By Debra Spamer, Chief Growth Officer, Company Nurse powered by Lintelio

Employee benefits and wellbeing are top-of-mind for both employers and their employees. And it’s no surprise. With the increase in remote working, it has become more difficult for employees to access and navigate their healthcare, benefits, and communications with their employers. At the same time, employers are expected to be more engaged in the health, safety, and wellness of their employees to increase employee satisfaction, productivity, recruitment, and retention.

Here’s what your organization needs to know about the recent changes and expectations of employee benefits and how to address them.

Employee Benefits Redefined

When employers once thought of employee benefits, insurance products (medical, dentist, vision) typically came to mind. But many recent factors including remote working, the Great Resignation, and increased mental health awareness, have created the demand for more lifestyle-focused benefits.

If this change in expectations have taught us anything, it’s that benefits need to be proactive – not reactive. Organizations should ask their employees what benefits they need and want so they can offer truly employee-focused value.

Employers will also need to focus on inclusion and provide a diverse set of benefits for different employee lifestyles. Employees may have a variety of interests in benefits, including family planning, mental health, and financial planning. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are an easy yet effective way to provide your employees with these benefits, if you implement an EAP solution that addresses a variety of needs.

While these changes can seem overwhelming for employers, they are necessary for employee satisfaction, recruitment, and retention. Increasing utilization of enhance benefits can be easy if employers also offer a digital workplace health and safety solution that allows their employees with direct access to all of their benefits in one place.

Mental Health and Financial Planning Benefits

There are many employee benefits that have gained demand in recent years, but a few that have gained particular popularity including mental health and financial planning benefits.

With over 40% of Americans reporting increases in mental distress, according to the CDC, employee mental health has become a focus for organizations across the country. Mental Health America reports that 85% of employees believe their workplace affects their mental health and wellbeing. This increase of focus on employee mental health and wellbeing will continue to destigmatize mental health and drive innovation of mental health resources. We will see both the demand and opportunities for digital mental health resources, provided by employers.

Again, consider utilizing a digital workplace health and safety tool that allows for easy access to employee assistance programs, where employees can receive the mental health care that they need.

Another benefit in demand by employees is financial planning services. In fact, 93% of workers want their employers to provide financial planning benefits but only 28% if employers offer this benefit. This presents a great opportunity to stand out from other organizations, helping you to recruit and retain employees.

So, how can you provide your employees with the financial benefits they need? It’s important to go beyond standard webinars. Instead, share practical tools with your employees like consultants, budget calculators, and tax tools.

Look for an employee assistance program that includes financial consultations and such tools. And help employees access these tools from their comprehensive health and safety solution so that they are properly utilized.

Access to Benefits

Organizations understand that employees need easier access to their health and wellness benefits via digital tools. In fact, a Mercer survey reports that 68% of employers globally plan to increase their spend on digital health and wellness.

To provide easy, digital access to benefits, you must first eliminate the barriers, including app fatigue and employee privacy concerns.

App fatigue is a major barrier in encouraging the utilization in digital tools. Every benefit provider has their own website and app, each requiring a download and different password to remember. But that doesn’t mean they get used. In fact, a recent Statista report shows that 25% of apps downloaded are only used once. To make your benefits easier to access, house them under one digital solution, preferably with single sign-on.

It’s also vital to ensure that your digital workplace health and safety tools can address the privacy concerns of your employees. Look for a solution that works and feels like an app but that can be accessed via link. Your organization should also ensure that your solution supports HIPAA technical safeguards for encryption, multi-factor authentication, and audit logging.

Technology is the key to eliminating these barriers to access. With the right digital health and safety solution, your employees will have a seamless process, confidence in their privacy and security, avoid app fatigue, and increase the utilization of their benefits.

Once your employees have clear access, notify them of their benefits. Consider all the benefits you likely already or are planning to invest in, including medical, dental, and vision care; access to employee assistance programs and other wellness-related benefits; an intake, triage, and reporting system for workers’ compensation claims; and more.

Also, consider how your employees view benefits. There may be perks you provide that your HR director views as separate from standard benefits, such as tuition reimbursement. However, many employees will see such perks as benefits, and it is important to internally promote them as such.

Your employees most likely do not even know all the benefits and perks you provide them. To help your employees fully utilize their benefits, you must ensure your employees are aware of them. Provide a digital solution that houses your suite of benefits in one, easy to access location. Look for a solution with an alerting tool that allows you to both notify employees of new benefits and remind them of existing benefits.

Without proper access, these health and wellness benefits that your organization invests heavily in are underutilized. Employees aren’t getting the care they need, and your organization is not earning a return from the programs it invests time and money to provide. A digital solution provides direct access to these benefits, which, in turn, increases employee satisfaction, recruitment, and retention.

 

Conclusion

With Lintelio, the digital solution for organizations’ health and safety services, you can provide injury reporting and other health and wellness solutions in one seamless experience.

Lintelio simplifies HR and admin processes by providing employees with increased employee satisfaction and retention; reducing employer claim costs; and improving the overall health and wellness of the workforce. Email info@companynurse.com to learn more!