The effective way I followed in my company is
1. Educate or conduct bulk training session about the importance of ESI, benefits and comparison of ESI with other private medical insurances. I educated the same to Non ESI employees as knowledge sharing.
2. Assist the employees to get benefits from ESI.
3. Contact ESI to conduct Camp in your office. (If the employee strength is more than 50, they will come). Also, they can even conduct session to your employees to explain the benefits of ESI.
4. Try to make their mind that it is only beneficial to them. Showing about the employer contribution won't help to convince them.
After these steps which I have taken, now many NON ESI employees asked me that they are willing to come into ESI. Now, this latest news will give them joy. (Of course, there will be some employees who won't like it - as they never use ESI or other medical insurances)
Please don't mind about the company, as they will show these extra expenditure as Statutory expense in their balance sheet and reduce their tax payable.
Small companies can change their salary structure by adding the components like Washing allowances which is exempted in ESI.
You can even express to the employer that they are exempted from Maternity Benefit Act and Employee Compensation Act for the employees covered under ESI Act.
So, for the employee who are taking Maternity Leave, she can get the salary from ESI. Employer will not pay the salary for those period.
Also, if an employee met with an accident during employment hours (from the time leaving from home in the morning and to the time reaching the home in the evening), all the expenses and compensation will be paid by ESI.