Do Health Benefits Really Make A Job Offer More Attractive?

Commissions and incentives, student loan assistance, paid upskilling, leadership and personal skills development… there are a lot of different benefits that a company can offer to its employees. But living and working in the post-pandemic era where our health and well-being were at the forefront of everyone’s mind for years, it may well be that the health benefits that a company offers may make the biggest difference in helping a job offer stand out – while saying a lot about the company that chooses to prioritise it. Here’s a look into five common health-related work benefits a company can offer that can make accepting a role look significantly more attractive for many.

 

Mental Health Support

In recent years, mental health has gained much-deserved recognition, with over one in four New Zealanders having poor mental well-being, according to Statistics NZ. As such, many people are attracted to workplaces that prioritise mental well-being. A job offer that includes mental health support, such as counselling services or employee assistance programs, can be highly appealing. This benefit acknowledges the importance of mental health and demonstrates an employer’s commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. By providing resources and support for mental health, organisations not only attract employees but also cultivate a workforce that is more engaged, productive, and resilient.

 

Wellness Programs

Wellness programs encompass a range of initiatives aimed at promoting physical and mental well-being among employees. These programs often include fitness memberships, on-site gym facilities, health screenings, mindfulness workshops, and nutritional support. By offering wellness programs, employers demonstrate a commitment to supporting their employees’ overall health and vitality. These initiatives not only contribute to a healthier workforce but also create a sense of community and camaraderie, improving job satisfaction and employee engagement.

 

Parental Leave Benefits

The inclusion of comprehensive parental leave is an attractive health benefit for employees considering job offers, particularly for individuals planning to start or expand their families. Adequate paid parental leave allows employees additional time to bond with their newborns or newly adopted children beyond what the government offers without the added stress of financial constraints of reduced pay. Alternatively, this can come in the form of paid parental leave for dads to be able to help in those first few tough weeks of newborn life. By providing this benefit, employers show their support for work-life integration and their recognition of the importance of family. Parental leave can enhance employee loyalty, increase retention rates, and contribute to a positive employer brand.

 

Flexible Work Arrangements

Flexible work arrangements are also often seen as a health benefit, as the ability to work from home or leave early or start late can mean that health and medical appointments can easily be attended to, whether it’s for the employee themselves or their family members. It also enables employees to better manage personal commitments and goals, reduce commuting stress, and allows for a healthier integration of work and personal life. By providing this benefit, employers demonstrate trust in their employees’ ability to deliver results while accommodating their individual needs. Such flexibility fosters loyalty, job satisfaction, and increased productivity.

 

Medical Insurance

Offering contributions to private health insurance can also make a job offer more enticing. Interestingly, while this benefit used to be highly coveted, today many employees recognise the limits that private health insurance brings – including significant stand-down periods, restrictions or pre-existing conditions, and having limited coverage to services that are only reactive, meaning that the employee is already considerably unwell, as opposed to enabling employees to take proactive steps to prioritise and improve their long-term health and well-being. This is where Employer Aid (described below) is a superior alternative.

 

Employer Aid Payments

Employer aid payments stand out over standard one-size-fits-all private health insurance benefits because employer aid gives employees a set annual monetary sum (set by the business) to put directly towards their health in the best ways they see fit, recognising that a specific person’s health priorities, and their definition of health, can vary greatly. And for most – it goes far beyond the ‘specialist’ and ‘reactive’ care that private health insurance is limited to.

For many, employer aid enables them to help manage any pre-existing conditions and struggles – including supporting their mental well-being. Many people already have proactive health and wellness goals they’re actively working towards – and would much prefer to use their allocated health funds to work towards these goals. This can help employees actively work towards preventing future illness or injury, instead of having to take time off to feel poorly at home and only then be entitled to access the health services to try to restore their health.

Accessing employer aid funds works much in the same way as a digital bank account, presented as a digital card on your phone, and being accepted at any eftpos terminal where Mastercard is accepted. As an employer, you can grant access to the entire HealthNow suite of health providers and services – or limit certain services as you see fit. This gives you the confidence of knowing that the funds can only be used for health-related services and appointments while giving your team the control and independence that is well appreciated by employees. You even get a breakdown of how the funds were spent overall within a year – meaning that you gain vital information and insight that can help guide future wellness initiatives that will be well received, instead of those that will be left unused and unappreciated. Any funds that are unused within the allocated year are not charged.

The beauty of employer aid payments is that you’re also showing your employees your trust and dedication to their health by enabling them to control how they care for their health – which is a very attractive job offer, and may help make the difference between accepting and turning down a new role – or even whether to remain at the same company.

 

Ready to take the next step to attract healthy, happy employees? Get started with HealthNow today.

 

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