The 2016 Stability Law has brought the issue of corporate welfare back into the limelight, i.e. the possibility for companies to provide some benefits in the form of goods and services as an alternative to economic bonuses; a very widespread practice in large companies, it is also gaining ground in small companies that are attentive to the quality of life of their employees.
The ever more limited financial resources available to companies, and the progressive need to delegate to companies part of the welfare that the State is no longer able to guarantee to the citizen, have generated a change in the center of gravity on the non-monetary components of the remuneration that they generate in the employee a higher level of satisfaction. These factors have been implemented by the current regulatory framework which has received the applause of the social partners, first and foremost the trade unions.
"This new opportunity - according to Andrea Valenti, representative of the financial partners on the board of Med-ex, a company specializing in corporate wellness - makes it possible to enhance the company's brand and increase its ability to attract and retain the greatest talent thanks to an improvement business climate. All this takes place in the face of a containment of the cost of labour”. In short, the great chance is represented by the protection of the well-being of employees; Alessandro Biffi and Fredrick Fernando, founding partners of Med-ex, the first Italian company certified in corporate wellness/healthcare, thanks to the experience gained at the CONI Institute of Medicine and Sports Science, explain it clearly: people want to better reconcile private and work life and, for this reason, they are thrilled when services that increase their well-being enter the company".
The path envisaged for Med-ex employees includes a primary prevention protocol, upon voluntary adherence, at the end of which personalized indications are provided for an appropriate physical activity programme. “The results obtained by our customers – continues Biffi – all revolve around the improvement of the corporate climate: absenteeism decreases, productivity improves and brand reputation increases”.
"Very appreciated - adds Fernando - are the special projects linked to specific problems, female or male, in particular moments of one's life which are purchased by the company at a price that is certainly lower than the market price for the individual employee". The path is only at the beginning but the choice to have internal corporate wellness programs, already made by companies of the caliber of Ferrari, Abbott, Abbvie, Fiat but also by smaller companies such as Geico, suggests that the direction is the right one .
