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Employers spend huge sums every year on employee turnover, recruiting, and retention at even the most well-known corporations. In fact, the average cost per hire is $4,000. The competition for talent is heated and prospective employees are keen to find positions that combine a positive, thriving workplace culture and great benefits.
Distinguishing your company is vital. Offering the same perks as everyone else isn’t enough. Savvy candidates know that a “fun environment” and “flexible work schedule” are often code for a lone ping pong table and long hours at the office. Drawing (and keeping) the best talent means offering real advantages that will improve their lives in new and impactful ways. One of the best routes to becoming a destination employer is through healthcare.
Healthier employees, happier employees
Demonstrating attention to the type of healthcare that benefits employees the most is a strong indicator of the care and investment a company places on their team members. Healthcare isn’t gimmicky, and it is a topic that candidates take very seriously when considering where to establish or continue their careers.
Chances are, the people you want to hire have seen lots of employer-provided care options and had similar experiences in the current fee-for-service system: long wait times, short appointments, little interaction with primary care providers, and being shuffled between specialists.
A better model, executed well — like advanced primary care — can completely alter the way employees experience healthcare and give them the knowledge, support, and confidence they need to take control of their health.
Advanced primary care emphasizes time-rich appointments, engagement, and strong provider-patient relationships through empathetic listening. Rather than reacting to symptoms alone, advanced primary care providers dig into underlying issues, social determinants, and other factors affecting each patient in order to build a plan for achieving whole health.
Care is coordinated at every level, including scheduling specialist care when needed. The primary care team provides follow-up and integration of any new information or medication, so that patients are always receiving the most updated care.
Additional services, like health coaching, help patients meet their goals for physical, mental, and emotional well-being through proven behavior change methods.
An entire network of care, creating centralized healthcare from a trusted and dedicated primary care team, makes getting healthy and staying healthy easier for employees. An on-site care center makes the process even more convenient by minimizing travel time, productivity loss, and claims and allows employees to see a provider whenever they need one.
Build a cycle of employee satisfaction
The advantages of advanced primary care are apparent at an individual level, but they also contribute to population health management and cost-effectiveness and can ultimately result in better employee prospects for the company.
Fostering a positive, robust culture of health throughout the organization is easier when employees have healthcare that actively helps them to take control of their own physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
A Whole Health Council, made up of people throughout the company, collects feedback and provides ideas for additional services or adjustments to improve healthcare for the entire workforce.
That can include extended clinical hours, Spanish-speaking primary care teams, and behavioral health resources. The feedback collected by the Whole Health Council can also inform initiatives to further improve health and satisfaction within the company, like education, cooking classes, and workout groups.
Providing the best healthcare option to meet the needs of a large and diverse workforce shows that you value your employees and their health, not just their productivity. Healthcare is an ideal way to control costs while also fostering a healthy company culture and driving better business outcomes.
Prioritize people and save
It can be hard to find the right balance of priorities for your business. Many companies make the mistake of focusing on productivity itself instead of focusing on the way to help their workforce become more productive.
Successful businesses are realizing that by turning the traditional sick-care philosophy on its head, they can prioritize both people and capital. Better healthcare and a convenient, centralized delivery system is key to becoming a destination employer and saving money.