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Those who work in the care sector, know how rewarding care work can be and the other benefits to working in this industry including flexible hours, job security, receiving excellent training or even gaining qualifications whilst you work. However, the sector has endured challenging times in recent years, all of which has taken its toll on staff with high levels of burn-out reported which contributes to reduced staff engagement and higher staff turnover.
Employers with a stable, motivated workforce cite increased productivity, happier service users and stakeholders. They also notice a better workplace culture as teamwork is strengthened and colleagues are pro-active in suggesting improvements and efficiently getting jobs done instead of delegating to others.
The current cost of living crisis, high inflation levels, all during a time when the sector is still recovering from the effects of COVID-19, means that employers are looking for other ways to show their staff they are valued at a time when wage increases aren't achievable.
Employee benefits offered in addition to the employee’s salary, are not necessarily costly things to provide, and some of these things may already be offered such as:
These examples can add up to a significant saving for staff during the course of a year.
Having a healthy workforce positively contributes to achieving your business goals, therefore offering healthcare benefits such as private medical cover, or simpler types covering dental treatment, optical cover, access to physiotherapy services or a combination of these can be a great way to help you achieve this.
Considering mental health as well, many employers opt-in to providing confidential healthcare advice phonelines, some of which include the ability to access a remote GP consultation. Some business insurers include this as part of their suite of helpline numbers in your insurance policy wording, this is worth checking as you may already have access to a helpline as part of your insurance policy.
Such services could help your staff avoid lengthy NHS waiting lists for treatment if they are unable to afford the cost of private healthcare treatment. They can also nip potential issues in the bud before they develop into a bigger issue requiring sickness leave with a potential knock-on effect to your business.
Employers can also train a team member to be a mental health first aider. This person can be a first point of contact for an employee experiencing emotional distress or a mental health issue, as well as being an advocate for promoting a positive culture and reducing stigma associated with mental health. There are various external courses available such as those offered by St Johns Ambulance, which can be taken to award a ‘First Aid for Mental Health’ accreditation.
There are several types of protection policy products on the market which function like an insurance policy to protect employees from financial hardship in the event of death, accidental injury, or sickness, depending on which scenarios you are looking to provide cover for.
Personal accident plans:
Personal Accident plans pay a weekly benefit if an accidental injury prevents your employee from working during recovery for up to 104 weeks depending on the severity.
In the event of an accidental death this policy pays a one-off cash benefit as a lump sum. The benefit level can be arranged as fixed sum, or a multiple of the employee’s annual salary. The terms of cover will vary so do check the details with your provider or cover advisor. Some business insurance policies have an optional section to include this type of cover so it is worth verifying if you already have this cover already, or it can be sourced as standalone cover from a specialist provider.
Death-in-Service Staff Policy:
Alternatively, a Death-in-Service staff policy which, like a personal accident policy, pays a lump-sum in the event of the employee’s accidental death, but unlike a personal accident policy, it is designed to also include death due to sickness. You may for example have an employee with a chronic or progressive condition and not want them to be excluded from cover.
Income protection plan:
To avoid employees feeling pressured to work when they are unwell you could consider an Income Protection plan which pays them a % of their salary if their sickness makes them unable to work. Rates will vary depending on the percentage of income to be protected, the employees’ job roles such as whether clerical, manual or semi-manual and medical histories. Critical illness cover and Life Insurance protection can also be covered as a block policy for all employees, or on a specified employee's basis if required.
Salary Sacrifice:
A more traditional form of employee benefit is the salary sacrifice, where the employer reduces the employee’s pre-tax salary in exchange for a non-cash benefit, is another way for employees to make savings on everyday outgoings. Probably the most well-known examples are such for childcare support, the Cycle to Work scheme, or to make additional pension contributions.
Whilst offering staff in a typical care setting flexible working might seem like a pipe dream there are opportunities to be creative such as additional holiday leave or creating fixed ‘family days’ which can be taken at short notice in event of child sickness for example without impacting the employee’s annual leave entitlement.
Introducing measures like these can help your business reap the rewards of a settled, motivated workforce with better work-life balance, including reduced sickness absence, improved staff turnover with associated savings on recruitment and onboarding of new staff. This in turn enhances your business reputation, renowned as a great place to work and one which looks after its staff, that is attractive to new recruits and service users alike.
Our specialist business solutions team are ready to help you with retention or recruitment of care workers, or senior managers on 01273 424904.
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