The Covid-19 pandemic threw a wrench in almost every aspect of the job searching world. Workers were forced to rethink their careers and strategies, and employers faced similar dilemmas.

Flexibility for workers became a necessity instead of a luxury. Where possible, workers needed to do their job from outside of the office thanks to social distancing, childcare issues or taking care of sick family members.

With the pandemic on the way out and a little bit of normalcy returning, what will the job hiring landscape look like? How will employers retain your best employees and woo exciting new workers? Your insurance and health benefits package can help.

Touting Benefits

Maybe your company had to lay off employees because of poor finances during the pandemic. Maybe your company had to restructure to fit the changing needs of the industry. Any way that you look at it, though, you now need to fill positions. So, where do you begin? Focus on benefits.

Start with the obvious one — health insurance. Potential employees want to know you care and that you’ll help pay for their health care. A recent Insure.com survey of 1,000 workers found that 70% consider health insurance an essential part of recruitment and retention.

But there’s more to health insurance than just offering one option. Employees want more choices so they can find a plan that fits their needs. Don’t go with only one option, such as a high-deductible health plan (HDHP).

A HDHP has its place in a benefits package, but don’t just rely on that sole option and expect employees will like it. Instead, provide at least one other option, such as a health maintenance organization (HMO) or preferred provider organization (PPO) plan.

Offering more than one option gives you a better chance to recruit a solid workforce. Your employees won’t all be the same, so your health insurance menu shouldn’t be either.

A Well-Rounded Offer

The most prominent benefit a company can offer is healthcare, but after you have built a robust menu of options in that area, you’re not done. Job seekers are looking for something that will set your position apart from another offer they receive.

One perk is to offer a health savings account (HSA). HSAs let employees save pre-tax money for future healthcare needs. These accounts are connected to a HDHP and employers can also contribute money to them.

HSAs can be a selling point to help offset out-of-pocket costs. You can make this an even better selling point if you contribute to the employee HSA accounts.

Another way to round out your benefits plan and show job seekers that you care about them as a person as well as an employee is by offering supplemental life insurance. For a small cost to your company, you could offer a group plan with $10,000 death benefits. A group life insurance plan won’t likely be the sole reason someone stays or joins your company, but it can serve as part of a well-rounded benefits package.

Advocate and Educate

With such a competitive job market currently, employers can’t sit back and take a passive role in building their workforce.

When you make an offer to a potential employee, highlight all of your benefits, not just compensation. Talk about the health benefits options and make sure to talk about both the premiums and out-of-pocket costs like coinsurance and deductibles. Promote your health plan’s provider network. Discuss associated benefits like gym memberships.

Tell the prospect why each option matters. Explain why you have such well-rounded coverage.

That communication shouldn’t stop when you hire a new employee. Instead, keep the communication flow about health benefits ongoing.

So much jargon is thrown around in the benefits arena and never explained. Employees are expected to know the difference between coinsurance and copays; the difference between an HMO and PPO; the difference between in network and out of network.

Do yourself and that person a favor by educating them from the beginning. Tell them about each term to help them make health insurance decisions. An educated workforce will make better decisions and keep costs down for everyone.

Let’s face it, a happy employee means company loyalty and less turnover. Ensuring your employees have a benefits package that suits their needs can be vital to keep a productive and stable workforce.

Recruiting
Benefits Healthcare HSA Job Seeker
Authors
Les Masterson

Les Masterson is the managing editor for Insure.com and Insurance.com. During more than 20 years of writing and editing experience, Masterson has researched health insurance topics to educate consumers, business and hospital executives on a wide range of health coverage issues.