Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SME’s) are the lifeblood of the New Zealand economy, with over 470,000 SME’s employing over 584,000 staff. Much has been made recently of the staff shortages NZ businesses are experiencing, and the predicted “great resignation’’ once the borders open after prolonged closure. In a tight labour market, employers are always looking for new ways to attract and retain talent. A recent global wellbeing survey indicated that 82% of organisations believe wellbeing is important within their company. However, ‘wellbeing’ can have can have different meanings to different people.
Two meanings that are universally accepted in relation to it are Health Wellbeing, and Financial Wellbeing. Employers can provide this wellbeing via “Employee” insurance programs that provide staff with Health insurance benefits so they can get better and back to work faster with insurance benefits that pay cash to staff should they suffer a major illness or disability, relieving financial worry and stress.
Employee or “Group” insurance places value on employees’ wellbeing and shows that their employers genuinely care about them. If you are an employer with at least 5 employees, it’s a fantastic gesture to build loyalty, retain staff and reward them for their hard work. These plans also have the valuable advantage of providing a higher level of coverage, and at a much lower premium cost than an individual employee could access themselves.
A recent report by the Financial Services Council of New Zealand shows that “Group” insurance for employees is one of the fastest growing sectors of the insurance industry. This is because more and more employers realise the value it holds for employees from internationally mobile staff through to blue collar workers, and what great value it represents on ROI per dollar spent (cost is usually well below 1% of remuneration expenditure). Group medical insurance schemes are also available and are generally an exceptional and cost-effective option that gives your employees medical cover at lower costs than they could access themselves.
To find out more, or to receive a free no obligation consultation or quote you can contact our specialist Employee Benefits adviser to see how we can help you today.
Peter Wilkening
Insurance Adviser
(021) 190 5185
peter.wilkening@sprattfinancial.co.nz
