A Gallup study found that 1 in 4 employees are staying in unwanted jobs for the healthcare benefits.
As healthcare costs rise and financial burdens pile on employees, many are choosing to “job lock” and stay in a unwanted or unfulfilling role just to keep their health coverage.
While this trend can affect any employee, women and those with chronic health conditions are the most common to stay on for the coverage.
The implications for job lock affect both your organization and the employee. As employees choose to stay in these unwanted jobs, organizations experience loss of productivity, less employee mobility, lack of morale and job satisfaction, and more.
As an HR professional, how can you support these employees and your organization when healthcare costs are out of your control?
You focus on what you can control and provide.
Many employees fall into job lock because of fear. Providing employees with resources to work through these fears can not only support job lock, but possibly other worries in their lives.
The healthier the employee, the better. Providing resources and opportunities for employees to take care of themselves can make a big impact. This could be reimbursement for gym memberships, offering an on-site gym or exercise classes, or even offering work flexibility to reduce stress.
Understanding your employees is vital to avoiding job lock and assuring their needs are being met without impacting the organization negatively.
Seeking out resources and perks for your employees may be the key to avoiding job lock, along with good relationship building and communication.
For more tips on how to support your employees, connect with me today!
Be sure to follow MFS HR Solutions on LinkedIn.