Family is a crucial part of people’s lives. 42% of the world’s population consider family to be a fundamental pillar for support, according to our Cigna COVID-19 Global Impact Study.1 Companies must actively look after their employees’ family well-being as part of their holistic healthcare. But how can they achieve this goal?
Family well-being plays a significant role in employees’ health and well-being. Fully understanding the significance of family in a person’s life and the considerable impact it has on personal well-being is the first step when considering a company health and well-being plan. Studies2 show that good family health has a positive effect on psychological well-being since it directly impacts people’s emotions.
There is, therefore, a close relationship between family well-being and better performance at work. Let’s not forget that employees are people who, in addition to their role as workers, also have family responsibilities that affect their well-being considerably.
Companies must implement this plan on a case-by-case basis. Everyone is different, and so is every family. Focusing on these distinctive features when creating a company health plan will make a big difference. It shows that the company values its employees’ personal life by making it a top priority.
With these two ideas in mind: what are the main company-wide benefits of investing in staff’s family health?
- It helps improve employee satisfaction. Enjoying the peace of mind of knowing that the company you work for considers the specific needs of each family boosts employee motivation and commitment, which has a positive impact on their emotional, physical and occupational well-being. As a result, employees’ job satisfaction increases.
- It improves productivity. When a business takes care of family health, its employees’ satisfaction increases, ultimately improving productivity. Remember, many interconnected factors contribute to employees’ well-being, one of which is their family environment.
- It attracts talent. As healthcare and well-being play a central role in people’s lives, employees also expect more from their respective companies. Health and well-being programmes for employees and their families are becoming a key component in building a stronger corporate culture that helps attract and retain talent.
According to data obtained from the Cigna COVID-19 Global Impact Study,1 62% of the world’s population want their company to provide extended health insurance cover. As health insurance is one of the most attractive benefits, extending access to employees’ family members is key in attracting the best talent. This is particularly relevant when these plans include services designed to improve access to healthcare via 24-hour Global Telehealth solutions or family healthcare-based cover (such as primary care, outpatient or hospital emergencies, paediatrics or maternity services, etc.).
- It reduces absenteeism due to illness of family members. An employee’s family member becoming ill can result in absences or leave, which affects the business. Allowing employees to access early care through a health insurance policy –currently one of the most valuable benefits for employees– will help prevent and improve the treatment of different pathologies and eliminate unnecessary waiting times, therefore reducing the number of leave requests and days off due to illness.
What other actions can companies take to look after employees’ family well-being?
In addition to guaranteeing the physical and psychological well-being of employees and their relatives with access to a health insurance policy, it is possible to contribute to the health of workers’ families through other actions. These include:
- Promoting two-way communication between the company and employee. Companies must be proactive when it comes to maintaining contact with their staff on a personal basis. It is worthwhile implementing mechanisms to enable a deeper understanding of employees’ needs and identify potential options for improvement.
- Providing resources that help them manage work time effectively. Employees often find it hard to disconnect from work, which has a direct impact on their family’s health. To provide tools to resolve this problem, companies can offer employees coaching seminars or workshops with accredited professionals to help them organise their time and promote an effective work-life balance policy that encourages employees to disconnect outside working hours.
- Employee support services. There are several benefits focused on looking after staff’s family well-being: subsidised services or special discounts for childcare, transport or purchases, services for the care of dependants (subsidised services or offering support with reservations in centres), providing information on the availability of these services close to the company, professional advice or help with legal, financial or medical issues, etc.
Companies like Cigna help look after family health by investing continuously in innovation and providing access to increasingly cutting-edge health and well-being tools. As the pandemic continues to play a major role in the population’s well-being, Cigna has adapted its health solutions throughout Europe to new expectations and current needs using a holistic approach (Whole Health). The objective is to provide businesses with all the tools they need to make their employees’ experience great, helping them adapt to change and boosting motivation and job satisfaction to achieve improved well-being.
For more information on Whole Health and everything that Cigna can do to look after you and your employees’ health, please visit our Whole Health Hub.
Sources
1 Cigna COVID-19 Global Impact Study. Positivity around Vaccine Roll-Out and Anticipated Approval Leads Improved Perceptions on Whole Health. Link
2 National Center for Biotechnology Information. Mental and physical health effects of meaningful work and rewarding family responsibilities. Link
