When people think about corporate health benefits, they typically think about health insurance, sick days and mental health days, deferred compensation, executive health screenings, and whether the company has an on-site gym or other fitness benefits. These benefits are all valuable, but they aren’t the limit of what companies can offer.
Companies can do more to support employees’ health.
Before founding Better Health Advisors, I worked as a healthcare leader in a top New York City hospital. One of our employees was diagnosed with brain cancer. She was very sick and running out of vacation days.
The CEO created a new benefit, allowing employees to transfer vacation days. I gave her two of mine and wrote a note to my department asking if anyone else wanted to donate days to her. About a hundred people each gave two days, so she had 200 paid sick days. This was very helpful to her and had a halo effect, showing the entire team how much the company cares for its employees. Everyone who saw it thought, “Wow, what a wonderful, empathetic, supportive organization.”
Taking a creative approach to health benefits can boost employee satisfaction and retention, which are especially valuable in this tumultuous job market.
A common challenge: Many people don’t know how to use their health benefits.
An HR representative will typically help a new employee with the initial setup of their benefits, but from there, the employee may be on their own. It's often left up to the new employee to figure out how to use these offerings — and this takes time and effort.
For example, changing insurance plans may require the employee to select new doctors and have their family's medical records transferred.
This process is frustrating not just for the employee, but for their employer. The company wants to keep their employees happy, healthy, and focused. When employees are struggling to navigate the healthcare system, they're more likely to be stressed and distracted.
The solution: Partnering with a health advisory company.
Offering great benefits is just the beginning. It's also important to make sure that your employees understand how to use their benefits. Many busy executives have a limited amount of time to spend managing their health care, but they may not want to delegate such an important task.
This is where health advisory comes in. The Better Health Advisors team works with businesses to provide guidance on everything from selecting the company's insurance coverage, to vetting doctors, to helping individual employees and their families access top quality care. BHA’s corporate health services enhance your company’s benefits package, while increasing employee productivity and job satisfaction.
Jere Simpson, CEO of Atlas UP, worked with Better Health Advisors to select an insurance plan for his employees. He was impressed with BHA’s work, and arranged to give his whole staff access to the expert health advisors on BHA’s team. He said, “One of the things I always want to get across to our employees is that they matter more to us than just their contribution to the job, and tending to somebody's health in this way is the absolute best way to show that.”
BHA has since worked confidentially with many of the company’s employees. The BHA team helps employees maximize their insurance benefits, address any health issues that arise —including emergencies, and coordinate care for themselves and their loved ones. This is a benefit that will have a lasting, meaningful impact.
At Atlas UP, feedback from employees has been overwhelmingly positive. Simpson said, “Better Health Advisors has been one of the greatest finds that I've had in my long, professional career as an entrepreneur and as a CEO.”
If you need help coordinating health care for yourself, your family, or your employees, reach out to an expert health advisor. Health advisors can assist with selecting concierge doctors, managing a new diagnosis, arranging for mental health treatment or substance abuse support, and much more.
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