Healthcare benefits are one of the most important HR-related topics for employees. Employers who care about attracting the best workers, retaining them, and maintaining their well-being should make it a top priority to pay careful attention to the changing trends in healthcare.
Here are a few of the things experts are predicting will be trends in the new decade ahead:
One affordable way to add coverage to an employee health plan is to include telehealth services. Telehealth allows individuals to have medical appointments via phone or online, eliminating the need for an in-person visit. As technology continues to improve, this type of healthcare is becoming more popular and accessible. Telehealth is sometimes included in health plans without meeting a deductible or having a co-pay and can help reduce costs for both employers and employees.
Paid sick and family leave has become more important to employees in recent years, and some states have even passed laws requiring employers to give their workers paid time off when they are sick or caring for family. Including generous paid time off is one of the best ways to attract high-caliber workers.
More companies are starting to take active roles in their employee’s health and wellness, including benefits that pay for gym memberships or hosting office-wide health challenges. Work wellness plans make employees feel valued, and keeping workers healthy can help improve employee morale and productivity.
Different types of employees value various types of benefits, but a good health plan is still the single most important thing to most people looking for a job. Employers are expected to continue prioritizing health benefits over other types of benefits as an essential recruitment tool.
Increasingly, employees are expecting more out of their health plans, including mental health benefits. Employer health plans that include psychiatric care and counseling will be more desirable in years to come than those that leave it out.
Since 2009, workers have been paying a larger share of their healthcare premiums and absorbing increasing health costs for employers. Going into 2020, though, more employers are shouldering those costs and experts expect this trend to continue.
Keeping up with workplace trends can be tough for an overburdened HR staff. Outsourcing some or all of your company’s HR services will give your business the resources it needs to track trends and act on valuable insights.
Contact us today to learn how LBMC Employment Partners can help your business stay up to speed on all things related to employee benefits.
