As we continue the Beyond the Benefits Series, you might recognize a common theme: attracting great talent to your organization is challenging. "There isn't a client partner we speak with that doesn't agree. Talent is hard to come by. So when you have an opportunity to attract new talent to your team, as a business owner or HR Director, you want to make the most of that opportunity," says Trisha Tyminski, Group Benefits Service Specialist with CH Insurance. Part of that story more and more today, is dependent on a robust benefits program to offer as well as retain your talent.
Vision & Dental
Plain and simple, research shows that employees want Vision and Dental benefits as part of their overall benefits package. Dental and vision coverage are the fastest growing benefits being offered by employers over the last four years. According the latest annual Employee Benefit Research Institute survey of employees, five overall benefits have become more common in recent years with dental and vision coverage growing five percent since 2013.
Health insurance – 67% of employees report their employer offered this benefit in 2018 (up from 63% in 2013)
Dental insurance – 59% (up from 54%)
Retirement savings plan – 57% (up from 53%)
Life insurance – 50% (up from 47%)
Vision insurance – 49% (up from 44%)
Offer it, and then encourage employees to use it
As part of an overall benefits package, dental and vision coverage offer measurable and tangible perks that are easy to take advantage of by employees. Let’s look at each type of coverage and break down the benefits.
Vision
Employers offering vision care should encourage employees to use their vision benefits by scheduling regular eye exams with a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist. This perk benefits both your company and your employees. Here’s how:
A vision exam can detect everything from eyestrain to diabetes to high blood pressure as well as diagnosing common eye issues or more serious eye diseases. The American Optometric Association (AOA) reports that eye diseases, vision loss and eye disorders cost the U.S. economy $139 billion a year. On average we spend seven hours per day using digital devices. Overexposure to the blue light from devices like smartphones, tablets and computer monitors has a significant impact on overall health. This overexposure can lead to sleep disruption, eyestrain, vision damage and more.
Encouraging employees to use their vision benefits is one easy action step that employers can take to show they are focused on the overall health of their employees. Other tips that employers can provide to employees include:
Power down: Turn your digital devices off at least one hour before bed.
20-20-20 rule: When you are using any device or computer, take a 20-second break and look away from the screen, every 20 minutes and view something 20 feet away.
Maintain your space bubble: Use the zoom feature on your digital device to see small print and details, rather than bringing the device closer to your eyes.
Adjust your device to fit your needs: Reduce the glare by adjusting device settings or using a glare filter to decrease the amount of blue light reflected from the screen.
Dental
If your company offers dental care, your business will see the benefits of healthy smiles. Here’s how using their dental benefits will make your employees happier and healthier:
Through regular exams, dentists can identify symptoms of more than 120 diseases. Your employees’ long-term health can be positively impacted through early diagnosis of many of these diseases. Your entry-level employees are the least likely to have and use dental coverage. The American Dental Association reports that one in three Millennials aged 18 to 34 have untreated tooth decay and are least likely of all age groups to seek regular dental care.
Cost, convenience and confusion about insurance plans are the reasons Millennials cite for not going to the dentist. They will miss work less, because employees who have dental coverage are more likely to use it.
At work, you can encourage healthy smiles by reminding employees to:
See their dentist regularly.
Brush twice a day and floss once a day.
Eat a variety of healthy foods.
Drink plenty of tap water which provides fluoride.
Limit snacking on sugary and starchy foods.
When you're ready to talk Vision & Dental benefits for your talented team, CH Insurance is here to help guide you at selecting what works best for your company. 315-234-7500. CH is in your corner.