With more and more companies recruiting remote talent worldwide, almost all of every employee’s workload is done through a device. Whether it’s their laptop, tablet, or cell phone, these gadgets play a significant role in ensuring they’re connected to their employer and teammates during work hours.
However, these devices also play a role in causing eye strain and other eye conditions. When you dedicate most of your time in front of a screen, you’re bound to impair your vision one way or another. And with weakened eyesight, poor performance is pretty much inevitable.
If you’re still on the fence about giving your employees proper and better eye care benefits, we’ve listed six reasons below that might just change your mind. Read on below!
- Employees Want Vision Insurance
Vision insurance is not an option in every company. However, employees nowadays consider it to be a standard benefit. Therefore, they expect their benefits packages to include medical, dental, and vision plans.
Perks for eye care were once considered “nice to have” benefits. However, research indicates that 80% of employees prefer a proper benefits package over a pay raise.
With vision benefits, employees don’t have to worry too much about the cost of:
- Surgery for eye injuries
- Medical treatment for scratches or infections
- Preventive eye exams
- Obtaining glasses or contacts
With an attractive benefits package, you’re also enhancing your talent acquisition process through a competitive advantage.
- Employees Deserve To Be Healthy
Proper eye care benefits cover regular eye exams, which your employees need to determine whether there are changes in their eyesight and the overall condition of their eyes.
The thing about our eyes is that they can signal the onset of several medical conditions, such as diabetes. Eye exams can also detect eye disorders, excessive cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.
With early detection of these vision problems and other health issues, your employees will be able to resolve them with less expensive treatments. As a result, healthy employees are happier and more productive!
- Employees Need Relief From Digital Eye Strain
Increased screen time and fewer breaks reduce employee productivity due to the development of eye disorders. Remote employees know that the hours they spend in front of the screen affect their job performance due to the headaches, fatigue, and attention problems they experience.
Headaches alone can cause a company millions upon millions annually due to absenteeism, lost productivity, and medical expenses. With proper eye care benefits, businesses can ensure that digital eye strain is prevented.
Aside from eye insurance, you can also look into incorporating better vision practices into your employee wellness program, which can include:
- Practicing the Triple 20 Rule. Actively engage your employees in maintaining good eye health with this simple eye workout. Spend 20 seconds staring at anything that is about 20 feet away. Every 20 minutes, repeat the workout.
- Limiting Screen Time. It’s easy for employees to get sucked into their tasks and forget to look up from their screens. Give them reminders to take short breaks frequently. Encourage them to get up from their seat, stretch in the office, and take a few steps to allow their eyes to rest.
- Employees Will Be More Productive
Keeping your employees in tip-top condition supports their productivity. However, offering benefits for eye care is just the tip of the iceberg. You also have to educate them about these benefits. Start with the following:
- Describe the importance of vision coverage, what is covered by the plan, and how they can use the benefits.
- Discuss typical eye issues they could encounter as they work, such as dry eyes, UV damage, eye strain from computer use, or other common eye disorders.
- List down the benefits of routine eye checkups for maintaining healthy eyes.
- From your employees themselves, encourage them to share specific ways they use their eye care benefits and the value it brings to their general well-being.
- Employees Want To Feel Appreciated
Employees like to work for organizations that care about them outside their daily tasks. Offering eye care benefits as a component of a larger package of wellness benefits shows your employees that you are committed to protecting their well-being.
When employees feel valued, their self-esteem and sense of self-worth increase, which is excellent news for employers as these are key drivers in building employee morale and loyalty.
- Employers Will Save Money
Employers who pay the entire or a portion of the cost of an eye care plan end up saving a lot of money.
According to Employee Benefit News, you will earn $7 for every $1 you invest if you complement conventional vision plans with a low-cost booster. With this, employees can access frames, contact lenses, virtual preventative checkups, elective glasses, and other benefits. In total, you will save more than $2,700 annually per employee.
Vision Care is Employee Care
While healthcare benefits are often the main emphasis of employee benefit packages, employee demand for better and more complete eye care is rising.
Because digital eye strain and other eye problems caused by more and more time in front of the screen are on the rise, employers need strong vision benefit programs that all employees can use to keep healthy and productive. When employees have healthy eyes, productivity will rise!
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