If you have (still) some smokers left in your place of work, you know that it is in the best interests of everybody that the whole place is smoke free. The law provides for much of this, but you still do not want the unsightly look of a huddle of people standing outside the front door smoking away.
But a certain amount of leeway is needed to be given to these poor mites, after all they are not breaking any laws, but they certainly are not helping themselves through their actions. If you must provide a location for the smokers to smoke then try to make it as out of sight as possible, this helps not to tempt those who themselves have given up, and it makes it that little bit more awkward for those who still pertain.
And of course there is the overall health of the the company, if certain members of your company are smokers, this brings down the health & well-being of the company. If you have health insurance for employees of the company then this might cause slight problems, as not everybody will be at the same standard of healthiness, and that might affect the costs, and that would be unfair on everybody else.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Friday, 21 January 2011
The Cost of Health Insurance for SMEs
It is often stated that the cost of private health insurance for small to medium businesses is far to high to justify the expenditure when overheads are so tight. But this is to underestimate everything that healthcare provision adds to a company of any size.
Yes, in the short term health insurance is yet another overhead, and yes things can be tight for small and local businesses, but it is still a question of scale, and all businesses in the end face the same problems, just that sometimes it is slightly more acute the smaller the business if key members of staff are unable to work for reasons of illness or accident. Let us face the facts that the bigger the business, the larger the staff, the more chance of overlap in particular roles, therefore the easier it is for people to cover for absenses: large companies always have a corporate health plan, and if it makes sense for them it makes more sense for a smaller business that has necessarily more limited resources to draw upon.
A healthcare insurance policy not only covers the costs of medical treatment but also affords the employer the cost of employing temporary staff in the meantime, and besides, the insurance does not have to be that expensive if you have a thorough look around.
Yes, in the short term health insurance is yet another overhead, and yes things can be tight for small and local businesses, but it is still a question of scale, and all businesses in the end face the same problems, just that sometimes it is slightly more acute the smaller the business if key members of staff are unable to work for reasons of illness or accident. Let us face the facts that the bigger the business, the larger the staff, the more chance of overlap in particular roles, therefore the easier it is for people to cover for absenses: large companies always have a corporate health plan, and if it makes sense for them it makes more sense for a smaller business that has necessarily more limited resources to draw upon.
A healthcare insurance policy not only covers the costs of medical treatment but also affords the employer the cost of employing temporary staff in the meantime, and besides, the insurance does not have to be that expensive if you have a thorough look around.
Friday, 14 January 2011
2011 Healthcare Predictions
2011 could see costs in healthcare increase due to budget restructuring in the NHS by the coalition government. This is expected to have an huge impact on the whole healthcare sector.
Employers face extra costs including increased corporate health insurance premium rates, an increase in tax and a National Insurance cost increase.
Businesses will need to either stump up the extra costs or find new ways to help make costs more manageable. They could either switch to a healthcare provider that offers them a more affordable deal or offer a different premium to employees that may offer less benefits but might allow them to contribute to if any added benefits are needed.
Employers face extra costs including increased corporate health insurance premium rates, an increase in tax and a National Insurance cost increase.
Businesses will need to either stump up the extra costs or find new ways to help make costs more manageable. They could either switch to a healthcare provider that offers them a more affordable deal or offer a different premium to employees that may offer less benefits but might allow them to contribute to if any added benefits are needed.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Problems in Health Reform
A leading British Newspapers has recently flagged up that there may be serious consequences of the current coalition Government's proposed Health reforms. The article states that respected voices across various fields including healthcare, economics, management and even Conservative Party politics have stated this may cause a "train crash" in the NHS as it will impossible to keep up the level of service with the proposed level of funding.
This is possibly bad news for many small businesses, both in terms of their staff and in terms of their overheads as they will have to consider that it may become a necessity to look into employee medical insurance for the whole firm. This may instantly drive overhead up but surely it will have its benefits in the future. The simple fact is that with so many government cutbacks in the pipeline, a de facto Americanisation of the British healthcare system seems to be the only possible result.
Of course the failings of the NHS are no new thing, and private healthcare for many businesses could certainly be a far better option, the thing here is that the Government seems to be driving towards there being no choice in the matter. Some people would like to think that there could still be some choices left in Britain.
This is possibly bad news for many small businesses, both in terms of their staff and in terms of their overheads as they will have to consider that it may become a necessity to look into employee medical insurance for the whole firm. This may instantly drive overhead up but surely it will have its benefits in the future. The simple fact is that with so many government cutbacks in the pipeline, a de facto Americanisation of the British healthcare system seems to be the only possible result.
Of course the failings of the NHS are no new thing, and private healthcare for many businesses could certainly be a far better option, the thing here is that the Government seems to be driving towards there being no choice in the matter. Some people would like to think that there could still be some choices left in Britain.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Small Business and the Winter
If ever there was a case for modernising your business model then it is this winter. Here I am as I write about twentyfive miles away from where I am supposed to be and all because it snowed heavily last night. Well, to be honest it has been snowing for the last couple of nights, but I had expected the people in charge to have done something about it over the weekend.
I, though am obviously some kind of optimist, for after getting up at some strange hour this morning, I did as always do and headed off to the train station at about seven, only to find there seemed to be no trains but the staff were locked out of the station because the chap with the keys could make it to the station. After a while it was stated that there would be no trains so I webt home.
Luckily, I can still work to a certain degree of competence at home so here I am. but not all employers will allow this level of flexibility. And it is surely better to get some level of work from your employees when the elements have conspired against them. This is especially so with small companies, in fact the smaller the company the more important it becomes. After all every one employee is a larger percentage of the whole than in larger corporations, and this affects the business in proportion.
This is a problem that also affects small businesses with absences through illness both short term and long term. There is not much you can do about the short term last minute absences, but with longer term absences then at least there is an option, with some employee health insurance plans this gives you the ability to cover your staff shortages with part-timers until your regular employee comes back. This is a modern world and there are always ways to get around problems like these.
I, though am obviously some kind of optimist, for after getting up at some strange hour this morning, I did as always do and headed off to the train station at about seven, only to find there seemed to be no trains but the staff were locked out of the station because the chap with the keys could make it to the station. After a while it was stated that there would be no trains so I webt home.
Luckily, I can still work to a certain degree of competence at home so here I am. but not all employers will allow this level of flexibility. And it is surely better to get some level of work from your employees when the elements have conspired against them. This is especially so with small companies, in fact the smaller the company the more important it becomes. After all every one employee is a larger percentage of the whole than in larger corporations, and this affects the business in proportion.
This is a problem that also affects small businesses with absences through illness both short term and long term. There is not much you can do about the short term last minute absences, but with longer term absences then at least there is an option, with some employee health insurance plans this gives you the ability to cover your staff shortages with part-timers until your regular employee comes back. This is a modern world and there are always ways to get around problems like these.
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
SME Web Presence to grow
Strangely enough of all the businesses in the UK about one and a half million of them have absolutely no presence on the world wide web, this is especially so in the case of Small Business, many of whom think that they are either too small or it is just an unnecessary expense when everything else is tight, so just forego it.
But this is surely a huge mistake for all those concerned, although it may cost a little to set up and you might need a somebody with the correct skill set to run the operation, the simple fact is that if you can run part [or all] of your organisation online, it will cut out many of the other cost that might be accrued.
But this, it seems is set to change, as companies like BT & Google have been getting together to allow companies to have their very own website for free, all care of Getting British Business Online, as long as the name you wish has not already been taken, then everything is in place to start right away, what are you waiting for?
But this is surely a huge mistake for all those concerned, although it may cost a little to set up and you might need a somebody with the correct skill set to run the operation, the simple fact is that if you can run part [or all] of your organisation online, it will cut out many of the other cost that might be accrued.
But this, it seems is set to change, as companies like BT & Google have been getting together to allow companies to have their very own website for free, all care of Getting British Business Online, as long as the name you wish has not already been taken, then everything is in place to start right away, what are you waiting for?
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Growth to Continue in Europe
Several large health insurance companies have stated that they are now looking toward Europe and not Asia for the next big growth in sales of business health insurance to take place. This comes as a bit of a surprise to many people given the relative economic climate in Europe, and the strength of so much of Asia backed by China & India.
However it has more to do with the political stability across the whole of Europe, and difficulties gain access to certain Asian markest which has led this change of emphasis. There is also a feeling in some places that the absolute worst of the financial 'stormy seas' have been sailed already and that Europe should be looking forward to a period of continued growth.
Whichever way it goes, the future seems to be looking good for health insurance companies in the western hemisphere, and the competition to offer competitive business insurance plans will be good for all those small companies who've made it through the recession.
However it has more to do with the political stability across the whole of Europe, and difficulties gain access to certain Asian markest which has led this change of emphasis. There is also a feeling in some places that the absolute worst of the financial 'stormy seas' have been sailed already and that Europe should be looking forward to a period of continued growth.
Whichever way it goes, the future seems to be looking good for health insurance companies in the western hemisphere, and the competition to offer competitive business insurance plans will be good for all those small companies who've made it through the recession.
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