Employee wellness programme

AfroCentric offers employees a comprehensive employee wellness programme (EWP). The EWP empowers and trains managers to identify distressed employees and encourage them to use the programme, even though it is voluntary. Healthwise is an easily accessible platform providing wellness services for employees and their immediate dependants. The programme is based on four pillars:

					Physical Wellbeing This consists of our annual business unit wellness days, DBC wellness days, on-site weight loss programme, boot camps and charity walks. We also offer a clinic on-site at our Florida offices.

 

Emotional Wellbeing This is our 365 24/7 employee assistance programme (EAP) facilitated by WorkCare. It provides counselling services to our employees and their immediate family members. Managers can use these services in instances where they have identified employees who are troubled by personal, financial or performance concerns. Managers formally refer such employees, with their consent, to WorkCare.

 

					Financial Wellbeing The debt management programme facilitated by our service provider, Interface, offers employees free financial wellbeing services on issues such as budgeting, wills and estate planning.

 

Organisational Wellbeing Absence management is conducted through our WorkCare first day of absence system and disability management is provided through Sanlam Group Life.

Clinic on-site

AfroCentric launched its first on-site wellness clinic in 2018 to provide employees with primary healthcare services ranging from health assessments and consultations, to family planning advice and disease management. The clinic is aligned with our vision to empower greater access to sustainable, affordable and quality healthcare, and to improve employee productivity and wellness.

The facility is managed and operated by an external service provider to protect the confidentiality of employees' health data and records. While the facility is fully sponsored by the Group, dispensed medicine is subsidised and comes at a marginal cost to employees.

We intend to continue expanding the facility's service offerings to our employees and, should this pilot initiative be successful, to provide similar services to employees at our regional operations.

Strategy in action

Investing in employee wellness

Challenge: Many employees are affected by medical ailments or pressures they experience in their work and private lives. This has an adverse impact on their physical and emotional wellbeing and productivity.

Solution: Medscheme invested in an on-site clinic to address employee wellness at its Roodepoort offices early in 2018. Since it opened, the clinic has seen 1 553 patients, a monthly average of 258.

66% of patients are female

58% of patients are under 40 years old

28% of patients are repeat visits

Patient feedback has been positive

Benefits: On-site clinics deliver returns on investment in these areas:

Time
Clinic visits take minutes compared to hours spent on out-of-office healthcare.

Reduced sick leave
Prompt treatment reduces the need for extended sick leave in many cases and there is no commercial incentive to issue medical certificates.

Healthcare cost
Clinic visits are free, with medicine at a nominal charge under R75, compared to the average R500 for a private GP visit.

Healthcare cost
Employees’ morale and loyalty are boosted when an employer provides a valued service to them