Pandemic Era Benefits that are here to stay

Pandemic-Era Employee Benefits that are here to stay

When businesses initially set up their work from home systems at the start of the pandemic, only a few imagined that they would still be implemented a year after. Despite a few challenges, the shift in the workplace benefits has not only shifted dramatically but is expected to be here to stay.

In this COVID-19 World, whether or not workers are stuck at home or are back at the physical office spaces, more employees talk about the need for more flexibility to help them navigate through this very complicated time. Harvard Business Review discusses how the old care system was “fragile and inept.” This results in employers strategizing on how to support the holistic welfare of their employees--from physical to mental health. Below are some of these new pandemic-era benefits that have substantially made every kind of “workplace” better.

• Voluntary products, benefits, and plans are seen to be very important as these allow employees to personalize according to what they need. Be sure to ask us about what voluntary benefits programs are great to include in your benefits pie to encourage employee engagement by sending us an email at [email protected].

• Mental health support, stress management, and well-being programs are on the rise. 

• Long-standing policies are/need to be restructured. Leave benefits are expected to be expanded or to be more flexible beyond what’s required by law.

• There is a trend of reimbursements for work-from-home expenses like office supplies, office furniture, and internet service. 

• Employees who are parents also seek employers to accommodate child care responsibilities. These would range from flexible schedules to schooling support.

• COVID-19 tests are regularly made available.

• COVID Hospitalization Assistance Programs are also offered. These programs provide financial assistance that covers hospitalization and intensive care to employees and their families. Programs like these are designed to stand separate from any current HMO or Medical Insurance benefits as a supplementary benefit to aid your employees with their financial needs following hospitalization which may be in excess of any current benefits they may have. Want to know more? send us an email at [email protected]

In conclusion, businesses are now expected to evolve along with their workforce’s needs, and to continue setting up benefits that support them through COVID-19 and beyond. In doing so, they are able to assist their employees to work (or return to work) productively, engagingly and healthily.

This shift is an opportunity for all businesses to make and spark life-changing results not only to the individuals who work for them but to their loved ones as well. In a more sustainable aspect, when more businesses are able to be supportive of the needs of their employees, they are able to cultivate a society that cares.

If you need any help or recommendations in bringing about benefit programs that allow you to address employees’ overall welfare and to help them understand how to maximize their new benefit selections, send an e-mail to [email protected].