Group income protection - employee information

What a group income protection policy means for you

Group income protection insurance allows your employer to pay you a percentage of continued income if you can’t work for a prolonged period due to illness or injury.

If your employer has a Group Income Protection policy with Zurich Corporate Risk, you will also have access to specialist rehabilitation support to aid your recovery and help you make a successful return to work.

How does the Group Income Protection claims process work?

The rehabilitation and claims process starts when your employer notifies us of your absence. You will be assigned your own, dedicated claims case manager, who will get in touch with you to find out about your rehabilitation needs, explain the support available, and answer any questions you might have about how the rehabilitation and claims process works.

For more information, read our guide below.

Employee guide to Group Income Protection rehabilitation and claims (205.1 KB/PDF)

Here's how our rehabilitation team have helped

Discover how we've helped people manage their transition back to work, with support from our rehabilitation nurses.

Katherine's story

After being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, Katherine, shares the moment support mattered most. Through the Zurich Cancer Support service, available through her employer’s Group Income Protection cover, Katherine was introduced to Amanda, a dedicated cancer support nurse who became a significant part of her recovery. Read Katherine’s story.

I was told you have breast cancer called triple negative and it's aggressive. It's changed my life and I now have to adapt to a new normal, but it's changed my life in positive ways as well.

Hi, my name's Katherine. I am a mum of two boys. I have been married to my husband for 25 years and we met when we were 18. I have worked in the financial industry for 30 years. I love my career. I have a very happy life.

I regularly had breast checks. I went for my annual appointment and I had the cyst. It wouldn't drain, so biopsies were taken.

About a week later, I went back to see my consultant and on this instance, I was told you have breast cancer and it's aggressive.

Had I walked out of that room that day and not had that cyst drained, I would have been facing a very different diagnosis.

A few months later. Immediately everything kicks off. I was able to have surgery within 4 weeks and then you embark on a real pathway of treatment that you have no idea how it's going to impact you.

I really struggled not feeling like myself, not looking like myself. That's where I really struggled. I couldn't look in the mirror. So, when your treatment comes to an end, it's like falling off a cliff. That's when I realised I needed the Zurich Cancer Support service.

So, when Katherine came to me, she'd actually received her diagnosis about 10 months before.

My role was predominantly to support her with managing the effects that the treatment had had on her body and on her emotionally.

For lots of people, and for Katherine as well, one of the main worries when their treatment finishes is the loss of that security blanket of that regular contact with their clinical team.

Meeting Amanda today, I'm, I'm excited. It's going to be very emotional. I've only spoken to Amanda on the phone, but she's done so much to help me and get me through.

You need somebody who has a level of understanding, has that time to spend talking, really getting to know people because they are about so much more than their cancer diagnosis.

Knowing that Amanda was there if I needed to talk to her was the support that I didn't know I needed.

She's been a significant part of my recovery. As somebody who is happy to speak, that using my voice is really important to raise awareness for triple negative breast cancer.

Without Zurich and meeting Amanda, I would have had no idea the impact that my voice could have.

Sue's story

Sue had been off work for two months with long Covid. She was struggling to cope with the psychological effects and fatigue, which resulted in her being unable to fulfil her job requirements. Nicola, our rehabilitation nurse, worked closely with her to understand her health situation and focus on a gradual rehabilitation plan to help Sue get back to her old life. Read Sue’s story.

Caroline's story

Caroline was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer aged 29. Fortunately, her employer had a Group Income Protection policy with Zurich. After a successful clinical trial, Caroline was told there was no longer any evidence of disease, and she was able to return to work. Read Caroline’s story.