24% of gig workers are uninsured, & missing from your book of business

With the influx of people switching to freelance or “gig” work, there seems to be a component missing from everyone’s “how to join the gig economy handbook” on accessing benefits. Employer Benefit News reported that a survey conducted by Stride Health found that of the 4,000 independent workers spoken to, 24% are currently uninsured. To break it down further, 80% of those cited believe coverage costs more than $100 a month per family member. This belief that coverage is unattainable leaves many not even considering having coverage an option for them.
The solution to this misconception is to spread information. As employers and employees lean into the gig economy, employers find it easier to hire freelance workers during economic uncertainty, and employees want more control. More freedom benefits can feel like no man’s land when providing access to coverage has always been challenging for employers. Employers can offer their part-time and gig workers benefits at no cost with the HealthEE by HBG online benefits store. Independent contractors, freelancers, and anyone under the “gig economy” umbrella has access to these benefits and can choose to receive them with an employer or on their own with gethealthee.com. Spreading the word about these benefits is a win, win. Employers need to differentiate themselves to retain and attract talent, and HealthEE by HBG can do that with no cost to the employer. On the employee’s side, everyone needs benefits. No one is immune to needing the occasional doctor’s visit or teeth cleaning, and drivers for Uber, Postmates, Doordash, etc., can only get by with auto coverage.
In a time of information overload with “insurance” generating millions of search results on google, providing clarity is valuable; give this value to your part-time workers, contract workers, freelancers, and everyone you know in the gig economy today.

Sources: 

https://www.benefitnews.com./news/24-of-workers-in-the-gig-economy-are-uninsured-how-can-employers-help

 

The Great Resignation?

The Great Resignation was a rumbling that began amid the pandemic and has grown exponentially. With millions of people resigning from their jobs and opting into the gig economy, where they can work from home, have more say over their worth, and be in control of their work-life balance. I sat with our co-founder Christian Stearns to discuss this phenomenon and what it means for business owners and employers.

Christian explained that he considers the great resignation a misnomer and that he feels this phenomenon should be called the Great Realignment, as it’s more than people just leaving their jobs. Its employees realizing and acting upon what they need to have a high quality of life. Amidst the pandemic, we as a society discovered we can measurably work from home, and in eliminating the time of a commute and the physical distance between the office and your family, it’s not surprising many do not want to go back to the old way of business, in the office, 9-5. Thus employees left in search of employers willing to provide them with the lifestyles they became accustomed to during the pandemic. 

Many of you experienced this first hand, so I asked Christian how we could take this sour realignment and make sweet lemonade. His response was for business owners and employers to take a step back, recognize the need to give to get, the need for flexibility and that employment is not the one-way street it may have once been. More than flexibility, employers need to provide value to their employees. In this new wave with a booming gig economy where many work multiple part-time gigs or freelance for many companies providing access to benefits can be the differentiator. 

As much as the move to the gig economy has given employees a new kind of freedom, in many ways, it has also created a massive vulnerability as part-time, and contract workers seldom qualify for benefits and insurance coverage. Filling this gap and covering this vulnerability can make all the difference when retaining talent, whether in the form of contract workers or even your full-time staff. The workforce is full of under-benefitted, and downright un benefited workers. The truth is that health workers lead to a healthy business, and we help make employees HealthEE. 

Quiet Quitting and what it means for employers

First, employees left their jobs in droves, but the problems for employers didn’t stop there. In a more optimistic time when the American dream was still the dream and the future was bright, employees wanted to go the extra mile to move up the hierarchy for a better tomorrow. The thought process and your hard work will pay off, and you will be rewarded. However, as inflation increases and wages can’t keep up, many employees have stopped drinking the kool-aid and either want to be compensated for the extra labor or won’t do it. Thus the term quiet quitting, in which you do what’s in your job description, nothing more, no staying late or working outside your predetermined hours or taking on extra work for the good of the company. Quiet quitting isn’t necessarily a new practice. Many compare the concept to coasting. However, I think an important distinction here is that quiet quitting isn’t personal to the company but is rooted in the need for work-life balance or extra in exchange for extra. Work-life balance is more of a private matter; balance means something different depending on the industry and person. 

However, if you’re seeking an extra to exchange for effort, consider offering more incentives to employees. I’m not talking about pizza parties or casual Fridays- nobody sees those as incentives. Instead, employees want incentives to make their lives less stressful to take weights off their shoulders. One significant weight is sure to be the expense of insurance and benefits. With HealthEE by HBG, you can offer your employees more options at more possible rates at no cost to the employer. More than just the affordability aspect, HealthEE by HBG provides a sense of control and choice to employees, something they won’t find elsewhere. It’s not a stretch to consider a piece of the quiet quitting appeal: the sense of control it offers employees. Give your employees the power of choice and the possibility of affordability with the HealthEE by HBG benefit stores.