Being the boss is difficult. You need to be sure that your company is running smoothly, keep customers happy and ensure that your employees are satisfied and content. One effective way to keep your employees satisfied is to offer them benefits such as a medical aid, life insurance or funeral cover.
Group scheme funeral cover is especially important to employees as the costs of funerals continue to rise. If you are interested in offering this to your employees, read on below for just some of the reasons why your employees need funeral cover.
The cost of a funeral
If you have not planned a funeral recently, then you will not be aware of how costly they can become. Even if you water it down to the basics, a funeral is an expensive endeavour. Often you will see people struggling to put together the funds to pay for a funeral of a loved one, which could be the case for one of your employees.
Sometimes, employees will put finances together for their coworker, so the family can use these funds towards the funeral. This is especially true if the employee was the sole breadwinner of their family. Getting funeral cover for your employees will alleviate this burden and allow their friends and families to grieve in peace.
There are fewer exclusions
There are usually exclusions for funeral cover but, for group scheme funeral cover, there are significantly fewer. In some cases, your employees do not have to undergo a medical exam and if they are smokers, they will not have to pay a higher premium than the other employees.
Unlike individual funeral cover, group scheme funeral cover works on the principle of pooled risk, it is available to all employees regardless of their health status. If one of your employees has high cholesterol, they will not be excluded from the cover. Similarly, if someone has diabetes, they will not be excluded. This is a fantastic aspect if your employee is the sole person who works in their family and does not have the means to afford their own cover.
Benefits apply automatically to all employees
One of the major reasons why group scheme funeral cover is so good for your employees is that the benefits will apply immediately to all employees. This means that, regardless of their health, age and level in the company, they will have access to the benefits.
This is highly advantageous to your employees as they will not have to wait to see if they qualify for the cover. While there might be a certain time period you will have to wait before making a claim, your employees will all reap the benefits equally. This makes for a happier workplace and less stressed employees, which benefits everyone.
Their families will have closure
If or when one of your employees passes away, it is a very difficult time for their family. This can be made even more difficult if they have to scrape together money to pay for a funeral. Having a proper, dignified funeral is part of the grieving process and provides closure for the family.
If their family is not able to plan a proper funeral, this could mean that they have an open-ended period of loss in front of them, with no official goodbye to their loved one. You will also find that fellow employees find closure, as they will be able to attend the funeral and give their condolences to the family. Having closure is an important part of the grieving process and will ensure everyone involved can grieve properly.
It offers a good incentive
If you want to find and retain talent, you will need to offer your employees a good incentive to choose to stay with your company. Group scheme funeral cover might seem like a minimal benefit, but your employees will be happy with the fact that you are actively helping them to look out for the best interests of their family.
Having funeral cover will make it more likely that your employees will stay loyal to you, as you are offering something that will help with their future and the future of their family. While some employees might have taken out their own cover, there are some who might not be able to afford it. Your employees will feel valued and appreciated and will stay with your company rather than look for work elsewhere.
Final words
Your employees need funeral cover for a wide variety of reasons, one of which is the rising cost of funerals in South Africa. There are fewer exclusions with group scheme funeral cover, which means that all of your employees will be covered, no matter what their health status is.
Some options even allow employee family members to be covered, which can be of immense help to the employees in their time of need. Offering funeral cover to your employees is affordable and allows them to have one less stress in their lives, which means more productive workers and a happier office atmosphere.
