In an effort to keep their workers in the office rather than sick at home, more employers are increasing their focus on how they can maintain that staff members remain on a steady course toward wellness, according to a new report released by the Society for Human Resource Management.
In addition to promoting physical activity and offering ways in which workers can exercise so that it fits in with their daily routine, in the past five years, more organizations are offering mental health coverage as a component of employee benefits, as well as contraception coverage, employee vision benefits and coverage for bariatric surgery. According to Kaiser Permanente, gastric bypass is the most commonly performed bariatric surgical procedure, which is performed by shrinking the size of the stomach so that it's unable to consume high levels of food at once. It also reduces food absorption by avoiding the small intestine, hence the term "bypass." Many workers are now able to take advantage of this type of health service if obesity is something they struggle with.
Evren Esen, director of SHRM's survey programs, indicated that organizations recognize that's there's a need to keep benefits in place because health care costs seem to be on an interminable rise.
"As a result, this may mean fewer resources are left to invest in benefits that are less in demand," said Esen.
Workers contributing more earnings for healthcare
SHRM noted that at 98 percent, the vast majority of employers offer some kind of health care coverage to staff members who work 30 to 40 hours per week, typically through a preferred provider organization. However, many workplaces are asking that wage earners put more of what they make to their coverage, such as health savings accounts for those companies that offer them.
Bruce Elliott, manager of compensation and benefits at SHRM, indicated that while employee benefits are crucial to keeping workers healthy and retention levels high, organizations are having to walk a fine line that keeps workers covered without putting too much of an onus on company profits.
"The rising cost of health benefits, especially health insurance, has made it challenging for some employers to continue offering it," said Elliott. "Because of that, employers are evaluating all their benefits and making adjustments."
How to keep good employees
In order to retain key employees, besides offering health benefits, it's important that business owners have a clear understanding of who their employees are. By interacting with them on a regular basis, executives can discover the individuals who have leadership qualities, putting them into positions where they're given the recognition they deserve, according to Emerge180, a Tampa, Florida-based business consultancy firm. This helps set the company a course toward success, while at the same time ensuring that leaders recognize the value that they hold to the company.
Business owners should also show loyalty to their employees. Emerge180 pointed out that if workers have an understanding that they won't be fired suddenly due to slumping sales, for example, they'll have the confidence they need to make decisions that require insight and problem solving.
