Repairing the damage the Covid-19 pandemic has inflicted on South Africa’s economy will require businesses of all sizes to make the most productive use of time and their human resources possible within the context of evolving regulations.
“As the economy starts opening up again with the easing of lockdown restrictions, many companies are resuming their operations and are hard at work to make up for lost time,” said Bianca Viljoen, marketing and distribution director of Agility Corporate, an integrated human capital and employee benefit solution.
“Employers need their staff to be ready to shine, and South Africa needs everyone to put their best into the collective effort to get individual businesses and the economy back on track,” she added.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned South Africans to prepare for the inevitable rise in Covid-19 cases as the country returns to work, even though all businesses must adhere to specific precautions to minimise the risks of workplace transmissions.
“The Occupational Health and Safety Act sets out the responsibilities of employers in terms of reducing risks associated with the working environment. Now more than ever, however, employers need to go further than this to really optimise the people who make their business successful,” Viljoen said.
A recent Agility Corporate case study illustrates how an employer with an annual payroll of R82-million and a staff complement of just over 460 employees was able to reduce absenteeism by up to five per cent, representing a saving of just under R2-m. The case study also noted an increase in productivity by a conservative estimate of two per cent, resulting in a further bottom line saving of R3.5-m.
“This resulted in potential annual savings of some R5.3-m through decreased absenteeism and improved productivity, which was driven by the implementation of a comprehensive Employee Well-being Programme and duly integrated with health and employee benefits. This is welcome news for a business’s bottom line at any time, and all the more meaningful in the current context,” Viljoen added.
A more holistic approach to supporting employees’ health and well-being that proactively identifies and helps at-risk individuals to better manage any health conditions is key to improving productivity and yields measurable reductions in absenteeism over time, said Dr Jacques Snyman, medical advisor to Health Squared Medical Scheme.
“At this time, business cannot afford to have productive time lost unnecessarily through either absenteeism or ‘presenteeism’, where employees may be at work but are not well enough to perform at their peak. “Providing staff with access to preventative and curative health care and resources to enhance their well-being, such as those provided through Health Squared and the Agility Corporate solution, greatly reduce the clinical risks for the individual and the financial risk for the employer,” he explained.
“Low risk employees are encouraged to be as healthy and active as possible and are assisted to keep their health risk low through the Agile Care™-focused well-being philosophy, while individuals identified as being at higher risk receive individualised support through the Patient-Driven Care (PDC™) programme.”
In this instance, a personal health coordinator is assigned to help support the higher risk patient in adhering to their prescribed treatment while facilitating related health and wellness interventions that aim to prevent chronic conditions from becoming worse over time.
“More serious health risks can often be averted in this way, which not only benefits the individual, but also their employer in terms of enhanced productivity and reduced attrition costs,” Snyman pointed out.
Viljoen added: “The Covid-19 outbreak has brought the importance of health into sharp focus and in addition to medical scheme membership, more and more employers are actively scrutinising existing cover to make sure they – and their employees by association – are getting the absolute best value for their money.
“This could mean more flexible access to cover through low-cost products like Agility StaffCare or demanding more tangible benefits from their reward programmes. The Agility Rewards programme, for example, fully understands that not all employees can afford a paid-for rewards programme and, as such, is offered as a free benefit to all Health Squared members. The programme also embraces tangible, relevant benefits with the upgrade option, Agility Rewards Platinum, offering plain-and-simple cash-back rewards for various healthy behaviours.”
Agility Gap cover completes the integrated health offering which, combined with the Agility Employee Well-being Programme, enables Agility Corporate to provide a truly holistic approach to employers.
“With one point of contact, Agility Corporate seamlessly integrates all aspects tailored to a business’s particular human capital risk requirements to provide an efficient and effective service that supports productivity.
“The health of the workforce and the productivity of companies can be demonstrably improved with suitable support, as our case studies illustrate. If this were to be replicated across South Africa, we could make an appreciable difference towards offsetting the economic decline we have seen due to Covid-19,” she concluded.
*Issued by: Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) for Agility Corporate and Health Squared.
