In today’s complex employee benefits landscape, employers are increasingly seeking solutions that not only protect their people but also demonstrate real, tangible care during critical life events. Group Income Protection (GIP) is already a key component of many employers’ benefit strategies—but adding optional features can elevate this support even further. One such option is Unum’s Initial Lump Sum Benefit: a powerful enhancement that offers prompt help when it’s needed most.

Understanding the Initial Lump Sum Benefit

Unum’s Initial Lump Sum Benefit is available as an optional add-on to its GIP cover. It provides a one-off, lump-sum payment to employees who are diagnosed with cancer, heart attack, or stroke and are subsequently absent from work for 14 or more consecutive days. With cancer and cardiovascular conditions being the reason for absence in nearly 4 in 10 GIP claims paid in 2024¹, adding this optional cover can make a real difference. This benefit is designed to offer early financial support, long before the main income protection payments begin (which only start after a predefined deferred period, typically 26 weeks).

This early-stage financial support can make a meaningful difference at a time when employees may be facing new medical costs, loss of income, or emotional upheaval. The payment is made once per member and is subject to specific clinical definitions and pre-existing condition terms, helping ensure appropriate and sustainable usage within the benefit structure.

Why early support matters

While GIP is designed to provide long-term income replacement, it doesn’t typically begin until a deferred period has passed—commonly 13, 26, or even 52 weeks. This gap, though manageable for some, can be financially distressing for others.

The Initial Lump Sum Benefit helps bridge this gap. By providing a lump sum early in the absence period, it can:

• Reduce financial pressure at a time when other benefits may not yet be accessible
• Help with sudden costs such as travel to medical appointments, private treatments, or home adjustments
• Offer peace of mind, allowing the employee to focus on recovery rather than finances

It’s a simple concept—but its impact can be profound.

Who is this most valuable for?

While any employee could potentially benefit from this cover, it may be particularly appreciated in workforces with:

• A high proportion of primary earners, or those with limited savings
• Low statutory sick pay entitlements, where early absence could create financial vulnerability
• Younger employees, who may be less financially prepared for sudden health setbacks

For employers, this benefit can also help reduce the pressure to make ad hoc financial hardship payments while longer-term cover is still in its waiting period—creating a more structured, predictable approach to employee support.

Enhancing the broker-client relationship

For brokers, introducing this optional benefit offers more than just an opportunity to round out a policy. It can support stronger conversations around value and employee wellbeing, helping clients align their benefits with a caring workplace culture.

Employers want to be seen as compassionate and proactive—but they also value clarity, cost-control, and consistency. The Initial Lump Sum Benefit sits neatly at this intersection, providing early financial support within an already familiar product framework.

A small addition, a significant impact

In a competitive benefits environment, the details often make the difference. This optional benefit is one such detail—straightforward in structure, powerful in outcome, and fully integrated within Unum’s trusted GIP framework.

By helping clients understand how it works and who it can support, brokers can offer a solution that’s both practical and empathetic—an approach that strengthens relationships and builds lasting value across the board.

^{1 Unum Internal claims data 2024}