Challenges of Staff Welfare
The process of managing and providing appropriate health benefits, is important for the employers, we can also say it can also be one of the biggest team welfare investments. Hence we can say developing an employee centric strategy that is both rousing and worthwhile is a equitable act.
An ideal employee benefits program that equally caters to the employee needs and employer objectives are needed for both appointing and ensure quality sustenance a company’s most valuable resource: its team.
Now the concept of holistic health service has been followed for some time in India and overseas locations, employers view it from different perspectives. Short-term management can result in short-term benefits, but employers who move beyond it to an all-encompassing approach that focuses on preventive care and the encouragement of healthy living will lead to significant results — and greater cost effective — further route to the road. A successful health and well-being strategy can encourage employee engagement, and strengthened workforce effectiveness, and ensure the entire organization culture toward a healthier living.
Few major challenges HR teams face while delivering health and well-being programs to their team
Increasing Healthcare Cost
Poor communication
Limitations relating to the Appropriate Technology Solutions
Minimum employee engagement
Increasing Healthcare Cost
Health care costs, and therefore employee welfare costs, have been raising at an alarming rate for some time
Following are the factors that contribute to climbing health care costs over the past decade:
> Increasing number of chronic diseases
> More access to mental health services
> Demographics and regional spreads
> Strategies and key concerns of health care providers
> Increased utilization and consumer demand
> Increasing exposure & awareness of Medical Technology
> Health care spending and medical cost inflation
> Increased prescription drug costs and many more
Consequently, this high healthcare cost has become a major factor influencing employee’s health care decisions. For instance, most employees enrolled in healthcare plans are more likely to delay or skip care for fear of incurring huge costs.
Process to overcome this challenge
èExploring effective strategies like using health care data to make strategic health plan decisions can help employers curb excessive healthcare spending while providing high-quality health benefits to their employees.
èProviding flexible health benefits to employees wherein they can decide what benefits they want according to their own needs and save money.
Poor Communication
Now the organizations must realize that an effective communication strategy that is properly planned, creative, multi-channel and sustained over a campaign period is absolutely critical for employee participation, engagement, and eventually the success of any health and wellbeing programs.
Way to overcome this challenge
Regularly communicate internal and community events and options that encourage physical fitness and wellness.
To achieve the best results, it’s important to communicate regularly with your employees in ways that are meaningful to them like meetings, emails, posters, leader visits, etc.
Offer employees the opportunity to give feedback on how the program is working and be responsive to their observations.
Limitations relating to the Appropriate Technology solutions
Technology is also being increasingly Concern. When we think about technology in the context of health and wellbeing, we might think about wearable devices or smartphone applications, but there is a wide range of solutions. Recent decades have seen a number of advances, such as improvements to occupational health systems, attendance management software, health risk assessment tools, and wearable devices.
Hence devices and other advancements result in a tremendous amount of health data being generated every second, it becomes difficult for the organizations with no proper technology solutions to digitize and structure this data, thus making it grueling for them to create a defensive, diving and highly personalized healthcare journey for the team
Based upon the survey, over the next five years, 70% of the companies will be using the web and mobile-based lifestyle behavior coaching programs and 65% will be sponsoring the use of wearable devices for tracking physical activity or nutrition.
Considering the comfort and real-time data of employees can put well-being constantly at the forefront of employers’ minds.
Human Resource Head may track employees’ progress constantly motivating and encouraging them to stay on the set parameters and commit to achieving their personal health targets.
Facilitating fitness wearables to employees can transform the workplace not only by making employees healthier but also by making their Assignment more workable.
Minimum Employee Engagement
Staff engagement in the health and welfare program is about more than just showing up at a wellness and spirited screening or other activity to receive an incentive. Although engagement involves creating and maintaining a sincere interest and involvement in living a healthy life—at home and at work. Location based well-being programs are only as effective as the proportion of staff who are truly engaged in the program.
HENCE, after reducing health care costs, employers cite “improving employee engagement” as their second-most important objective for offering a well-being program.
Adopt variety of communication channels to increase engagement.
Featuring the program success can build excitement and create positive peer pressure within your workplace.
Therefore we may conclude as Staff health and well-being programs are certainly not without threats. They are a significant undertaking that requires constant attention and resources to achieve their greatest potential.
With true realization the responsibilities and struggles HR departments face when delivering employee health and well-being programs, can help you prepare and implement the right strategies to stay profitable. The benefits landscape is one that is constantly changing, and there is a multitude of options to choose from, so it’s important to stay well informed and up-to-date with wheresoever.
