Lead Boldly

How do you transform your company into an employer of choice? With a health plan tailored for your business’ needs

In a fluid business environment, attracting and retaining talent is paramount to a business’s growth. And a strong, robust employee benefits program has become essential in today’s competitive hiring market.

In an era where company culture and employee satisfaction are key differentiators, offering enhanced health benefits can make your company stand out as an employer of choice. Jobseekers increasingly prioritize health coverage as a vital component of their overall compensation package, seeking and choosing employers who invest in their well-being.

This focus on health benefits not only aids in recruiting the best candidates but also fosters loyalty among existing employees, reducing turnover rates and retaining institutional knowledge. By prioritizing the health and wellness of your workforce, you demonstrate a commitment to their long-term success, which in turn enhances job satisfaction and employee engagement, and keeps top-tier talent in your organization.

How businesses benefit from staff loyalty

One of the most significant advantages of maintaining a stable workforce is the development of institutional knowledge. When employees remain with a company for extended periods, they accumulate a deep understanding of the organization’s processes, culture, and goals. This knowledge translates into higher efficiency and productivity, as seasoned employees can navigate challenges more adeptly compared to new hires. A stable workforce fosters stronger team dynamics and collaboration, as employees build rapport and trust over time, leading to improved morale and communication within the team.

In addition, there are reduced costs associated with low turnover rates, such as recruitment, training, and the potential disruptions to operations. These savings can be substantial, allowing companies to reinvest in other strategic areas to drive growth and innovation.

The right health plan can help keep employees engaged

By cultivating loyalty and demonstrating a commitment to employee well-being through comprehensive health benefits, companies not only enhance their reputations as desirable employers but also create a resilient and dedicated workforce. In the long run, these factors combine to provide a competitive edge, underpinning the company’s ability to thrive in a demanding business landscape.

Clearly, when it comes to supporting businesses financial interests, all health plans are not created equal. But there are some options that help both businesses and their workforces thrive. For example, one notable aspect of Kaiser Permanente’s benefits packages is its mental health and wellness programs.

Prioritizing workforce mental health and wellness

Support for mental health is more important than ever to employees — and costs American companies billions annually when left untreated. Health plans like Kaiser Permanente make it a priority for their patients. Mental health and wellness are an essential part of their coordinated system of care, which has enabled them to manage a 36% increase in mental health visits between 2019 and 2022 alone.

In this system, primary care physicians and specialty care teams perform their standard mental health screenings as a part of patient check-ups. They can then quickly connect with mental health and addiction-care specialists so the patient can get care as soon as needed. 600 new mental health clinicians have been hired there since 2020. Plus, there are no referrals required to access mental health or addiction medicine services from Permanente practitioners. Kaiser Permanente also offers a full spectrum of mental health resources, including wellness apps¹ like Calm and Headspace Care, digital self-help tools , virtual care,² recovery support, and outpatient and inpatient services, often at no additional cost to the patient. This helps patients get the care they need on their own schedule, without missing time from work and in most cases removes cost as a barrier to treatment. And at Kaiser Permanente, each patient has a digital health record that tracks their medical history. This allows their entire care team — primary care physician, nurses and pharmacists, mental health and addiction specialists—to share information in real-time.

What’s the takeaway? Offering a health plan that makes your staff happier, healthier, more committed can give your business greater control of its success. Integrated systems like Kaiser Permanente’s offer access to convenient, coordinated care that supports total workforce well-being — both mental and physical. This leads to higher productivity, lower absenteeism and turnover, and reduced health care claims. With a more stable, thriving workforce, businesses will see lower health care costs. And the increase in job satisfaction enables them to attract and retain the talent they want, making them an employer of choice.