When you are the owner of a small business, one of the many issues which you have to manage is the benefits and salary offered to employees. Although private medical insurance is something that in the past has only been offered by larger employers, there is a growing trend of smaller businesses taking out corporate medical insurance to cover their employees too, and there are a number of good reasons for this.
Disruption
In a large company with several hundred employees, having someone off sick can be managed by moving other employees around to cover their responsibilities. This is not so easy in a smaller company with just a handful of employees. Being able to offer employees the chance to get their medical problem dealt with quickly and cut the waiting time on the NHS means less disruption to the business and allows both the employer and the employee to get back to normal as quickly as possible.
Staff Retention
Losing a member of staff and then trying to recruit a replacement is an expensive business, both in terms of the financial cost of placing and advert or using a recruitment agency, and in terms of time required to sift through applications and conduct interviews. Companies which offer attractive benefits such as private medical cover generally find it easier to retain employees, and a loyal, stable workforce is what every employer aspires to.
Absence
A certain level of absence due to sickness is unavoidable, but when absence is due to something more long term or serious than the usual coughs and colds, medical insurance can get your employees on their feet more quickly. If an employee is on a lengthy waiting list to have an operation on the NHS, there could well be several weeks or months of absence while they wait for the procedure to be carried out. Having treatment carried out privately means far less of a wait, minimizing absence and the impact on the business.