What legal risks do employers face by not offering health support?

The regulatory environment around employee health is shifting - and the direction of travel is clear. In the UK, the Employment Rights Act introduces new expectations for employers, and tribunal activity is already reflecting a more demanding standard of care.

HR and benefits leaders building a business case should consider:

• Menopause-related tribunal claims have tripled in two years, with employees successfully arguing that a lack of workplace support constitutes discrimination
• Pregnancy and maternity discrimination remains one of the most common categories of employment tribunal claims
• The duty of care is being interpreted more broadly, with regulators and courts increasingly expecting employers to provide proactive health support, not just reactive processes

Framing employee health as a risk-mitigation measure is often the fastest way to get Legal and senior leadership engaged.

How should you present the business case to different stakeholders?

One of the most common mistakes when building a business case for employee health is presenting the same argument to every audience. What motivates an HR director is different from what motivates a CFO or a general counsel and so on.

How do you get Finance to approve employee health spend?

Lead with cost. Quantify the current cost of absence, presenteeism and turnover linked to unmanaged health conditions. Show the per-employee cost of the proposed solution against the per-employee cost of the problems it addresses. Use conservative estimates and let the numbers speak.

How do you get Legal and Compliance on board with employee health investment?

Lead with risk. Reference the tribunal trends, the regulatory changes and the reputational exposure. Position the investment as a proactive risk-reduction measure that strengthens the organisation's defensible position.

How do you convince senior leadership to invest in employee health?

Lead with strategy. Connect employee health to workforce resilience, employer brand, talent attraction and retention of high performers. Use competitor benchmarking where possible - 250+ organisations already offer Peppy as an employee benefit, including major employers like British Airways, Clifford Chance and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

How do you build support among HR colleagues for a new health benefit?

Lead with impact. Share the employee experience data - what people are actually going through, how it affects their work, and what changes when they get specialist support. Testimonials and case studies are powerful here.

What should an employee health business case include?

Whether you're preparing a slide deck, a written proposal or a briefing document, a compelling business case for employee health should include:

• The problem statement - what is happening in your workforce, supported by data
• The cost of inaction - absence, turnover, productivity and legal costs quantified where possible
• The proposed solution - what you're recommending and why
• The expected outcomes - measurable KPIs including absence reduction, symptom improvement and retention impact
• The competitive context - what peer organisations and competitors are offering
• The risk context - regulatory changes and tribunal trends that create urgency
• A clear ask - what you need approved, by when, and what the next step is

Get the full guide and internal briefing template

This article covers the key principles. But if you're actively building a business case right now, the full guide goes further - with deeper data, a step-by-step framework and a standalone internal briefing template you can extract and share directly with Finance, Legal and senior leadership.

Frequently asked questions

How do you build a business case for employee health benefits?

Start by quantifying the cost of unmanaged health conditions in your workforce — including absence, presenteeism, turnover and legal risk. Then frame the proposed investment against those costs, tailoring your argument for Finance, Legal and senior leadership. A strong business case includes data, measurable outcomes and a clear ask.

What is the ROI of employee health benefits?

ROI varies by organisation, but measurable outcomes include reduced absence, improved productivity, stronger retention and lower legal exposure. For example, employers using Peppy see menopause-related work impairment drop by 15% within 90 days and severe symptoms reduce by 58% at 180 days.

Why do employee health proposals get rejected by leadership?

The most common blockers are perceived overlap with existing benefits (like EAPs), budget constraints, competing priorities and difficulty measuring ROI. Each can be addressed by reframing the conversation - showing what existing benefits don't cover, quantifying the cost of inaction and presenting clear outcome data.

Why is employee health a legal risk for employers in 2025?

Tribunal claims related to menopause, pregnancy and health-related discrimination are increasing. The Employment Rights Act 2025 in the UK introduces additional employer obligations. Failing to provide adequate health support can leave employers exposed to claims and reputational damage.

Which employee health areas have the biggest impact on business performance?

The highest-impact areas - based on prevalence, cost and employee demand - are women's health, men's health, fertility, pregnancy and parenthood, and menopause. These are the conditions that most commonly drive absence, presenteeism and voluntary turnover, and they are typically underserved by traditional benefits.

Ready to see what Peppy could do for your organisation? Book a personalised call or download the full business case guide.