Is your employee health plan still fit for purpose, or has it simply been left running?
When The Senator Group asked Pegasus Health to review its long-standing health plan, the goal wasn’t to change the plan for the sake of it.
The Group has since seen a marked increase in engagement since changing providers, which is down to an enhanced employee experience when using the app.
Nearly three-quarters ( 74%) of the policyholders registered on the app are actively using it. This figure far exceeds the standard health benefit engagement rate of between 30% and 60%.
The HR team wanted reassurance that they were getting real value, that employees were truly engaging with the benefit, and that newer, digital solutions weren’t being overlooked.
This case study explores how a strategic review, demographic insight, and hands-on launch support elevated employee engagement and wellbeing across the organisation.
Delivering measurable value with a health plan for today’s manufacturing workforce.
The Senator Group
The Senator Group is a major office furniture manufacturer that specialises in chairs, desks, and meeting furniture.
Headquartered in Lancashire, it’s been family-owned since 1976 and is one of the largest companies of its kind in the UK.
It serves the corporate and public sector, with clients across the globe, and has six sites across the North West, employing 1,500 members of staff.
The Senator Group approached Pegasus Health to review its existing health plan, which had been in place for several years. While the plan continued to meet the business’s core duty of care obligations, it had not been formally reviewed for some time.
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““When we first approached Pegasus Health, it wasn’t because we were unhappy with our existing plan. It was more that the plan had been in place for a long time without a proper strategic review. As a responsible employer of 1,500 people across multiple sites, we wanted to sense-check that it was still delivering real value and meeting the needs of our workforce today — not the workforce we had five or ten years ago.”
“One of the biggest drawbacks of the previous arrangement was visibility and engagement. We hadn’t had consistent on-site support for some time, and as a result the benefit wasn’t front of mind for employees or managers. In a manufacturing environment, where many colleagues aren’t desk-based and don’t regularly access email, you can’t rely on passive communication. If you want people to use a benefit, you have to actively bring it to life.”
“We also wanted a partner who would challenge us constructively. Pegasus took the time to understand our demographics, our operational realities, and what matters to our people — from access to dental services locally to mental health support that feels accessible and practical. The review wasn’t about making change for the sake of it; it was about making sure we were doing the right thing.”
“What stood out was the hands-on support. From negotiating with providers to delivering on-site manager briefings and supporting employees directly with app registration, Pegasus didn’t just advise — they rolled their sleeves up. That level of partnership made the transition seamless.”
The initial situation
The HR team wanted reassurance that the business was still receiving the best possible value for money and to explore whether newer, more digitally advanced products could better support employees and drive higher engagement.
In addition, the account manager previously assigned to the plan had left the provider, which meant there had been limited on-site support in recent years. As a result:
1. There hadn’t been any physical on-site support from the provider for some time, meaning the plan didn’t have much visibility across the business.
2. There wasn’t any regular manager training around signposting staff to the product.
These issues were captured in our initial fact-finding.
Focusing on demographics
When we analysed The Senator Group’s health plan, we carried out a product price review so we could maximise the new product and the opportunities to promote it within the business.
We then looked at how and where the old product was being marketed and the demographic of employees within the organisation.
From here, we were able to identify the opportunities and challenges we’d have in reaching all of those employees when launching the new product.
The employee base and challenges posed
The Senator Group has a diverse employee base comprising roles such as engineers, designers, creatives, and people on the shop floor.
The employees range in age from 24 and under to retirement age, work at different times of day, and use different methods of communication. For example, staff in a manual role are much less likely to access internal updates via email than office staff, which means they need to receive important information in a different way.
As employee health benefits specialists, it’s our job to assess the many layers of people within an organisation, how we can best address those people, and the messaging which is most likely to resonate with them.
Furthermore, three-quarters of the workforce are male, which poses another key challenge. Statistically, men are less likely than women to make contact with their GP practice and are generally less proactive regarding their wellbeing than their female colleagues in the workforce.
So, we knew the product had to appeal to the socioeconomics of who we were providing it to, and that the perceived value among this demographic was essential in maximising engagement.
The review process
Pegasus Health and The Senator Group held an initial review meeting to discuss the history behind the health plan and how people had used it to date.
We asked The Senator Group what it was looking for in a broker and explained that there was no charge for our services. We also made it clear that if the organisation was happy with its existing provider, there would be no obligation to change. Our role is not to come into organisations and make sweeping changes, but to provide informed, impartial advice.
The questions we raised in the meeting were mostly around employees, the areas of the business they worked in, and the issues they had in using specific support services. For example, did they have access to GP appointments? How easy or difficult is it for them to book dental appointments in their postcode areas?
From these conversations, we quickly established how proactive The Senator Group is when it comes to employee wellbeing and what was most important to the business. It wasn’t to prioritise employee retention, as The Senator Group has a great track record of retaining staff. It was more to establish how it could do the very best for its employees.
This insight helped us determine how best to engage employees, whether through repromoting the existing plan or, if appropriate, exploring alternative products.
Once we made the decision to change the product, we were able to focus on the most suitable products based on the outcomes of our review meeting, i.e., products which:
Offered potentially better servicing for The Senator Group’s administration team when adding and removing employees.
Provided better app functionality and allowed people to see the suite of benefits they had access to within the app.
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When assessing options from different health plan providers, we asked each of them to provide us with a bespoke, like-for-like benefit table aligned to the client’s needs. This replicated the existing table used by The Senator Group. The main difference was the addition of specific services and in which postcodes these services were available.
We then looked at the value of the benefit versus the cost, using Power BI reporting to highlight certain differences. Some health plan providers will offer more optical coverage than others, for example.
When negotiating with each provider, we shared our market review with them to give them the opportunity to review the competitor pricing and come back with better pricing.
In this case, we were able to negotiate slightly better pricing, but price wasn’t the main driver. It was more about the product itself, employee usage, and the demographics of the people using it. We had to establish how this new project was going to engage more employees across the business, particularly amongst the largely male demographic.
Once Pegasus Health and The Senator Group assessed the different areas of cover offered by the new provider, we agreed it was time to make the change.
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A change in provider saved money for The Senator Group, without resulting in any reduction in benefits for the employees. In fact, employees gained access to a broader range of services and treatment options than under the previous plan.
The main enhancement from the previous plan was the inclusion of an interactive app, which allowed employees to curate their own mental wellbeing platform and dashboard while also giving them access to a wide range of helpful resources.
Mental health is obviously high on any employer’s priority list due to its impact on staff wellbeing, productivity, and absences. But what isn’t always communicated to employees is how they can be proactive with, and maximise, their mental wellbeing.
This app allowed them to do just that and educate themselves on practices like meditation and mindfulness—specifically, how these practices benefit them on a daily basis and how they can incorporate them into their daily lives.
There were videos showing them how to make optical and dental insurance claims. There were audio courses on why sleep quality is so important and how to improve sleep quality.
These resources were critical in getting people on board with the new plan. And let’s face it—employees having access to such information is invaluable if you’re trying to minimise disruption to operations, keep people fit for work, and protect productivity.
Another key benefit of the new plan was that it was tailored to the different personalities within The Senator Group’s workforce and their respective preferences. For example:
Employees who felt uncomfortable speaking directly to a counsellor could engage with online forums alongside others experiencing similar challenges, whether this be bereavement, family changes, or other mental health struggles.
If someone has a busy schedule and would rather get a physiotherapy plan they can complete at home without having to visit a physiotherapist, they can do this via the app.
Ultimately, the new plan has given more control back to The Senator Group’s employees and offered them different routes to make the most of their health and wellbeing.
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Pegasus Health provided The Senator Group’s managers with management training to ensure they had all the information they needed to adequately support their respective teams.
We visited each of the six sites to provide in-person briefings, supported by a comprehensive FAQ document which:
Answered the most common questions they had.
Outlined how they could benefit from the mental health support.
Explained how they could signpost staff to the new plan.
Employees were also made aware that they could go directly to the service provider’s customer support team for particular questions rather than asking their managers or the HR team. This ensured employees had quick access to help while reducing the administrative burden on internal teams.
A key message we got across throughout the training was that we weren't removing or changing anything but simply improving on what was already there.
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To ensure the transition was as smooth as possible, we sent out a company-wide briefing ahead of the changeover, ensuring that everybody understood the reasons for the change of provider.
We also created a comprehensive internal communications strategy, which encompassed:
Information about the plan on the Xibo screens on the shop floor, which was displayed throughout the day.
Email marketing which went out to all employees explaining what the new plan entailed.
A flyer which went out to all employees, inviting them to download and register themselves on the app.
A promotion of the rewards and discounts that employees were entitled to, i.e., cinema tickets, groceries, fashion, electronics, and gym memberships.
As not all employees regularly access email—or have time to read lengthy communications—we also took a hands-on approach.
Pegasus Health engaged directly with employees on-site, supporting them to download the app and showing them how to use it effectively. Rather than simply encouraging registration, we walked employees through the different areas of cover available and highlighted the promotions and rewards they could immediately access.
Whatever we could do to support employees in getting to grips with the new plan, we did.
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The Senator Group has seen a marked increase in engagement since changing providers, which is down to an enhanced employee experience when using the app.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of the policyholders registered on the app are actively using it. This figure far exceeds the standard health benefit engagement rate of between 30% and 60%.
We've also seen consistency in claims made throughout a 12-month period. Over 1,100 (1,126) claims were submitted during this period, and policyholders weren't just claiming once a year—they were making an average of 2.13 claims each.
These numbers are testament both to the strength of the partnership between Pegasus Health and The Senator Group and the importance of getting people on board from the outset.
We didn’t just send out a couple of emails and leave it there; we actively got people involved throughout the launch and helped them truly understand why this plan was so important to them and their teams.
Feedback from across the business has been overwhelmingly positive. Mental health and overall wellbeing have improved, managers feel more confident in supporting their teams, and employees can access specialist services without the need for a GP referral. The volume and consistency of claims further demonstrate how seamlessly the plan has been adopted.
“We’ve seen a noticeable increase in employees making use of their dental and optical benefits. Historically, those areas were underutilised, but the improved communication, clearer claims process, and better app functionality have made a real difference. Colleagues are now proactively booking check-ups and eye tests, rather than waiting until there’s an issue. From a wellbeing and preventative health perspective, that’s exactly the behaviour we want to encourage.”
Antony Platt – Head of People Operations
The key takeaways
1. Look at the demographics within your business and assess the specific needs of your individual employees.
2. Break down the operational challenges you're aware of, whether it be local dentistry or mental health issues affecting staff members, and provide this information to your broker. They can use this information to earmark the best product to support your workforce.
3. Partner with a professional employee health benefits specialist who knows how to source a cost-effective health plan, engage people, communicate the right message to the workforce, and support everyone within a business—no matter the size.
Reach out to Pegasus Health today
When you partner with Pegasus Health, you’ll have access to a dedicated, experienced employee health specialist who can guide you on the best type of product for your business and hold your hand in launching that product.
We can do the legwork on your behalf by:
Putting together a launch plan of marketing that goes out to all employees.
Rolling out training for managers so that they feel confident in signposting their team members to different areas of cover.
Being on hand to revise the marketing plan and promotion accordingly when required.
We’re essentially an extension of your team. You've got another member of staff who you can rely on but aren’t paying a salary to, and there’s no cost for using our services.
You can book a free call with us via the button below or get in touch with us here to discuss your needs.
