Employers will keep expanding virtual benefits beyond the pandemic

Employers anticipate they’ll stick with many of the workplace changes brought on by COVID-19, from increased safety measures to virtual health and wellness benefits, once the pandemic has finally subsided.

The majority of employers plan to keep social distancing and sanitary measures part of their post-pandemic workplace, according to a survey by benefits provider Wellable. Ninety-three percent will continue to expand their virtual benefit offerings, like engagement strategies and telehealth services.

Employers and employees have been forced to adapt to work outside of the office as COVID-19 wreaked havoc on normal life. But while vaccines are becoming more readily available, both employers and employees don’t seem eager to return to pre-COVID life.

“Although it is becoming increasingly clear the world will get through this difficult time, it is also apparent that the future will not look like the past,” Brighid Courtney, director of Wellable Labs, said in the report. “The pandemic continues to push employers to expand employee well-being solutions and adapt to the current environment.”

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Flexibility around where and when employees work will continue to be a major trend post-COVID, with 89% of employers planning to expand flexible scheduling, according to the survey. Sixty-nine percent of employers are willing to help employees optimize their work-from-home set up with home office subsidies.

“If employees do not have the appropriate tools and equipment to fulfill their job duties, performance and productivity can suffer,” Courtney says. “These subsidies improve the work-from-home experience and therefore, the quality of work being done at home.”

Read more: Workplace flexibility and hybrid office options are in high demand among employees

Employers plan to continue expanding their virtual benefits, relying on the ease and accessibility of telehealth, even when the pandemic comes to an end. Eighty-eight percent of employers plan to add more mental health resources and 87% say they are upping their resources for telemedicine services.

Employers have consistently adjusted their benefits throughout the pandemic to help employees with mental health, caregiving, financial and well-being challenges. More than a quarter of employers have ramped up their benefits in response to the challenges of COVID-19, according to Fidelity Investments.

“There has been a realization to [employers] that telemedicine is not just nice to have — it’s really an essential benefit,” says Justin Holland, CEO of HealthJoy. “Everyone is trying to get telemedicine access to their employee-base in a faster way.”

Employee benefits have strengthened the relationship between managers and employees throughout COVID and that empathy and understanding will continue to benefit the workplace well after the pandemic is over, Courtney says.

“Leadership support and understanding is critical to building a supportive work culture,” she says. “It’s not only an investment in employee well-being, but also in leadership, making managers more empathetic and approachable for their team members.”