Occupational pension schemes and health insurance: Benefits of mobility pension for companies and employees

VisionTransport: Together with another insurance company, you are a partner of the mobility industry's pension scheme – in short – the Mobility Pension, which was established in 2020. What was the goal and where do you stand today?

Mathias Richartz: The pension scheme was founded by the major industry associations and the SVG Federal Central Cooperative to better serve its members. As an industry pension scheme, it is open to all companies operating in the fields of freight transport, passenger transport, freight forwarding, logistics, warehousing, and waste management.

The goal of the Mobility Pension, as we call it, is for companies and their employees to make optimal use of meaningful and effective pension offerings and state support models, and to particularly benefit from large customer conditions.

It is important that the Mobility Pension within the framework of occupational pension provision offers the entire range of employee- and employer-financed solutions, which can then be supplemented by the inclusion of company health insurance and also company accident insurance. This is well-received because companies realize they need to offer added value to employees. We now have an established industry solution here.

So, it’s about companies offering added value to their employees?

Yes, absolutely! It’s definitely about providing employees with added value.

You have been dealing with the mobility industry's pension scheme for years now. Why is this topic so important to you?

We view clients holistically and therefore see the mobility industry's pension scheme from two different perspectives that can be well reconciled. From an employer’s perspective, we are in a somewhat tense situation in the labor market, especially in the transportation sector.

It’s about recruiting staff and, of course, retaining staff. This expressly also refers to the existing staff, for whom there is also a struggle. Because – as the saying goes?

The personnel carousel turns quickly. However, turnover ties up time and money. To counter this trend, well-thought-out, high-quality, and clearly recognizable social added values are required alongside adequate remuneration.

From an employee’s perspective, there are the gaps in our statutory health and pension insurance, which already today require provision and therefore financial outlay. Coupled with the sharply increased cost of living, particularly in recent years, this leads to a problem affecting nearly everyone in the labor market.

Moreover, the subject of finance and insurance is hardly touched upon in school education. Many employees are thus highly specialized in their respective work areas but do not possess the knowledge to create suitable and high-quality preventive solutions for themselves.

Thus, innovative concepts are needed here, which we shape together with our clients using our advisory expertise and high-quality solutions. We create the framework so that companies can pass on precisely these advantages to their employees. By doing so, they position themselves as an attractive and responsible employer to current and prospective employees.

As private provision becomes increasingly important, company retirement systems are gaining more relevance for employees and those who want to become one. | Images: Kravag; Pixabay

What advantages arise for the participating companies and can you deduce trends from experiences over the last few years?

At this point, there is a clear distinction to be made between the directly tangible added values such as company health and accident insurance and services in terms of future provision, i.e., company retirement planning. In total, we are talking about a company pension scheme.

Let’s start with a so-called megatrend: Health and social security have increasingly come into people's awareness in recent years. A Statista survey on which things in life are particularly important found that for 80 percent of respondents, health comes first, noticeably before social advancement and even a happy partnership. Health is the foundation for everything else.

I would like to support this with figures from the PKV association, which document a multiplication of employers offering company health insurance for the period from 2018 to 2023. The trend towards company health insurance is therefore unbroken. I strongly advise every entrepreneur to include this basic need in their personnel marketing and differentiate themselves from competitors with their own company health insurance for employees.

Furthermore, there are business advantages, for example through a so-called budget tariff. This provides employees with an annually flexible health budget. The company's contribution is usually significantly lower than a salary payment of the same amount. Such a solution can be configured as a so-called non-cash benefit under the applicable income thresholds and regulations. Ancillary labor costs are not expected in this case.

Let's talk about private health insurance. The first thing that comes to my mind is the health examination. Does it play a role in your solutions?

That's an interesting aspect that probably many people have already dealt with. There are solutions that actually require a health examination. For example, consider the inpatient supplementary health insurance for private medical services in hospitals.

Within the framework of a company health insurance, this can do without a health examination and also apply to ongoing insurance cases.

Because it's a collective system, can the employer simply insure a certain number of employees?

Firstly, he must insure all employees. This is what the general principle of equal treatment stipulates. It initially sounds like a limitation but also includes opportunities. In addition to the general principle of equal treatment, there is also the possibility to differentiate based on objective criteria. One possible criterion could be the length of service with the company. This rewards company loyalty.

This also applies to company pension plans. The employer can structure his contributions depending on the length of service with the company. In such a case, however, I always recommend a supply regulation or company agreement as a legal basis, which defines exactly these parameters and ensures legal certainty.

A very exciting aspect, especially in times of labor shortages.

Yes, this is very frequently implemented in practice. Here's an example: After the probationary period, the employee is granted a monthly employer contribution of 50 euros to the company pension plan. After five years, the amount increases to 100 euros, and after ten years to 150 euros.

The contributions are paid tax- and social security-free within the scope of the valid exemption limits. The duration of service with the company is the key for employer benefits in most company benefit schemes. This gives the employee the appreciation they wish for their work and dedication.

Health – this ranks first for people when they are asked what is important to them. It is the foundation for other important values, such as social advancement and a happy partnership. | Images: Kravag; Pixabay

Do the welfare institution of the transport industry or you as an insurer support companies in making solutions for applicants and employees visible and making handling easy for companies?

From both the welfare institution of the transport industry and from our side, there are marketing materials and solutions. We offer our customer not only brochures tailored to their corporate design but also individualized health insurance cards.

We also create microsites for integration into the website, where the corporate welfare plan is presented. Interested parties can get informed about the employer's services in advance. It is also worth mentioning the service processing in the corporate health insurance, as this occurs directly between us and the insured employee.

Among other things, there is an app solution. Companies receive a portal access and can manage their employees' care with minimal effort directly with a click.

Can an employer with ten employees use the welfare institution just like one with 500? Or are there differences or hurdles?

The corporate pension plan of the Mobility Pension itself is available from the first employee. That was very important to us. Regarding the respective additional offers in the corporate health or accident insurance, the respective tariff regulations must always be observed. There are also solutions for small, medium, and large companies.

How do you address companies?

Companies are usually addressed through the attending corporate customer advisor, or businesses reach out to their advisor out of self-interest. Together with the industry associations, we offer informational events for this purpose. Depending on the format, company owners can connect virtually or get informed personally on site.

Do you expect such a welfare institution to have positive effects on the competitiveness and attractiveness of the German transport industry?

I am convinced that with the Mobility Pension welfare institution, we have created an effective tool to strengthen our transport industry and its attractiveness in the job market with genuine added value.

The interview was conducted by Christine Harttmann.