EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Clicks chief sets example with staff health plan
Clicks CEO David Kneale has urged South African retailers to do more to provide health cover for their lower-paid workers, arguing this will raise productivity and improve staff retention. Only 8.87-million people belonged to medical schemes at the end of 2016, according to the Council for Medical Schemes. The figure has remained largely flat for several years despite population growth, as medical scheme premiums have remained too costly for most households. "We encourage other companies to show their commitment to improving access to quality healthcare for their employees by funding their healthcare benefits. Collectively, corporate SA can play a meaningful role in reducing the pressure on the overburdened state healthcare system," said Kneale. Health and beauty products retailer Clicks plans to spend R31m in 2019 to provide a Discovery health insurance product to 9,200 employees earning less than R14,000 a month who cannot afford medical scheme cover, he said. Clicks employs about...
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