Large companies aren’t the only ones that can provide their staff with a Wellness program. According to a recent (2017) Sanofi Health Survey, wellness and illness prevention are top priorities for employers. Let the Chambers Plan provide you with the resources to provide your staff with wellness options regardless of the size of your organization.
Today, there are varying views about what a wellness program should look like. There are some that feel food stations at work and flex hours are a wellness program. Others feel it should include an Employee Assistance Plan and options like a Lifestyle Spending Account, allowing employees to claim benefits like gym memberships and active devices such as Apple Watches or a FitBit.
Regardless of your point of view, one thing is very clear when it comes to Wellness. A more satisfied, happy employee is a more productive one. Often the increases in productivity while at work, the improvement in absenteeism and the general theory that happy people get along better can make this financially beneficial for employers.
When people feel more taken care of it improves their entire lifestyle, not just their workplace environment. The Chambers Plan can help with that in so many ways. The employee portal for managing their plan, My-benefits.ca, has a health assessment tool an employee or their family members can use to help identify if they have any risks associated with their current health or lifestyle.
The Chambers Plan has always had the goal of supporting business with less than 100 employees providing not only cost certainly but also additional supporting benefits that firms this size may require. All employees also receive the Best Doctors program. This can allow an employee to find access to specialists or get a second opinion on either a diagnosis or course of treatment. In addition, the Chambers Plan provides the BAS, or Business Assistance Service to all plan holders. This is invaluable to small to medium sized enterprises providing HR, Accounting and Legal assistance as part of the underlying program.
Firms can also elect to add the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to their benefit plan. This is a low-cost item that can greatly impact mental Wellness in the workplace. It provides face to face counselling to employees and their family members and for only a few dollars a month, employers can add this non-taxable benefit to their plan. Consider the impact to someone dealing with mental health issues; even if it’s not the employee but instead a family member, that employee brings that stress with them to work everyday which does not result in a positive outcome. In addition, these resources can be accessed directly without employer involvement. This confidential treatment allows for resolution of issues without any impact or stigma for them in the workplace.
Today there are so many issues that can affect an employee’s Wellness. More and more people are dealing with the stress of aging parents and the financial burden that goes with it. Some need grief counselling or even assisted living accommodations. Depression is also a very common problem in society that still carries some stigma and needs quiet resolution.
Having security from a benefits plan, whether it includes income protection, health and dental claim protection or a combination of all things can really improve a firm’s perspective on wellness. A Chambers Plan advisor can also arrange for fiscal piece of mind with a Chambers Plan Group RRSP and as a by-product provide financial literacy sessions for employees that may need or wish to know more.
With more than 35,000 firms insured, the Chambers Plan has become a place for SME’s to come for Wellness and benefits plan support. Combined with their partnership with local Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade there are many tools and resources available to help improve your workplace satisfaction. A Chambers Plan advisor can help you customize this to your staff, keeping in mind an older demographic consisting of Baby Boomers will have a different perspective than a younger firm composed mostly of Millennials.
Add in the lower overhead of the not-for-profit Chambers Plan, the ease of use for both employees and employers and the consistent stable renewals, the employees won’t be the only ones satisfied. Under the Chambers Plan employees have a lot of resources at their fingertips, and having your advisor demonstrate how to use the Chambers Plan is extremely beneficial so your staff get the most out of it. Wellness is achievable whether you have 1 or 100 employees. For more information go to chamberplan.ca today.