The Best Benefits for Convenience Store Employees
June 3, 2019 | Mike Umpleby, Vice President of Employer Solutions (Southeast)
Convenience store employees don’t always have the most pleasant jobs. There’s often cleanup, angry customers and unusual hours with repetitive tasks. And many employees only work part time, perhaps seeking to supplement themselves financially or to have extra money while getting their education.
But since quality employees can be difficult to come by in any industry, it’s important to ensure that your benefits offerings are competitive, since that’s a proven means of maintaining high rates of employee satisfaction and retention.
It’s also a surefire way to differentiate yourself to job seekers. In a tight job market, benefits can be the razor’s edge between a quality candidate and a leap of faith, no matter the position. Here are some key areas to consider when choosing the best benefits for convenience store employees.
Offer Peace of Mind
In many cases convenience store workers are most concerned with unexpected out-of-pocket costs. To counter this, provide medical plans with accident, critical-illness and hospital indemnity options. These offerings can go a long way toward providing peace of mind for your employees.
Keep the Pocketbook in Mind
As you craft your benefits policies for your organization, remember that you’re accounting for a variety of earnings levels and concerns.
Be sure that your benefits policies are fair to employees of all income levels, and that your convenience store employees won’t be left out of certain benefits because of prohibitive costs. For example, critical-illness insurance is a benefit that many employees seek. However, offering an amount such as $30,000 is likely out of reach for your store employees. Instead, limit your offerings to $10,000 or $20,000, or offer multiple levels of coverage. Doing so will demonstrate that you value both your employees’ contributions and their financial wellness.
Make Good Communication a Priority
No matter the industry, it’s incredibly important to lead with education regarding benefits so that employees know what their options are and how to coordinate them.
By being clear with your communication, you’ll also build trust. Think about a common subset of convenience store employees: part-time workers attending college. They may have a medical plan through their school or HealthCare.gov, and they may not be eligible for your core benefits — but this doesn’t mean they’re not interested in other benefits you may offer.
Work with employees to provide transparency about what they’re eligible for. Giving them the means to engage with a call center representative or on-site counselor is particularly helpful so that questions can be answered instantly.
Another great resource you can provide is decision-support tools, such as calculators. These allow employees to consider their benefits on their own time, helping them better weigh their options and making them more comfortable with the benefits decision they ultimately make.
Disclaimer: This content is strictly informational and should not be used as specific advice on insurance products, legal, accounting, and/or tax related matters. Insureds should always contact the appropriate licensed professional for their insurance, legal, accounting, or tax needs.
