Over the last two years, remote work has become the norm in many businesses. Whether your business has grown to multiple sites or you’ve needed to provide more flexible employment due to the pandemic, supporting a remote workforce is now top of mind for most business owners.

While remote work offers benefits to employees, it does present challenges for employers. How do you properly support your staff away from the office? How can you ensure their health and safety needs are met? What can you do to provide equal access to benefits? 

In the time of COVID-19, employer-sponsored health plans and other employee benefits can seem harder to manage, especially if your workforce is spread across multiple states or working in increasing isolation. But, as you’ll find, it’s not impossible.

Remote work is here to stay

We all know the story. An airborne virus wreaked havoc across the globe, leading to lockdowns and the need for social distancing. As a result, businesses quickly pivoted and encouraged employees, where possible, to work from home. 

The result? A genuine work revolution. A global survey of 10,000 employees found that 69% of Americans were more productive working from home. In another study, 99% of respondents want to continue to work from home, in some capacity, for the rest of their careers. Meanwhile, 95% of HR leaders expect some of their employees to work remotely beyond the pandemic. 

The rise of new technology and the rapid adoption of flexible processes have not only allowed employees more choice and a greater work/life balance. It’s also enabled employers to bring on employees in different locations, tapping into a larger talent pool to help drive their business.

With benefits for both employers and employees, remote work is here to stay. 

Why it’s vital to support your remote workforce

In the new world, it’s vital to support your remote workforce so you can grow your business and help your employees achieve their best. Now that more employees are working away from your business base, it’s important to find a way to offer employee benefits, regardless of their location.

They may no longer have easy access to your in-network providers or onsite clinic (if you offer one) for healthcare or be able to utilize the existing facilities you offer (whether that’s a dedicated coffee machine, office gym or other employee perk). The tyranny of distance can be a tough one to crack when it comes to your remote workforce.

One way to reward and look after your remote staff (and get around the distance issue) is to offer a supplemental employer-sponsored health plan that all employees can utilize, whatever state they live in.

By offering extra pharmacy benefits to staff, you can help them keep on top of their health and better manage chronic conditions. With better health, comes improved performance, less sick leave, greater morale and increased loyalty - everything your business needs to stay competitive.

With an estimated 69% of employees not taking prescribed medicine due to procrastination and forgetfulness, supporting your remote workforce with a supplemental employer-sponsored health plan could make a huge difference to the success of your business.

How employer-sponsored health plans can support your remote workforce

With 66% of US adults taking prescription medication, your remote workforce is more likely to regain control over their chronic conditions with the help of a dedicated employer-sponsored pharmacy plan. 

By covering some or all of the costs of regular prescription medication, you’ll remove one of the biggest barriers to healthcare for your remote teams. Partnering with a national pharmacy provider will also ensure that all your employees are covered, wherever they work.  

Your remote employees will also benefit from: 

• Affordable medication - with their medication costs reduced or even eliminated, your staff will have access to the medication they need.
• Improved health - with access to the right medication, your staff will feel better and enjoy better health.
• Increased productivity - with their health needs in check, your staff won’t have to take as many sick days.
• More motivation - with better productivity, your staff will be more motivated to come to work and do their best.
• Higher performance - with improved motivation, your staff will perform better and find ways to be more innovative.

As you can see, your business, and your entire team, will all benefit from the introduction of an employer-sponsored health plan, focused on pharmacy benefits.

Which employer-sponsored health plans will suit your remote workforce?

This is where it can get a little tricky, as many standard employer health plans are designed to support staff in a single state or location. If your remote workforce is still local and can access onsite health clinics, then these plans may still be an option for you.

However, if your workforce is scattered across the US, then you need a different approach. To deliver equitable benefits to remote staff, you’ll need to partner with a nationally licensed provider, certified to dispense prescription medication in all 50 contiguous states.

Before choosing your employer-sponsored health plan, be sure you understand how your remote workforce can access its benefits. With remote work here to stay, there’s every chance you’ll have to support staff in different locations (if not now, then definitely down the track).

Benefit from HomeMed’s revolutionary employer pharmacy plan

A nationally licensed pharmacy, HomeMed offers an employer-sponsored health plan to suit the needs of your remote workforce. It differs from standard employer programs in several key areas:

• Focused on pharmacy: HomeMed’s employer-sponsored health plan is simple, affordable and effective. By supporting employees to access the chronic medications they need, health outcomes are improved, saving thousands in insurance premiums.
• Not linked to insurance: this is a standalone offering that covers pharmacy costs for your employees, giving you control over the medications covered. You don’t need to engage an insurance broker or work out complex calculations to establish coverage.
• You get cost certainty: unlike traditional insurance-backed pharmacy plans where premiums are based on the medications your employees use, this is a fixed cost plan. You pay $10 per employee per month, regardless of how they use the plan. That’s it.
• Support all employees: HomeMed’s employer-sponsored health plan can support all employees, wherever they are located. Licensed to dispense in all 50 states, our plan can cover your employees regardless of the state where they reside.

With HomeMed, there are no copays or deductible limits. As a standalone plan, you avoid the hassle of having to work with insurance companies and the complexity of calculating coverage. For just $10 a month, your employee (and their dependents) can access prescription medications listed in your formulary, enhancing their health and boosting their productivity.