In our age of technological advancements the farming space is becoming a lot more mechanised, and farmers are increasingly looking for skilled employees that can operate these specialised machinery and technology on farms.
This is also changing the talent management game for farmers and the managers of agri businesses, says Bianca Viljoen, Agility Agri’s director of marketing, rewards and distribution. The value of skilled workers is rising all the time.
“There are a number of factors that come into play when you do think about employee loyalty and employee productivity in general,” she says.
“When it comes to attracting and retaining these quality employees, it is vital to offer them employee benefits as well as subsidising those services,” Viljoen explains. “You don’t want to lose your most valued employees to other employers.”
Agility Agri’s services in terms of industrial relations and when it comes to instances such as union negotiations within larger farming businesses, adds a lot of value to employees. This increases employee loyalty by giving them peace of mind about their employment benefits and their futures.
Big or small, Agility has you covered
The Agility Agri services and product line are built around the needs of the agricultural sector.
“We understand that there are varying levels of income,” says Viljoen. “So, Agility Agri offers benefits that are accessible and available to all employees across all income ranges.”
Agility Agri also covers just about any size of farm, with the minimum number of employees being just five. When farmers consider this type of cover, there are a number of aspects to take into account besides the size of your workforce, according to Viljoen. Firstly, there is the amount of cover the employees will have, and then secondly the cost.
After establishing that, the last thing to consider is the different types of products you want to use together to create the full cover. Agility Agri already integrates employee well-being into the group risk cover along with the medical scheme cover.
“This is the only way that you can truly manage and contain risk within your employee-benefit space,” explains Viljoen. “The Agility Life is a key part of the Agility Agri solution that can contribute long-term value to building a sustainable business and looking after employees while simultaneously managing your both human and financial risk exposure.”
All the benefits in one solution
“The Agility Life Product Range is part of the broader agility Agri solution,” Viljoen says. “It takes all your typical group risk benefits and puts them into one solution.”
According to Viljoen, this includes basic cover and life benefits. Also. in the case of an employee’s death, there is a death benefit that will ensure that their families are well looked after in the case of their passing.
The Life Product also includes disability cover, cover for critical illness when you’re diagnosed with a very serious condition, and income protection as well. Income protection covers you in those unforeseen events where you as an employee cannot generate an income for yourself or your family.
These benefits form part of the entire Agility Agri solution. Due to Agility Agri’s integrated employee benefit solution they are able to provide employers with more affordable premiums in general because it forms part of a broader solution.
“This ensures that employees are covered from A to Z across all product categories,” says Viljoen.
If you combine more than one Agility Healthcare product there is a direct discount for grouped cover. Now all the products are in one place for one point of contact, and the integration of products is more cost effective in terms of premium discounts as well. The ease of navigation and management of the process is critical for farmers to look at when choosing valuable long-term solutions.
Agility Agri thinks about the overall business and incorporation of these various elements into the cover of farms and agribusinesses.
If you want to find out more about Agility’s Health Squared options, feel free to reach out to Marcia Le Roux via email marcialr@agilitydistribution.co.za or by calling 011 796 6425.
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