ASHHRA Health and Wellness Pulse
December 2016
 
Purchasing Power, LLC
Benefits
Strategy
Forbes
For an organization of any kind to effectively function, a clear division of duties must exist. The right people need to be doing the jobs for which they are best suited. But nowhere in business is the division of duties more convoluted and misguided than in HR.  It's time to evolve how we think about HR services and discuss how we can maximize the effectiveness of our greatest assets: our people.
 
Benefit Trends
World at Work
Many companies do not have the budget to offer their employees many of the "Silicon Valley-type" employee benefits and perks that exist. In addition, which is the best one to offer and how do I address the needs of a diverse, multi-generational workforce? According to a recent article, some organizations may be considering offering a new type of benefit called a "life planning account." 
 
HR Dive
When presented with a survey of 10 questions pertaining to their benefits, one in five employees scored an 'F'. Terminology, how to use supplemental benefits and the percentage of income covered by disability insurance were the top three subject areas that employees struggle with.
 
Financial
World at Work
An improving economy and higher corporate profits will pay off in the form of year-end bonuses for more U.S. workers this year. Two-thirds (66%) of employers will award some type of year-end bonus or gift, according to a survey of about 100 HR executives in November by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. This is up from 50 percent who said the same thing in 2015. Meanwhile, 30 percent said there would be no year-end award of any type, down from 44 percent  last year.
 
UPMC  Health Plan
Workplace Programs & Perks
CEO.com
It’s difficult to create an employee development strategy that works for everyone. Often, it can feel like a juggling act. Does it fit each employee’s plans and goals? Is it preparing them well enough for advancement opportunities? The main issue at hand is aligning the individual goals of employees with the big picture goals of the organization.
 
Retirement
Washington Post
A survey out last month shows that Americans are worried big time about when and whether they will be able to retire. The Addison Group’s Third Annual Workplace Survey found that 51 percent of American workers surveyed are concerned that they will not be able to retire when they want.
 
Employee Benefit News
Although retirement investors lose from the decline in bonds' value as a result of the recent interest rate increase, they stand to gain from the rising payouts from 10-year Treasury bonds. Yield from Treasury has increased to 2.6% from 1.5% in June. "For long-term investors, if you reinvest at higher rates over time, the yields can more than make up for capital losses at the front end," says an economist with Vanguard.
 
Culture of Health
Workplace Wellness
Employee Benefit News
Many of today’s business owners are throwing a lot of money into workplace wellness programs because they understand the financial value of healthy employees. They aren’t, however, putting the same amount of thought into what type of wellness programs employees might actually use.
 
Workforce
The wellness industry is a changing, fluid industry, morphing as employee wellness needs shift. What once worked well may not anymore, and organizations can look at certain trends that are becoming more and more relevant. With that in mind, professionals in several organizations contributed their workplace wellness predictions.
 
Work-Life Integration
Business News Daily
Think you're helping your employees achieve a healthy work-life balance? Your team might disagree, according to a new study revealing that 63 percent of senior managers believe their company is very supportive of its staff members' efforts to achieve a healthy work-life balance, compared with just 34 percent of employees who feel the same. 
 
HealthLeaders Media
Offering hospital workers the ability to work from home can be a powerful morale builder, but managers must implement work-from-home policies carefully.
 
Population Health
Fierce Healthcare
One of the keys to successful population health management is teamwork, a collaboration that can empower primary care providers to take a leading role. The industry’s transition to value-based care makes it vital that primary care physicians participate in these care teams.
 
 

 

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