Where Your Contributions Go
When employers invest in Welplan, they are not only safeguarding their employees but also contributing to the health of the wider building engineering services sector. Unlike many commercial providers, Welplan’s financial structure is designed to support both immediate claims and long-term industry development.
Around seventy percent of contributions go directly into the benefit fund. This is the pool of money that pays for claims such as sickness cover, accident benefits and death benefits. It ensures that when an employee or their family needs financial support, funds are available quickly and reliably. Employers can be confident that the majority of their contributions are going exactly where they should: protecting their people.
The remaining thirty percent is used to run Welplan’s operations and to support the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), the trade body that owns Welplan. This funding covers essential administration, customer service, and governance. More importantly, it also helps BESA provide training programmes, technical guidance, and advocacy for the industry as a whole.
This means that every contribution has a dual purpose. It provides immediate cover for employees while also reinvesting in the sector’s future. Employers are not just paying for protection at a company level, they are also helping to strengthen standards, upskill the workforce and support initiatives that keep the industry competitive and safe.
In practice, this makes Welplan more than an employee benefit scheme. It is a collective investment that supports workers directly and improves the environment in which they operate. Choosing Welplan is therefore both a protective measure for staff and an ethical decision that helps sustain the industry that construction firms depend on.
No Shareholders, No External Pressure
One of the most important differences between Welplan and commercial insurers is its ownership and governance structure. Welplan is a non profit employee benefit scheme in the UK, which means it does not exist to generate dividends for external shareholders. Instead, it operates as a discretionary trust, with all decisions made in the best interests of members and the sector.
This model provides a layer of security that profit-driven schemes cannot always match. In a commercial arrangement, there is constant pressure to maximise returns for investors. This can influence everything from the way claims are reviewed to how much is spent on customer support. With Welplan, there are no external pressures. Claims are assessed fairly, processes are designed to be efficient, and any surplus is recycled into the industry rather than taken out of it.
For employers, this means confidence that the scheme is stable and guided by long-term thinking. Trustees oversee decisions to ensure they remain consistent, ethical and aligned with the needs of both businesses and employees. The absence of shareholder influence creates space for flexibility, particularly in cases where discretion is required to support employees fairly.
For employees, this approach provides reassurance that the scheme is there to protect them rather than to profit from them. When a claim is made, decisions are not influenced by the need to protect margins or cut costs. They are made on the basis of fairness, trust, and the commitment to support workers when they need it most.
By removing shareholder pressure, Welplan ensures that the scheme remains focused on what truly matters: paying claims quickly, supporting employers, and strengthening the construction sector.
Backed By The Industry It Serves
Welplan is not an isolated benefits provider. It is wholly owned by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), the leading trade body for the sector. This ownership structure sets Welplan apart from other providers because it ensures that every decision and every pound reinvested directly benefits the industry it serves.
Through BESA, Welplan’s surplus supports a wide range of initiatives. These include developing technical standards that raise safety and quality across the industry, funding training programmes to upskill the workforce, and providing advocacy that gives employers a strong voice in national discussions. By choosing Welplan, employers are not only securing reliable cover for their staff but also contributing to the long-term growth and resilience of the sector.
This close connection to BESA gives employers added confidence in the scheme’s governance. Decisions are informed by leaders who understand the challenges construction businesses face, from compliance requirements to workforce retention. Rather than being driven by profit margins, the scheme is guided by a mission to strengthen the sector as a whole.
For employees, this backing adds another layer of reassurance. They know their cover is not just a product sold for profit but part of a larger framework of industry support. For employers, it provides peace of mind that their contributions are helping to build a stronger, safer and more sustainable sector for the future.
Welplan is therefore more than a benefits scheme. It is a partner in industry progress, backed by the very organisation that represents and supports building engineering services businesses across the UK.
How This Makes Your Scheme More Ethical
Choosing Welplan is not just about securing reliable benefits for employees. It is also an ethical decision that strengthens the construction sector as a whole. Unlike commercial insurers, which are designed to extract profit, Welplan reinvests its surplus into industry initiatives that create long-term value for both businesses and their workforce.
Funds returned to BESA are used to support a wide range of activities that benefit the sector. This includes developing and maintaining technical standards that ensure safety and compliance, providing training programmes that help employees advance their skills, and creating welfare initiatives that improve working conditions across the industry. Every contribution therefore plays a dual role: it protects the employee today and invests in a stronger industry tomorrow.
This reinvestment model also improves trust. Employers know their money is being used for collective benefit rather than to satisfy shareholders. Employees can feel confident that the scheme is not only there to support them personally but also to enhance the sector they work in. This shared sense of purpose helps build loyalty and creates a benefit scheme that aligns with broader values of fairness, integrity and responsibility.
By choosing a non-profit employee benefit scheme in the UK like Welplan, construction firms can demonstrate their commitment to ethical business practice. They are protecting their teams while also helping to fund the very standards, guidance and welfare initiatives that underpin the industry’s future.
Other Providers Can’t Offer This
Commercial insurers and third-party administrators may provide employee benefits, but their core purpose is to generate profit. Premiums are set to cover claims while still producing a return for shareholders. Surpluses are distributed as dividends, not reinvested into the industry. This creates a very different set of priorities compared to a non-profit provider like Welplan.
When employers choose a profit-driven scheme, every decision is influenced by the need to protect margins. Claims may be scrutinised more rigidly, administration fees may increase, and customer support may be reduced to cut costs. While these models can function, they lack the broader purpose that makes Welplan unique.
Welplan does not have external shareholders. Its surplus supports BESA, helping to fund training, technical standards and advocacy for the sector. No commercial provider can offer this cycle of reinvestment. Employers who stay with Welplan know that they are not just buying cover but also contributing to the collective strength of the building engineering services industry.
This difference is more than financial. It is cultural. Welplan is built on trust, fairness and sector-first thinking. Commercial insurers operate on contracts and margins. By choosing Welplan, employers align themselves with a scheme that exists to serve its members and their industry, not to extract value from them.
For construction businesses, this creates a unique advantage. They get the security of a proven benefits scheme and the reassurance that every pound invested goes further, supporting not just their own workforce but the future of the sector as a whole.
Invest In Your Team And Your Industry
Welplan is more than a benefits provider. It is a non-profit employee benefit scheme in the UK that protects employees while reinvesting in the building engineering services sector. With no shareholders to satisfy and no external profit pressures, Welplan directs its surplus to Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), funding training, guidance and advocacy that support the long-term health of the industry.
For employers, this means every contribution works twice. It secures financial protection for staff and strengthens the sector that businesses depend on. For employees, it provides confidence that their benefits come from an organisation committed to fairness, inclusion and responsibility.