Many businesses are trying to cut costs right now in response to a difficult economy. High inventory, staff and maintenance expenditures have human resources personnel looking for alternatives to certain programs in order to save money. However, reducing employee wellness benefits could hurt engagement and retention rates, even though healthcare laws may be making these programs more expensive.
Fortunately, employers can try looking into custom training software that promotes health and wellness factors. CSE Software Inc. can help a business design a suite of learning modules for either online or mobile app development to help a company cut overhead from its healthcare costs, while still promoting a healthy workforce.
A financial problem
The matter of health insurance for some businesses has become very difficult as customer bases erode and inflation, as well as other factors, puts prices at all-time highest rates for essential commodities. According to research firm Towers Watson, healthcare costs have been increasing by more than 10 percent every year for the last three years in America, making it a huge revenue trap for small businesses especially.
Despite that, the report also found that employers were trying to focus more on wellness initiatives. Investing in expensive programs at a time of economic hardship may seem counterintuitive at first glance, but the method behind the madness is obvious – owners recognize that employee investing is key to success.
Making key moves
To better serve this most precious asset of business, some companies are looking for custom training software to facilitate wellness initiatives while cutting back on overall costs for these programs.
Internalizing healthcare does work, as Verizon showed when it won the 2012 Best Employer for Healthy Lifestyles award from the National Business Group on Health. The company incorporated its health coverage into more than 40 on-site facilities providing health care to employees, thereby regulating costs while saving money. Everything that a traditional health and wellness plan traditionally offers is available through the company's service.
However, not every business can afford such a bold move. Fortunately, custom training software has been shown to be effective in educating employees and reducing health care costs for workers and employers alike. The Games for Health Journal reported that providing online and mobile app development software that made learning affordable, fun and accessible way to develop wellness information. These modules were able to help employees understand preventative measures, diet plans and other important tools they can use in day-to-day life to make themselves feel better and stay well.
Healthy workers are happier and more productive, so taking away healthcare and wellness benefits isn't an option for many businesses. Seeing as such a bold move can also harm staff engagement and retention, it's usually viewed negatively by both staff and management alike and is not a primary option in cutting costs. Fortunately, custom training software can step in and save businesses the hardship of choosing programs to cut, improving wellness and cutting overall healthcare costs while providing an innovative learning experience.
"Employers are moving slowly but steadily toward an increased focus on wellness," said senior consultant Nicole Serfontein of Towers Watson. "Obstacles can be overcome with a commitment to organizational health promotion – a strategy that will not only enable employers to manage their costs, but also drive employee health, engagement and productivity over the long run."
Let the development team at CSE Software design training materials for your organization’s health initiatives. From mobile apps to eLearning, the CSE team can create material to educate your employees on health and wellness or any other topic.
Contact Stacey Burris at sburris@csesoftware.com or 1.309.670.7595 and ask for an eLearning development demo today!
