Editor’s Note

The disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic is unimaginable. From protecting employees to revising the benefits policies, organizations faced and are still facing a lot of challenges. How are organizations addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses and employees today?

This month’s Employee Benefits & Wellness Excellence talks about the latest healthcare benefits trends and factors that shape and impact the industry.
 

As we’ve been experiencing since March, the coronavirus pandemic has been creating a “new normal” for just about every facet of our lives. Hence, it is a good time to re-evaluate existing benefits portfolios. This month’s cover article, Welcome To The Era Of Custom-Curated Employee Benefits by Jeffrey Faber discusses the importance of personalizing and communicating the benefits to your employees to understand the data-driven benefits strategy.

Widespread testing for the novel coronavirus is generally recognized as an important tool in combating the spread of the virus. The World Health Organization is an advocate for broad testing, so as to better locate incidents of infection for purposes of isolation, caring, and tracking. However, the cumulative cost for such testing is significant. The key question is who bears the burden for the costs of testing? Read Salvatore J. Russo’s article COVID-19 Tests: The Buck Stops Where? For more insights.

Most employees today expect companies to offer vision and dental insurance as part of a robust benefits package. Vision and dental care can help prevent minor health issues from snowballing into larger concerns, helping mitigate medical expenses and keep employees at work. Wendy Herndon’s article, Dental And Vision Care: A Healthy Pairing, lists a few ways HR managers can help employees navigate their oral and optical health.
 
Most people don’t go to sleep at night dreaming about talking to a financial expert. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 43% of U.S. adults report that they or someone in their household has lost a job; with unemployment at a record high, a new world of work from home, and societal unrest, the most pressing issue that HR departments can address is the financial care of their employees. Read Callum King’s article Employees’ Financial Health Is An HR Issue and learn how you can equip your employees to deal with their financial worries.

This is not all! Apart from these articles, we also have a few other informative articles that focus on various strategies and insights to help you build a healthy and happy workplace.

As always, please don’t forget to send us your valuable feedback. Stay healthy!
 

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