November is usually a month businesses treat quietly. The rush of Q4 is here, year-end reporting starts, HR finalises leave calendars, and most budgets are already allocated. But something interesting happens every year across Malaysian companies — unused wellness budgets get ignored, cut, or simply returned.
And in 2025, with employee healthcare costs rising and chronic illnesses increasing among working adults, that “unused balance” isn’t just wasted money. It’s a missed opportunity to improve productivity, loyalty, and long-term retention.
This is where the “November Wellness Budget Reset” mindset comes in.
Why Companies Should Spend Before the Financial Year Ends : November Matters More Than January
Many HR and finance teams wait until January to plan employee wellness, assuming that a fresh budget equals a fresh strategy. But November is actually the most strategic month of the year to invest in staff health because:
- Medical benefit usage is highest in Q1 and Q2
(Source:https://www.mhtc.org.my/)
- Sick leave spikes during the rainy months (November–January)
- Annual performance reviews reveal patterns of burnout
- Corporate health data becomes clearer near year-end
- Budgets that are not used now are rarely increased next year
In short: Spend late, save early.
A small preventive investment before December can reduce the hidden cost that companies face in the first quarter — absenteeism, medical claims, staff turnover, low energy, and presenteeism (employees who show up but can’t perform).
The Financial Reason: Preventive Screening Costs Less Than Sick Employees
Let’s talk in numbers — because HR decisions today are heavily backed by finance.
Issue
What Companies Usually Pay
MC abuse / repeated sick leave
RM150 – RM300 per employee per month
Sudden chronic illness hospitalisation
RM5,000 – RM30,000 per case
Loss of productivity due to fatigue or burnout
Up to RM2,000 per employee per month
Staff turnover due to poor health support
1.5–2x salary to replace
A one-time wellness screening is a fraction of that cost.
Most companies don’t realise that the worst medical claims come from undiagnosed high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, and liver/kidney issues — all detectable through simple blood tests.
By offering November screenings, companies start the next financial year with data, not guesswork.
(Source: https://www.thestar.com.my)
The HR Reason: Year-End Is When Employees Feel Most Exhausted
Malaysian teams push hard from July–December.
Targets, projects, sales closings — everyone is running at 120%.
But the human body has limits.
- Lack of sleep
- Caffeine and sugar overload
- Stress and long hours
- Less time for exercise
- Higher rates of flu and viral infection during monsoon season
This is why HR starts seeing patterns:
✔ More late arrivals
✔ More annual leaves “for rest”
✔ More MCs
✔ Lower focus and energy
✔ Higher friction within teams
When employees are tired, they don’t always ask for help.
But a screening gives them a chance to check their health without feeling judged.
The Employee Benefit: Screen Now, Recover Faster
When companies offer screenings in November, employees enter the new year healthier, more aware, and more motivated.
A simple blood test can detect:
- Prediabetes and diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Liver or kidney strain
- Thyroid disorders
- Heart disease risk
- Vitamin deficiencies
Many Malaysian working adults only discover a problem when it’s too late.
Preventive screening changes that.- Prediabetes and diabetes
Why FEV3R Makes Year-End Screening Easy
Traditional medical check-ups are often complicated:
❌ Employees need to travel
❌ Long waiting time
❌ Company disruption
❌ Paperwork
❌ Slow reportsFEV3R was built to solve that.
It provides screening and medical consultations without the need for clinic visits.✅ Done at office or at home
✅ Online doctor consultation
✅ Custom packages for corporate teams
✅ Reports within days
✅ Affordable for SMEs, not only big companiesThis matters because not every business has a wellness budget in the tens of thousands — but every business wants healthy, reliable staff.
Companies can also start small:
- Screening for high-risk staff
- Management team first
- Pay-as-needed testing
- Monthly small-group screening
That flexibility means no HR headaches and no huge commitments.
- Screening for high-risk staff
The HR Psychology: Year-End Rewards Matter
Employees remember who takes care of them.
Some companies give vouchers.
Some give hampers.
Some organise dinners.But health is more meaningful.
A simple screening says:
“We want you to stay healthy, not just work hard.”
And staff loyalty grows when they feel valued.
In 2025, job-hopping has slowed, but talent expectations are higher.
A wellness benefit — even small — improves:✔ Employer branding
✔ Retention
✔ Workplace trust
✔ Staff motivation
The Strategic Advantage: Data for 2026 Planning
When screenings happen in November:
- HR gets real numbers before January
- Patterns become clear
- High-risk staff are identified early
- Health budget for next year can be optimised
- Training, diet, and workplace improvements can be planned
Data makes HR stronger.
And CFOs love numbers, not theory.
- HR gets real numbers before January
What Companies Can Do Before December
Here are three simple, realistic steps:
1. Offer a basic screening for all staff
Suggested tests:
- Full blood profile
- Cholesterol & lipid panel
- Diabetes risk (HbA1c or fasting glucose)
- Kidney & liver function
Even a small start prevents big future costs.
2. Prioritise high-risk employees
- Age 35+
- Smokes or drinks regularly
- Overweight
- Constantly fatigued
- History of hypertension or diabetes in family
Early detection = lower medical claims.
3. Pair screening with teleconsultation
Screening tells what is wrong.
A doctor tells me what to do.FEV3R makes this easy by providing online consultations so employees do not travel or take long breaks from work.
- Full blood profile
A Real Corporate Scenario
A mid-sized KL company of 85 employees started screenings in November 2024:
- 27% had unhealthy cholesterol levels
- 15% were pre-diabetic
- 9 employees showed severe vitamin deficiencies
In 2025, their MC days dropped by 22%, and productivity in Q1 improved.
The cost of screening was less than the cost of 1 employee hospitalisation.
This is why November matters.
- 27% had unhealthy cholesterol levels
For Companies That Say “Maybe Next Year”
The problem is simple:
If it isn’t done now,
January becomes February,
February becomes April,
and by June, the company is dealing with the same health problems again.Wellness works when it starts early — not when someone gets sick.
Final Thought: Don’t Return the Budget. Convert It.
Wellness is not a luxury for big corporations.
Screenings are now:
✔ Affordable
✔ Mobile
✔ Digital
✔ Tax-deductible
✔ And accessible through partners like FEV3R
If the financial year is closing soon, November is the smartest time to act.
Healthy employees don’t just work better.
They stay longer, fall sick less, and contribute more.
Want to get started?
Companies can explore corporate screening options through FEV3R, including customised packages for SMEs and startups.
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