Overall health is a goal for many people in Mexico and around the world. For this reason, they want to promote habits such as physical activity, better nutrition, psychological therapy, which companies consider important habits that have an impact on productivity and their results. In this scenario, incentives such as wellness bonuses are starting to gain space in the market.
Pariz Rafael Palacios Mosqueda, Director of Consulting and Strategy for Health and Benefits at WTW Mexico, explains that there is a global trend among companies that are starting to offer bonuses to their employees for taking care of their weight, getting preventive tests and exercising, because this leads to a healthier employee.
“But, in addition, employees will identify more with the company, which reduces absenteeism and presenteeism, as well as promoting a culture of health in organizations,” he says.
However, he believes that in Mexico this culture of self-care is just beginning; there are not many companies that currently offer this type of bonus.
The expert explains that these bonuses are usually subject to a percentage of the salary that can range between 5 and 30%, although in Mexico, he reiterates, there is still no standard, since there are very few companies that offer them.
He adds that the most common thing in Mexico is to give discounts for going to the gym, consulting nutritionists, that is, reducing the costs that employees have to bear to adopt these healthy habits.
Pariz Rafael Palacios even says that there is a scheme that is widely used in organizations in Mexico; it consists of giving the employee money to decide what to use them for: psychological treatment, glasses, ophthalmological consultations.
Rocío Hernández, director of the Talent and Compensation Consulting area at AON, explains that companies form alliances with certain providers and pay a kind of subscription that gives employees access to different services, such as nutritionists and psychiatrists.
“When talking to a candidate about mental health issues, when they see that the company is concerned about their well-being, how does their perception change? The reality is that it makes a difference because they will realize that they are coming to a company where the human aspect is taken care of,” she says.
Israel Ramos, leader of the Health and Wellness practice at AON Mexico, reports that in surveys carried out by the firm, more and more companies have been identified that want to integrate programs with activities related to health prevention; at least 70% of organizations want to include this in their value proposition.
Pariz Rafael Palacios Mosqueda, for his part, says that organizations are beginning to have employees who prioritize other benefits more than just a salary. People want better remuneration, but they also evaluate additional values such as bonuses or benefits.
“It is a common comment from employees, I don’t want to change organizations because I have a very complete program, a place where they take care of me physically and mentally. It becomes a way to retain talent, ” he says.
The expert believes that, although employees have different needs, there are certain characteristics that differ by generation. For example, Millennials attach great importance to large medical expenses insurance, while Centennials prefer small medical expenses insurance. But one thing that is constant across all generations is the demand for financial well-being.
“The most important thing is that as organizations we are creating healthy cultures, where physical health care, mental health care and, of course, financial well-being are always prioritized,” he believes.
Rocío Hernández agrees that today’s younger generation is more concerned about health from a preventive point of view. “Today we see questions focused on these aspects, because they are more aware of the importance of health.”
On the other hand, the WTW director assures that, according to the results of their surveys, this type of benefit or bonus will increase because the associates themselves are demanding it, and it will also be part of their plan to attract and retain talent.
“It is very positive that companies promote well-being in general, which not only benefits employees, but also society in general. Although at the moment these initiatives come from global companies and are reflected in the organizational culture of subsidiaries in Mexico, we hope that initiatives will also be taken by Mexican companies,” concludes Pariz Rafael Palacios Mosqueda.
In addition, Israel Ramos points out that with these types of benefits the company is creating a culture of prevention, while at the same time trying to provide better compensation packages tailored to the needs of employees, and therefore, with positive effects for the company.
According to Rocío Hernández, today caring for the physical and emotional health of employees is one of the main concerns of companies, and they are taking actions for prevention and providing them with a better quality of life.