Support for manufacturing teams on every shift
For people working on the line, on shifts and across sites, benefits only help if they can get to them. That means support that works on a personal phone, outside office hours, and without needing time away from production.
We bring together occupational health, mental health support, everyday savings and other employee benefits that can make a difference to people working in manufacturing. Our consultants can also visit your sites, giving people the opportunity to ask questions face to face and understand what’s available to them.
For people working on the line, on shifts and across sites, benefits only help if they can get to them. That means support that works on a personal phone, outside office hours, and without needing time away from production.
We bring together occupational health, mental health support, everyday savings and other employee benefits that can make a difference to people working in manufacturing. Our consultants can also visit your sites, giving people the opportunity to ask questions face to face and understand what’s available to them.
What makes benefits work in manufacturing
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Occupational health and neurodiversity support delivered by UK qualified clinicians
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Support that reaches people on every shift, including those without a work email
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Clear reporting to help you understand how staff are using their benefits and where additional support may be helpful.
What we see in manufacturing and FMCG
Absence can have a greater impact on the production floor
ONS figures for 2025 show that process, plant and machine operatives had the highest sickness absence rate of any occupational group, at 3.3%, compared with 1% for managers and directors. Across the UK workforce, musculoskeletal problems such as back and joint pain accounted for 14.6% of reported sickness absence occurrences.
When someone working on a production line is unwell, it affects them personally and can put additional pressure on the colleagues covering their work. For employers, it can also affect production schedules and output.
Health problems such as back pain, stress or difficulty accessing a GP around shifts can build up over time. Helping people access support earlier may prevent some problems from becoming more serious.
Work-related stress is part of workplace health and safety
Working in manufacturing can bring pressures of its own, from demanding production targets and shift patterns to concerns about job security.
Manufacturers have established processes for managing physical safety, but work-related stress and mental health need attention too. HSE guidance requires employers to assess the risks of work-related stress and act on what they find, including being able to demonstrate the steps they’ve taken.
Recognising and supporting neurodivergent employees
Acas estimates that around one in seven people in the UK are neurodivergent.
Neurodivergent people bring different strengths and ways of thinking to the workplace, but some may face challenges with particular tasks, environments or ways of working.
In busy manufacturing environments, these needs aren’t always recognised or understood. Access to appropriate assessments, workplace adjustments and guidance for managers can help people work in ways that suit them, while making sure they’re properly supported.
In FMCG production, phones stay off the floor
Food and drink manufacturing often runs around customer demand, with seasonal peaks and agency workers alongside the core team. In many production environments, hygiene rules mean personal phones can’t be taken onto the floor, so people may only see messages during breaks or after their shift.
Posters and QR codes in staff areas, alongside short sessions arranged around breaks and shift changes, can help people find out what’s available.
The questions we hear most often in manufacturing
Manufacturing employers usually come to us with practical concerns. Most are about absence, what they can evidence, and how support will reach people who don’t sit at a desk.
How we help
People need different things at different times. For some, it’s getting to see a GP without losing a shift. For others, it’s help after an injury, support with money when overtime drops, or knowing their years on the line have been noticed. We bring these areas of support together and make them easy for people to find, understand and use.
Health & Wellbeing
Access to occupational health, an Employee Assistance Programme, Virtual GP, counselling and neurodiversity support. Early occupational health involvement can help identify appropriate support or workplace adjustments before someone’s health affects their ability to work. It can also help plan a smoother, more productive return to work following an absence.
Everyday Benefits
Savings at more than 1,000 retailers, including major supermarkets, along with discounted gift cards, cashback, salary sacrifice schemes and on-demand pay. For people working shifts or relying on overtime that can be seasonal or unpredictable, saving money on everyday purchases can make a useful difference to their household finances.
Financial Wellbeing
Financial education, debt guidance and coaching, with access to regulated financial advice through Gee 7 Wealth. Shift premiums and overtime can make income uneven from month to month. Coaching and guidance can help people plan for a lighter month and get on top of debt.
Reward & Recognition
People working on production lines, across different shifts and behind the scenes all contribute to keeping a manufacturing business running. Our employee reward and recognition programmes help employers acknowledge those contributions, celebrate long service and recognise individual and team achievements. Peer-to-peer recognition also gives colleagues a way to thank each other for their work, even when they’re on different shifts.
Insurance & Protection
Group life, critical illness cover, income protection and health cash plans. For people doing physically demanding work, injuries, strains and longer-term health problems can mean time away from work, sometimes for treatment or recovery. Having appropriate financial protection in place can help reduce money worries during these periods.
One Relationship
We get to know your sites, shift patterns and the different needs of your workforce. You’ll have one relationship with My Group, bringing together employee benefits, health and wellbeing, recognition and protection services. Our Portal gives people a central place to find and access their benefits, using their own phone when they’re on a break or away from work.
A person, not just a platform
People working on production lines don’t always have the time or opportunity to explore their benefits during a shift. Even when they know support is available, they may have questions they’d rather ask someone face to face.
Our consultants can visit your sites and speak to people in the canteen, around shift changes or at other times that work around production. Sessions can be arranged to give people on different shifts the opportunity to understand what’s available to them.
These conversations often cover practical questions, like whether someone’s covered if they develop back problems, or whether their partner can use the Virtual GP.
Our consultants can also explain benefits provided by other suppliers, so people get a better understanding of all the support available to them. We can also brief supervisors, who are often the first to notice when someone’s struggling but may not know what support is available or where to direct them.
Whilst we weren’t able to offer people 10% or 15% pay rises, we were looking at creative ways to help them make their money go further, even though we couldn’t necessarily give more of it. My Group was an ideal candidate to do that.
Brad Wootton, Head of HR, Paulig UK
Case Study: Paulig UK
Food and drink manufacturing | Multiple UK sites
Bringing a newly acquired factory team on board
After acquiring Panesar Foods, Paulig UK needed to move a close-knit factory workforce, many without regular computer access, onto a new benefits package. On-site town halls, QR code posters and birthday Reward Beans helped take-up go beyond what they expected.
Nine town hall sessions at the Tipton site.
What working with us looks like
Changing or introducing benefits shouldn’t create a big project for your team. We keep the process straightforward and are clear about what we need from you at each stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Helping people get support earlier can make a difference, particularly when health problems are starting to affect their ability to work.
Access to a Virtual GP, occupational health, counselling and mental health support can help people understand their options and get appropriate help. Occupational health can also support a return to work, while guidance for supervisors can help them recognise when someone may need additional support.
HSE guidance says employers should assess the risk of work-related stress and act on what they find, as they would with any other workplace risk. In practice, that usually means a stress risk assessment, a record of what was done in response, and a route for people to get support. We provide the support, and reporting that can sit alongside your assessment.
We use a combination of personal mobile access, printed materials, clear communications and support from supervisors to help people understand their benefits. Where appropriate, our consultants can also visit sites to speak to employees face to face, with sessions arranged around shift patterns and production requirements.
Acas estimates that around one in seven people in the UK are neurodivergent. Our support includes screening, a workplace needs assessment, and coaching for both the employee and their manager, delivered by UK qualified psychologists. The assessment produces a written report showing where the difficulties sit in that role and what could help. Most recommendations are small and practical.
Yes. We work with you to understand your sites, shift patterns and how best to reach as many people as possible, wherever and whenever they work. This can include tailored communications, digital access and face-to-face sessions where appropriate. We can also provide reporting by site, where the relevant data is available, to help you understand how benefits are being used and where further support or communication might be helpful.
Yes. Food and drink production faces the same pressures as other manufacturing: shift patterns set by customer demand, seasonal peaks, agency workers and hygiene rules that limit what people can take onto the floor.
Let’s talk about your people
Tell us what your teams are dealing with and we’ll help you work out where support would make the most difference.