Your employees think you are out to get them. It doesn't matter how sweet your employee benefits plan deal is; they will always fear that being too liberal and honest with their treatment needs might lead to layoff, reprisal, or judgment.
You want to banish this problem from your work culture because untreated health problems have dire effects on your productivity and bottom line. Think increased sick days, treatment and healthcare costs, and lack of office morale and innovation (all factors you cannot compromise on in this competitive environment).
The kicker here is that as an employer, you can find alternatives to unleash the power of care for your employees and protect your bottom line. But your biggest challenge is ensuring your employees fully utilize their benefits packages. So, what do you do?
You Build Trust with Your Employees.
Employees that trust their employers aren't scared of open communication. They are more likely to be transparent about their health needs, which allows employers to understand the specific treatments they require.
In turn, you can design a more tailored and effective benefits package. And by understanding the health needs of your employees, employers can negotiate better with healthcare providers and insurance companies, potentially leading to cost savings.
Trust can also encourage employees to take advantage of preventive care benefits, leading to early detection and treatment of potential health issues. This not only improves the workforce's overall health but also reduces the costs associated with treating advanced-stage diseases.
Once employees become more likely to seek treatment promptly and manage their health conditions effectively, the time they need to take off work for treatment reduces. That is, absenteeism is reduced.
And if your employees are not taking sick days or time off work to recover from illness often or are not worried about their health or the financial implications of seeking treatment, they can focus better on their work. This leads to increased productivity, which benefits the organization.
Let's not forget that a robust health benefits package, backed by a trusting relationship with the employer, can increase employee satisfaction and loyalty, which reduces turnover and the associated costs of hiring and training new employees.
LOOK AT PREVENTATIVE CARE AS AN EXAMPLE!
Preventative services like regular check-ups, screenings, and vaccinations are designed to catch potential health issues early when they are typically easier and less expensive to treat. When employees underutilize these services, they may miss out on early detection of health issues, which can lead to more severe and costly health problems down the line.
Consider an employee who skips regular cholesterol screenings, a preventive service often covered by health insurance. Over time, this employee may develop high cholesterol, which, if left untreated, can lead to severe and costly heart disease.
The cost of treating heart disease, including medications, surgeries, and hospital stays, can be significantly higher than the cost of regular cholesterol screenings and early interventions like lifestyle changes or medication.
Now, let's consider the example of unnecessary surgeries, specifically in the context of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. According to a report by Sword Health, 36% of MSK-related surgeries are deemed unnecessary, costing the workforce around $90 billion annually.
These surgeries often incur high costs, including surgery, hospital stays, medication, and physical therapy. Additionally, recovery from surgery usually requires time off work, which can lead to lost wages for the employee and productivity loss for the employer.
A potential solution to this problem is to promote and provide access to alternative treatments like physical therapy. Physical therapy can often effectively treat MSK conditions at a fraction of the surgery cost.
For example, an employee with back pain might opt for physical therapy sessions over a costly and invasive back surgery. Not only can this save the employee and employer money, but it can also lead to a quicker recovery and less time off work.
So conclusively, promoting and utilizing preventive care and alternative treatments can lead to significant cost savings for employees and employers. It's a proactive approach to healthcare that focuses on preventing and managing health issues early on, leading to better health outcomes and lower healthcare costs.
WHAT CAN YOU, THE EMPLOYER, DO?
Trust is the cornerstone of any successful organization. Employers can craft a win-win employee benefits strategy when employees are transparent about their health needs. So:
• Encourage open dialogue with your employees. It will help you understand their specific treatments, allowing you to design a more tailored benefits package.
• Encourage employees to take advantage of preventive care benefits. Early detection and treatment of potential health issues can reduce costs associated with treating advanced-stage diseases.
• Consider offering benefits that cover alternative treatments to surgery, such as physical therapy. This can help reduce the costs associated with unnecessary surgeries or treatments.
• Consider offering tools like SupportPay to help employees who are financial caregivers (remember that financial caregivers are not necessarily primary caregivers, but they support the financial burden that follows the responsibility). This can help reduce the stress and time burden of financial caregiving, leading to increased productivity.
• Ensure employees fully understand their benefits. Regularly communicate about the benefits available and how to utilize them.
By implementing these strategies, employers can create a win-win situation where employees take full advantage of their benefits, reducing healthcare costs and increasing productivity.
Remember, a healthy employee is a happy, productive employee. And that's good for everyone's bottom line.
PRO TIP:
Let it start from the top of your organization's food chain. Why? Your supervisors and managers are in close contact with your employees. They are better positioned to communicate with your employees because they are their primary source of information.
Therefore, by first empowering your managers and supervisors, it becomes easier to explain the benefits package in detail, answer any questions they need, and share any necessary information required to support your employees.
Your managers also create the safe space your employees need to share their health needs and concerns. And when something is not working in your employee benefits system, your managers can get this feedback directly from transparent employees.
Again, this is only full proof if your managers and supervisors are role models in a sense. Let them utilize their benefits packages, share their experiences, and advocate for your employees at every chance.
But if you still find this challenging or your benefits packages too complex to navigate, let us help you debunk its mysteries. We at Zupnick & Associates are your trusted insurance broker.
IT'S ALL IN THE DIALOGUE
Building trust with employees can lead to a more open dialogue about healthcare needs, resulting in a more effective and cost-efficient health benefits strategy. This not only benefits the employees but also contributes to the overall success of the organization.
You want to banish this problem from your work culture because untreated health problems have dire effects on your productivity and bottom line. Think increased sick days, treatment and healthcare costs, and lack of office morale and innovation (all factors you cannot compromise on in this competitive environment).
The kicker here is that as an employer, you can find alternatives to unleash the power of care for your employees and protect your bottom line. But your biggest challenge is ensuring your employees fully utilize their benefits packages. So, what do you do?
You Build Trust with Your Employees.
Employees that trust their employers aren't scared of open communication. They are more likely to be transparent about their health needs, which allows employers to understand the specific treatments they require.
In turn, you can design a more tailored and effective benefits package. And by understanding the health needs of your employees, employers can negotiate better with healthcare providers and insurance companies, potentially leading to cost savings.
Trust can also encourage employees to take advantage of preventive care benefits, leading to early detection and treatment of potential health issues. This not only improves the workforce's overall health but also reduces the costs associated with treating advanced-stage diseases.
Once employees become more likely to seek treatment promptly and manage their health conditions effectively, the time they need to take off work for treatment reduces. That is, absenteeism is reduced.
And if your employees are not taking sick days or time off work to recover from illness often or are not worried about their health or the financial implications of seeking treatment, they can focus better on their work. This leads to increased productivity, which benefits the organization.
Let's not forget that a robust health benefits package, backed by a trusting relationship with the employer, can increase employee satisfaction and loyalty, which reduces turnover and the associated costs of hiring and training new employees.
LOOK AT PREVENTATIVE CARE AS AN EXAMPLE!
Preventative services like regular check-ups, screenings, and vaccinations are designed to catch potential health issues early when they are typically easier and less expensive to treat. When employees underutilize these services, they may miss out on early detection of health issues, which can lead to more severe and costly health problems down the line.
Consider an employee who skips regular cholesterol screenings, a preventive service often covered by health insurance. Over time, this employee may develop high cholesterol, which, if left untreated, can lead to severe and costly heart disease.
The cost of treating heart disease, including medications, surgeries, and hospital stays, can be significantly higher than the cost of regular cholesterol screenings and early interventions like lifestyle changes or medication.
Now, let's consider the example of unnecessary surgeries, specifically in the context of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. According to a report by Sword Health, 36% of MSK-related surgeries are deemed unnecessary, costing the workforce around $90 billion annually.
These surgeries often incur high costs, including surgery, hospital stays, medication, and physical therapy. Additionally, recovery from surgery usually requires time off work, which can lead to lost wages for the employee and productivity loss for the employer.
A potential solution to this problem is to promote and provide access to alternative treatments like physical therapy. Physical therapy can often effectively treat MSK conditions at a fraction of the surgery cost.
For example, an employee with back pain might opt for physical therapy sessions over a costly and invasive back surgery. Not only can this save the employee and employer money, but it can also lead to a quicker recovery and less time off work.
So conclusively, promoting and utilizing preventive care and alternative treatments can lead to significant cost savings for employees and employers. It's a proactive approach to healthcare that focuses on preventing and managing health issues early on, leading to better health outcomes and lower healthcare costs.
WHAT CAN YOU, THE EMPLOYER, DO?
Trust is the cornerstone of any successful organization. Employers can craft a win-win employee benefits strategy when employees are transparent about their health needs. So:
• Encourage open dialogue with your employees. It will help you understand their specific treatments, allowing you to design a more tailored benefits package.
• Encourage employees to take advantage of preventive care benefits. Early detection and treatment of potential health issues can reduce costs associated with treating advanced-stage diseases.
• Consider offering benefits that cover alternative treatments to surgery, such as physical therapy. This can help reduce the costs associated with unnecessary surgeries or treatments.
• Consider offering tools like SupportPay to help employees who are financial caregivers (remember that financial caregivers are not necessarily primary caregivers, but they support the financial burden that follows the responsibility). This can help reduce the stress and time burden of financial caregiving, leading to increased productivity.
• Ensure employees fully understand their benefits. Regularly communicate about the benefits available and how to utilize them.
By implementing these strategies, employers can create a win-win situation where employees take full advantage of their benefits, reducing healthcare costs and increasing productivity.
Remember, a healthy employee is a happy, productive employee. And that's good for everyone's bottom line.
PRO TIP:
Let it start from the top of your organization's food chain. Why? Your supervisors and managers are in close contact with your employees. They are better positioned to communicate with your employees because they are their primary source of information.
Therefore, by first empowering your managers and supervisors, it becomes easier to explain the benefits package in detail, answer any questions they need, and share any necessary information required to support your employees.
Your managers also create the safe space your employees need to share their health needs and concerns. And when something is not working in your employee benefits system, your managers can get this feedback directly from transparent employees.
Again, this is only full proof if your managers and supervisors are role models in a sense. Let them utilize their benefits packages, share their experiences, and advocate for your employees at every chance.
But if you still find this challenging or your benefits packages too complex to navigate, let us help you debunk its mysteries. We at Zupnick & Associates are your trusted insurance broker.
IT'S ALL IN THE DIALOGUE
Building trust with employees can lead to a more open dialogue about healthcare needs, resulting in a more effective and cost-efficient health benefits strategy. This not only benefits the employees but also contributes to the overall success of the organization.
Earn Your Employees' Trust And Reduce The Cost Of Your Benefits Plan
Elton Mwangi
Author:
