An open bottle of medication with the pills spilling onto money, thus depicting high healthcare costs

Contributed by WorXsiteHR

While the battle with the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, commercial janitorial and sanitation (jan/san) workers continue to put themselves in harm’s way for companies and businesses. Each day they work tirelessly to ensure that spaces, like offices and hospitals, are exceeding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) safety and cleanliness regulations. With their lives now on the line, jan/san workers face a new challenge — finding affordable healthcare. 

There’s no doubt this pandemic has caused an awakening that cost-efficient healthcare is critical for all — from permanent to part time to low wage to seasonal employees. This challenge must be faced head on and quickly, for the health of all.

The pandemic has changed every facet of our lives, from our work routines to the way we chose to live our personal lives. One area that has been deeply affected is our health and healthcare. Many businesses within the jan/san industry have continually relied on common practices for their healthcare offerings, but now that just isn’t enough. Companies can offer major medical insurance for full-time staff and managers, but what about those who work part-time or earn a low-wage? 

There is a significantly high number of part-time and low-wage employees who do not have access to healthcare, and in turn, medical assistance due to pricing and policies. Unfortunately, in today’s world, if these employees qualify and are offered major medical plans, it’s usually a very limited plan and has a high deductible — and more often than not the costs are too high for the employer and employee.

This begs the question — what are these employees to do if they don’t have access to affordable healthcare? Workers shouldn’t be put in a position where they need to choose between putting food on the table and having access to healthcare — especially as they put their lives on the line to ensure that those around them are in the cleanest, safest environments. Janitorial and sanitation companies should consider alternative programs that will provide greater access to care for all employees.

When thinking about the future of healthcare, jan/san companies and business owners need to consider a new healthcare plan. One that has the ability to empower employers to provide low-wage and part-time employees with retirement income security and ACA-compliant healthcare at no cost — and create a sense of relief for anxious employees and their families.

While the pandemic continues to impact all aspects of the jan/san industry, one thing is for certain — the health and wellness of employees should be a priority and all employees should have access to healthcare. Janitorial/san companies are already playing a pivotal role in keeping others healthy by providing clean spaces for others to work and live — now there’s an opportunity for business owners to repay these efforts by leading the change for a new approach for healthcare. A change that could have a positive lasting effect for all.

Author: Dr. John Zabasky, MA, MBA, PhD 

Zabasky is co-founder and CEO of WorXsiteHR, which created HealthWorX. Prior to WorXsiteHR, Zabasky spent over 15 years as CEO of SoftEx Staff-Leasing. Zabasky has been featured as an expert in several publications, and was recently nominated for the Los Angeles Business Journal Healthcare Executive of the Year. He is also a published author in the field of Political Economy with his work entitled ‘The Moral Jurisprudence of Adam Smith’.