With just a few weeks to go before the start of the New Year, now is the time to anticipate employees’ needs in terms of whole health. If you don't know how to start designing the right health and wellness plan for your SME, don't worry because, as an expert in health solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises, Cigna can offer you exactly what you need for your plan. Take note!
The basis for the success of any company of any size is having a committed and happy team of individuals, which is why making their whole health & well-being the top priority is crucial, so that they can give the best of themselves. Investing in employees’ health is undoubtedly one of the best ways to succeed in business, but that doesn’t mean allocating large budgets or resources to this end. It is enough to know your employees’ specific needs very well and to focus on responding to their particular challenges so that they feel supported by your company at all times.
But where should you start when designing an effective health plan that is tailored to each SME and its employees? The answer is that you should start by considering all the areas that make up employees’ lives. And here's why...
The various needs of a multigenerational workforce, with increasingly complex lives, are changing our view of health. Now we must take a global approach, which provides a solution for all the areas that affect our overall well-being. That is why it is very important to provide employees with personalised care by offering tools and resources that look at the full picture of health, be it their physical and mental well-being, family health, the quality of their support network, financial health or access to care.
At Cigna we are aware of this, which is why we assist SMEs by providing solutions that are tailored to all needs and budgets, but which all have one objective: offering employees the best holistic support. If you would like to find out more about this, click here and let us advise you on the best options for your business.
There are, in any case, certain aspects that are crucial when it comes to looking after employees’ health & well-being in the short and medium term, and which should therefore be considered if you are thinking about designing or updating your company’s health and wellness plan. These aspects are, of course, mental healthcare, on the one hand, and family support, on the other.
The experience of managing the recent health crisis has meant that for many people, the well-being of their immediate family has become one of their primary concerns. That is why it is vital that there is an understanding within the workplace that looking after employees’ whole health also means looking after their families’ well-being. In the case of SMEs, this premise is particularly important, as now more than ever they must focus on their employees’ well-being, in order to be able to effectively overcome any business challenge that is yet to come.
This means that SMEs, as key players in the care of their employees, have the opportunity to contribute to the whole health of their workforce by offering health solutions that also provide cover for their families.
Offering medical cover for all the members of a family unit guarantees rapid, convenient, personal and effective healthcare. And, as a result, employees feel happier, more at ease and motivated, which will undoubtedly have a very positive effect in terms of productivity.
It is also important to remember that if workers are happy with the support they receive from their company, they are less likely to leave the company and their relationship with it will be strengthened. These types of services will also enhance the company’s image as an employer brand that is committed to the well-being of its people and their families, helping to attract the best talent, which is key for an SME in the process of expanding.
Strengthening your team’s mental health is the foundation on which to build a successful future
Another key aspect for improving the overall well-being of small and medium-sized enterprises’ employees is providing comprehensive mental healthcare. Routine, stress or an overload of work are factors that can provoke negative emotions such as frustration and anxiety in the workplace. That is why it is crucial that SMEs offer tools and solutions so that their employees can learn to manage these emotions, which will in turn improve their employees’ whole health and, by extension, their performance at work.
So, in addition to identifying the specific challenges faced by each employee (and which may trigger the emotions that we mentioned above) and providing team leaders with training on emotional intelligence skills, it is worth considering implementing tools that help them take control. Offering access to Global Telehealth solutions, like the Cigna Wellbeing App™ for example, could be very useful, as this facilitates employees’ access to psychological counselling from the best health professionals, anytime and anywhere.
Another point is that focusing on employees’ emotional state, by providing the tools necessary to improve their mental health, has two benefits for SMEs:
- Employees will feel healthier and happier, and they will find it much easier to act resiliently, meaning they can effectively combat stress and the impact it has.
- The company will reduce its costs associated with absenteeism due to illness, while improving the productivity of its workforce.
At Cigna we are here to help you by offering the best, 100% tailor-made health and wellness solutions for your SME. With the support of a health partner like Cigna, you will have a wide range of options which you can use to look after your team’s health & well-being. Contact us using this link and we will call you to start designing your made-to-measure plan together. We are experts in leading SMEs to success!