Retain More Staff by Investing in Their Health

Staff can often be made to feel that their employer doesn’t care about them and that they are just another number on the payroll – especially if they work for a large company.

This can demotivate employees who don’t feel they owe the company any loyalty and who will only do the bare minimum that is required for their role. The last thing a business wants is staff who are so demoralised that are looking for jobs with other companies.

Caring about the right things

However, the reality is often that the company appears to show it cares about the wrong things and embarks on initiatives or rewards schemes which miss the mark as far as staff are concerned. Instead, all they see is the company putting time and effort into something that doesn’t matter to them.

What does matter to everyone is their health. While having dress-down Fridays or providing biscuits or hot drinks during breaks might seem like a way of rewarding staff, it needs to be something meaningful and not something that they could take or leave. It must be something that really makes a difference to their lives and work.

Investing in health

Investing in employee health can be anything from simple health and wellbeing checks to full private medical cover. It could cover a variety of treatment from vaccinations to surgical procedures and all carried out quickly, without delays caused by huge NHS waiting lists.

Many people know how difficult it is to get an appointment to see their GP or NHS dentist and that is before they try to arrange time off from work to attend it. They also know that if they require any treatment, or something serious is discovered, they will face the hassle of trying to get further time off work.

Care and support

By investing in employee health in this way, a company shows it understands how important health is to people, and by putting it first, demonstrates that it really does care about its employees and that it will support them with what they are dealing with.

It shows that a company recognises and addresses important issues properly, which is a major factor when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff.

By focusing on health and wellbeing, a company can show that it is actually investing in the physical and mental health of staff. This creates a positive and supportive environment in which people want to work and this benefits both the employees and the company because it reduces sickness and absence, and also increases productivity.

Making a difference

For most conditions and diseases, early detection is key, whether it is taking action to prevent something developing, or catching a serious illness early and being able to treat it. By holding health checks and screenings, and supporting staff through any treatment, companies can help stop chronic and critical conditions from developing.

Someone who has been through a life-threatening or life-changing condition will feel far more appreciated and be loyal to an employer that has supported them through it than by one that does the minimum required and chases them up for sick notes or lets them know when statutory sick pay runs out.

Of course, staff will appreciate gestures such as chocolates or sweets as a thank you for a job well done, or for going the extra mile on a particular occasion.

But for things that really matter, simply paying lip service can do more harm than good to employee-employer relations. By doing something that shows they are genuinely valued will make them feel far more appreciated and it will show in their productivity and performance.