Less than a quarter of Irish workers receive medical insurance or health benefits as part of their employment package, a new survey has found.
In Britain, 65 per cent of employees enjoy such benefits.
Health insurer HSA, which commissioned the study, today urged companies to address the "worrying" statistics. "An overwhelming number of Irish businesses still don't consider health as a priority," said Kevin Kinsella, National Manager for HSA simplyhealth Ireland.
He said companies have no qualms about providing free coffee for employees, but baulk at paying for health insurance.
Mr Kinsell noted the cost of providing coffee could be as much as €200 per year, which is nearly four times more than the average amount Irish companies spend on health insurance per employee each year.
"This shows a very confused sense of business priorities when health cover is widely accepted as a useful way to improve productivity," Mr Kinsella said.
He said HSA insurance can cost as little as €2 per week per employee.
The survey also showed 48 per cent of employees said having medical insurance would save them money while 27 per cent said it would bring them peace of mind.
Just over half of workers said insurance would help reduce absenteeism.
The research, undertaken by MRBI, surveyed 1007 adults in the Republic during April.