Pre-employment medicals manage workplace risk by ensuring employees can meet the physical demands of a job. Pre-employment medical assessments can benefit your business and improve the wellbeing of your workforce by: Helping you find the right candidate Increasing team morale and loyalty Minimizing long-term absenteeism from illness and injury Meeting health and safety targets Improving corporate image Attracting top talent Monetary benefits Continue reading for more information on the benefits listed above, as well as what employees should know about pre-employment medical assessments, how to maintain pre-medical benefits, and pre-employment medical assessment resources. What is a Pre-Employment Medical? Pre-employment medicals are incredibly important for the safety and health of a workforce. The medical assessment lets employers know how suitable any given candidate is for a position and how they can accommodate a prospective employee throughout their time with the company. The pre-employment assessment is arranged and paid for by the employer before a candidate is offered a position. The assessment is an investment in the overall health of a company, as they prevent and mitigate future health and safety risks. The Importance of Pre-Employment Medicals Pre-employment medicals offer a number of benefits to both employers and employees. Find the Right Candidate Finding a suitable, qualified candidate for your business shouldn’t be guesswork. Pre-employment medicals help guarantee your candidates are physically and mentally prepared for the job ahead of them. It is bad for both parties if an unfit candidate is hired; it can even endanger the safety of other team mates and the future success of the company. Be thorough to ensure you are hiring not only the best-qualified candidate but someone who is fit to take on the job. Increase Team Morale and Loyalty Increase team morale and loyalty with pre-employment medicals. As an employer, investing in the health and safety of your team demonstrates that you care about their wellbeing beyond the confines of the workplace. Your employees don’t want to feel like just another brick in the wall, another cog in the machine. Recognising their needs and attempting to fulfil them shows that you care about your employees and are invested in their individual futures. It all contributes to a company culture of mutual empathy and respect; a culture you and your employees can be proud of. Minimize Long-term Absenteeism from Illness or Injury Pre-employment medicals can decrease the risk of staff absence from long-term illness or injury. Save the surprises for birthday parties by conducting assessments that safeguard a business against health issues. Identifying a health concern early means you can begin treatment before it becomes a much larger issue. The earlier you catch a health concern, or a potential health concern, the better equipped you and your employee will be to manage it. Once a risk is identified, small life improvements including exercise and smarter food choices can ensure there isn’t further health decline. Diabetes is a prime example of how early detection can be life-changing. Diabetes Australia says: “At least 2 million Australians have pre-diabetes and are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Strong evidence shows that type 2 diabetes can be prevented in up to 58% of cases in the high risk (pre-diabetes) population.” Detecting an illness early means there’s a better chance of treating it and perhaps even reversing it. It is the best case scenario for both employees and employers. Meet Health and Safety Targets Pre-employment medical assessments can help businesses meet health and safety targets. Health and safety targets are incredibly important for businesses. In many industries, meeting safety requirements can mean life or death to an employee. It’s not a pleasant topic, but unfortunately, it is still a reality for far too many businesses. In the 14 years from 2003 to 2016, 3,414 Australian workers lost their lives in a work-related incident according to Safe Work Australia. Employers shouldn’t wait until it’s time to check on health and safety targets. You can invest in the health and safety of your workforce every step of the way, starting even before you hire a prospective employee. Pre-employment medicals safeguard your business by addressing health and safety concerns before they threaten your team. Improve Corporate Image Demonstrating corporate social responsibility to employees can help improve or maintain a brand’s corporate image. Investing in the health and wellbeing of current and prospective staff shows your compassion. It lets the public know you value more than just the bottom line. Employees talk. What kind of company do you want to be known as amongst workers, customers, and the general public? Foster a reputation as the company that treats their employees better than anywhere else. Attract Top Talent As your corporate image improves, your company will become a more desirable place to work. Members of Forbes Human Resources Council were asked how to make an employer brand stand out to attract top talent? Vivian Maza from ultimatesoftware.com advises: “Foster a workplace that thrives on trust and respect for all individuals—and protect that culture every day. Word will get out. Your people will talk, and they’ll refer like-minded, talented people who believe in your culture and your mission.” The top, most qualified talent wants to work at the top workplaces. You can attract the very best by proving how much you care for the wellbeing of your workforce. Monetary Benefits The monetary benefits alone make pre-employment medicals well worthwhile. Businesses will see improvements in their company’s performance as well as reap financial benefits through many of the points listed above. $480 million of workers’ compensation is paid each year for work-related mental disorders, and work-related injury and disease costs the Australian economy a whopping $61.8 billion per year. Illnesses and workplace injuries can be very costly for employers, businesses, and taxpayers. It is much less expensive to invest in preventative measures. Especially when paired with ongoing employment health checks, pre-employment medicals can reduce workplace injuries, downtime, workers’ compensation claims, and insurance costs. A safe and healthy workforce is to the benefit of everyone. What Employees Should Know About Pre-Employment Medicals If you’re an employer, you can provide this information to your prospective employees to ease the process of pre-medicals and to clear up any concerns they may have. Pre-employment medicals are designed to ensure the safety of prospective and current employees. Candidates can feel intimidated by the assessment, and it’s understandable why—who looks forward to a doctor’s appointment? And in this case, a candidate might start to think their chance of securing a job is on the line. Transparency will help the process of your pre-employment medicals. Ensure your potential employees are well-informed about your assessment procedure to ease their concerns. What can they expect? What’s tested? Can they fail a pre-medical? What should they wear? Will they be screened for drugs and alcohol? What else should they know? Here are common questions employees have about their pre-employment medicals. A pre-employment medical shouldn’t be a negative experience; it is as much for the employee’s benefit as it is for the employer. A pre-employment medical is one of the final steps before achieving employment and is performed to optimize an employee’s success and comfort in their new position, and to provide clarity about whether reasonable adjustments need to be made to the workplace to support the candidate to do the job. 💡 For candidates: Learn more about how to come prepared and what to expect during your pre-medical assessment. Both employees and employers should be aware that blocking an applicant from employment for any health issue unrelated to the position they are applying for violates anti-discrimination laws. After Pre-Employment Medicals Pre-employment medicals prevent health and safety risks, but they are only a temporary solution. In order to keep up with employee health and wellness, you need to perform regular health checks. Providing ongoing on-site health checks: Reduces workplace related injuries Reduces employee downtime Reduces workers’ compensation claims Reduces insurance costs Promotes a happy and healthy workforce Pre-Employment Medical Resources Workforce Health Assessors offers comprehensive and detailed pre-employment medical, pre-placement, and periodic medical assessments that can be tailored to suit your business needs. WHA carries a long-standing track record with over 200,000 health assessments performed across 18 countries. We organise, perform, and report on all health assessments and medicals to help you mitigate risks and determine the suitability of candidates for your business. Each of our tests is carefully designed and varies depending on the type of role a candidate will fill. Learn more about our pre-employment medical and other health assessment services. Continue Supporting Your Workforce Pre-employment medicals are only a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating a safe and healthy workforce. Read our Top 10 Ways to Create a Safe and Healthy Workforce, which includes on-site employee health checks, work balance and flexibility, mandatory vacation, and an employee favourite: free food! Learn how you can Increase Motivation in the Workplace by supporting small goals, promoting physical wellbeing, offering fair monetary compensation, and giving consistent positive reinforcement.