In the midst of a global pandemic, job seekers are placing more value on quality health benefits than ever before. Many employers are responding to the pandemic with more paid sick leave and mandatory health checks, but there are also other ways to take care of your employees’ health.

Rather than just paying for healthcare expenses, employers can take an active role in their employees’ health through workplace wellness programs, health monitoring initiatives, remote working opportunities, and by offering options that give their employees better health access.

These programs are proving to not only enhance the quality of employee health, but also the health and the bottom line of the companies that enlist them. Here are some key benefits of company health programs and ways a PEO can help business leaders make employee health a priority.

Benefits of Company Health Programs

1. Lower Healthcare Costs

Employees with unhealthy lifestyles are more expensive to insure, with insurance companies charging higher premiums for smokers, diabetics, or individuals who are overweight or experiencing other high-risk factors. Wellness programs can help reduce these risks among employees.

Offering remote working options or extra paid time off is another way to reduce the likelihood that your employees will get sick. Right now, remote work is a particularly important tool for keeping employees distanced from each other and preventing a further COVID-19 outbreak. But, even after the pandemic has ended, offering remote work to employees with minor colds or allergies is a great way to keep the office sanitary.

Another way to reduce costs is to give employees access to care through telehealth programs. These programs give people quick and easy access to a physician without the cost of an office visit.

2. Productive Employees

It’s a simple fact: Employees who feel well perform well. Businesses that promote health and an appropriate work-life balance are making an investment in their company’s productivity and bottom line. During the pandemic, many people are struggling to balance work and at-home responsibilities like child care. Offering benefits to help your employees stay healthy and manage their lives makes them more willing and able to show up and work hard each day.

Not only do healthy and happy workers do better at their jobs, but workplaces with wellness programs and other benefits have a higher percentage of employees who show up every day. These programs reduce the need for employees to use sick days and help keep employees focused on their jobs.

3. Increased Morale

Employees who feel valued by their employer are significantly more likely to stay at their jobs and to put more effort into their work. Emphasizing employee health is one of the best ways to show everyone at work that the company cares about its workers’ well-being. Wellness programs can serve as leverage when hiring new talent and help retain high-performing employees.

How a PEO Can Help Your Employees’ Health

While employee health should be a priority for any business, structuring a wellness program, implementing COVID-19 safety protocols, or paying for desirable benefits might be out of reach for many companies. Thus, using a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) can give companies these benefits without burdening their HR departments. PEOs are comprised of HR specialists who are able to take on everything from daily HR tasks to payroll to managing special programs and benefits.

Because PEOs represent numerous companies, they are also able to negotiate better benefits for their clients than may normally be available for a company of their size. Here are two health-related benefits that a PEO like LBMC Employment Partners could help bring to your employees.

1. PhysicianNow Telehealth

With long waits, high prices, and time spent around people who may be contagious, doctor visits are something that no one enjoys. Going to the doctor can take up a whole day or expose someone to disease, making some employees with health insurance choose not to go at all. Because healthcare is one of the top concerns for people, LBMC Employment Partners took steps to add a convenient way to see a doctor at no additional costs to our PEO clients.

Since 2016, LBMC EP clients have had access to PhysicianNow, a service that gives customers access to a doctor by phone or video instantly. The service provides a national network of board-certified and locally-licensed family and pediatric physicians who can diagnose, recommend treatment, and prescribe medication when appropriate.

2. Fitness Your Way by Tivity Health

The best way to keep employees happy and healthy is to give them access to top-notch exercise facilities, but building a company gym isn’t an option for every business. Through Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Fitness Your Way by Tivity Health, customers have access to over 10,000 gyms nationwide for only $29/month. The service also gives customers up to 30 percent off specialty health service providers like chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, personal trainers, yoga instructors, and more.

Using these types of services benefits both your company and your employees. Contact us to learn more about how LBMC EP can help your company care for your employees’ health.