WELLNESS AS AN EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFIT

Wellness as an Employee Health Benefit

It is often said that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

When most of us think about health benefits, we likely think of services that are responsive to health events – reimbursement for physiotherapy treatment, prescription drugs, medical procedures, etc. Another category is ‘routine maintenance’ which covers services such as ongoing dental visits, eye exams, and chiropractic care, to name a few. Finally, we have financial reimbursement. These benefits provide much-needed financial support in response to a variety of health events and medical conditions.

A term that is used, sometimes as a catch-all phrase, is wellness. Wellness can be defined as “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal”. Any and all choices and activities that actively help us work toward good health are beneficial and can prevent the need for some reactionary use of health benefits, as we typically think about them. Let’s break it down and add some specificity.

How Can You Lead With Wellness As An Employee Health Benefit?

We have a few products and strategies that can help!

At GroupHEALTH, the majority of our benefits plans include an Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) administrated by TELUS Health (formerly LifeWorks). This program offers wellbeing assessments, short-term counselling and support, CareNow programs spanning a broad range of topics and situations (communication, coping with stress, mindfulness, etc.), access to virtual fitness sessions, money-saving perks, and more. This is an invaluable resource that can be used to inspire and direct your employee’s active pursuit of good health.

In addition to an EFAP, we offer options for Wellness Spending Accounts that can be allocated for employees to help purchase items and passes such as gym memberships, fitness equipment, and lift tickets. There are many more options available which you can choose from if this sounds like something you would like to offer. Employees appreciate the flexibility they are given to choose how their benefit dollars are spent with this benefit.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that helping employees pursue mental and physical wellness begins with workplace culture and habits. Promoting time for mindful reflection, facilitating stretch breaks, and hosting friendly step challenges are all examples of simple ways to engage your employees and assist in their pursuit of good health.

Let Us Help You Put Wellness First

Are you looking for ways to support mental and physical wellness in your workplace? Review your options with one of our licensed advisors on the phone or contact us for a comparison quote.

Whether you’re looking for wellness spending accounts, extended health and dental coverage, or some combination of both, GroupHEALTH has affordable benefits packages that work as hard as you do.