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Nuneaton firm engineers a healthier deal for staff

Friday, September 23, 2011

A Nuneaton-based engineering firm has manufactured a better deal for its workforce – by introducing an innovative health plan as part of staff pay negotiations.

JJ Churchill, a market leader in making components and assemblies for aerospace, defence and high-horsepower diesel engines, introduced the plan as a way of offering staff additional benefits and incentives without bearing the burden of costly pay increases.

The health plan, operated by Westfield Health, provides employees with cash back, up to set limits, towards a range of everyday healthcare such as dental and optical treatment, physiotherapy and diagnostic consultations.

Finance and HR Director Ken Patel said: “During our wage negotiations, staff had asked for a health scheme that provided them with added benefits. As a company, we needed something that was value for money yet satisfied our employees’ needs – and a health cash plan ticked every box.”

“The health cash plan served as an ideal solution for our employees. It helped us complete our wage negotiations successfully and also helped us address a number of issues with sickness absence.

“When people come back to work after sick leave, we carry out return to work interviews which include a scoring system. However, because people want to keep their scores low – we found that staff weren’t allowing themselves the time off to recuperate and get back to health as they should.

“We also found that because people weren’t getting their symptoms diagnosed or treated quickly enough, they had to take further sick leave down the line.

“But the plan has solved that issue. It gives policyholders cash back for healthcare, whether private or NHS, allowing staff to gain quick access to treatment, without having to worry about the cost. This means that not only can they feel better sooner – they can come back to work as soon as possible too.”