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The Benefits and Wellness Bulletin (BWB) is dedicated to helping you explore new ideas around wellness and benefit offerings. If you are not an ASHHRA member, please check out the benefits here and consider joining ASHHRA here. FROM ASHHRA
Dear Health Care Executives:
I would like to set a challenge out there for all of you. Early last year, I began to read reports that we were sitting way too much as a society and that it was contributing to the obesity crisis. Even if we work out every day, the amount of sitting we do is not good for us. In trying to be a good steward of health and wellness, I took this to heart and started standing at my desk on a daily basis. I saw three things happen; one, my thought process was different, possibly more creative; two, I had a much higher energy level at the end of the day; and finally, my cholesterol level was significantly lower as stated by our wellness coach—she had never seen anyone with cholesterol that low. So having said that, I challenge each of you to start standing throughout the day. Even if it is only while you are on the phone—try to get out there and move around. Visit staff instead of calling them. Try to get in at least four hours of standing or moving every day. Now I will admit there are days I need a moment to sit, but for the most part I try to remind myself that I need to keep moving and active in order to stay healthy. This edition of the Benefits and Wellness Bulletin (BWB) will inspire you and your employees to stay motivated and save benefit claim dollars along the way. This edition will also provide new ways to inspire and invigorate your thought process and possibly save you dollars in all of your organizations as it pertains to wellness and benefits. You can even read this edition of the BWB on your smartphone while on a treadmill—to learn more, click here. We are here to help inspire you and your employees around improving your life and wellbeing. ASHHRA appreciates your dedication to health care, and we will continue to improve in assisting you in the way you do your work. Please feel free to email me at sdrake@aha.org for any reason—we are here to serve you, our valued members. Sincerely, Stephanie H. Drake ASHHRA Executive Director BENEFITS
By Kyle Lagunas
While there are many potential benefits of tuition assistance programs, the challenge for business leaders is to manage investments in employee education in a way that maximizes returns, both for the employer and the employee. Not only does tuition assistance need to encourage employees to develop specific skills, it also needs to empower employees to pursue their educational goals. SOURCE: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS VIEWS By Jennifer Benz
Benefits communication rarely gets the credit—or attention, or budget, or planning—it deserves. Despite well-documented empirical evidence of its impact and big-name thought leaders advocating for more meaningful investment in communication, it usually gets the short end of the stick. SOURCE: TLNT.COM Bloomberg News Service
Americans are sicker and more likely to die earlier than individuals in other high-income countries, a gap that affects even the wealthy, the insured and those with healthy behaviors, according to a government-sponsored study. SOURCE: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS NEWS By Lindsey Tanner
Patients can refuse a flu shot. Should doctors and nurses have that right, too? That is the thorny question surfacing as U.S. hospitals increasingly crack down on employees who won't get flu shots, with some workers losing their jobs over their refusal. SOURCE: THE MIAMI HERALD In response to scrutiny by lawmakers and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the past few years, tax-exempt organizations continue to review their executive total rewards programs to ensure they are responsible while supporting their attraction and retention goals.
SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK By Catherine Tsai
Michelle Ebert played basketball, volleyball, tennis, and softball in high school. But she gained weight after college while building her career with a firm that helps other companies manage customer service, often working 14-hour days. Ebert lost weight twice with a diet program only to regain the pounds later. A new wellness program promoted by her employer prompted her to try again. Two years later, Ebert, 40, has lost 80 pounds, and she no longer needs to take two pills she once took for high blood pressure. SOURCE: BENEFITS PRO Most employees failed to use all their vacation time in 2012, according to a survey by Right Management, the talent and career management expert within ManpowerGroup. Seventy percent of respondents indicated they did not take all the time due to them, while 30 percent said they had. The findings are consistent with those of a Right Management poll a year ago, when 70 percent reported not using all their vacation time in 2011.
SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK Nearly four years after the financial crisis began, fewer employers and employees are reporting severe negative economic effects. However, both groups exhibit declining optimism about how they will be doing financially a year from now. According to Sharpening the Focus on Benefits Strategy, the first in a series of research briefs stemming from The Seventh Annual Study of Employee Benefits: Today & Beyond from The Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential), 14 percent of both employers and employees cite severe negative economic effects, down significantly from 2010 results of 27 percent for employers and 22 percent for employees. Conversely, employers who say their financial position will be better or improving in one year dropped from 70 percent in 2010 to 54 percent this year; employees report a drop from 44 percent to 38 percent.
SOURCE: BUSINESS WIRE (THESTREET.COM) By Linda Robertson
Now that Congress has mostly averted falling off the fiscal cliff by penning The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, some employees may have a false sense of confidence that the Act only will impact the wealthy. The message we are hearing is that the middle class has been spared from a tax increase, but that’s not necessarily true. Your employees will have an unpleasant surprise with their first paycheck of the New Year in 2013 since the temporary reduction of 2 percent on the employee portion of the Social Security tax that we’ve had for the past two years was allowed to expire. As of January 1st, the tax increases back to 6.2 percent on the first $113,700 of earned income. SOURCE: TLNT.COM With three months remaining in what is already being called the worst flu season in a decade, employers around the country are undoubtedly feeling the financial effect of increased health-care costs and widespread absenteeism. Making matters worse, according to one workplace authority, is the tendency of employees concerned about job security to keep coming to the office despite their illness.
SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK By Amanda McGrory-Dixon
For employers looking to increase productivity, employee assistance programs just might be the right solution. EAPs provide various types of counseling services, depending on what the employer elects, and these programs are specifically designed to help employees solve personal issues that are affecting their work and get those who must take off time back to the office sooner, says Mary Malone, disability and productivity consultant at the Standard, an insurance and financial service company. SOURCE: BENEFITS PRO WELLNESS
By Kate Taylor
It’s hardly breaking news that sitting at work all day is bad for you. Sitting for hours may mean you’ll increase your chances of dying younger than your standing counterparts—no matter how much you work out. If you cut the time you spend parked behind your desk daily, on the other hand, you may extend your life up to three years. However, even with these grim facts, how many people are really willing to stand up and do something about it? SOURCE: FORBES By Janine Chiasson & Donna Faye
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is taking wellness seriously. As part of a strategic visioning and renewal process, Prevention and Screening Services emerged late last year as a new service to help promote and support wellness across the entire Health Sciences Centre. Some of the work of prevention and screening takes place off campus, but there’s plenty to do on campus too with a staff of 2,700 people—not including hundreds of students, physicians, and others. SOURCE: HOSPITAL NEWS By Molly Gamble
Which wellness programs are most common for hospital employees? Nearly every hospital offers flu shots, but less than a quarter of organizations offer around-the-clock nurse helplines for employees, according to data from the American Hospital Association. Findings are based on survey responses from 876 hospital human resource leaders, CEOs and wellness leaders. Responses were nationally representative of all hospitals in terms of size, teaching status, and census region. Survey respondents indicated their hospital/health system offers the following programs to at least some employees. SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW By Rebecca Vesely
With a new year there often comes a renewed focus at work. But how can people maintain that focus and energy throughout the year? Perhaps the answer is in "strategic movement," a workplace engagement tool advocated by Jack Groppel, co-founder of the Human Performance Institute and vice president of applied science and performance training at Wellness & Prevention Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company. The principle behind strategic movement is simple: The brain functions better with increased blood flow. It takes only one to two minutes of movement after a period of rest to increase energy and motivation, Groppel says. SOURCE: WORKFORCE.COM By Fran Melmed
Right about now, your employees are wondering whether they’ll keep their new resolutions or dust off the old ones and give them one more go. Even your employees who didn’t make resolutions are likely stewing over possible ones as they listen to everyone talk about strategies for keeping theirs for this year. Since health resolutions top most employees’ lists, why not give your employees a helping hand? After all, you have a vested interest in their success. SOURCE: TLNT.COM By Kathleen Koster
Benefits pros and wellness vendors are joining forces to roll out more wellness tools for employees to access via smartphone. Such apps have been found to increase employee engagement, decision making, and health outcomes. SOURCE: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS NEWS By Deborah Condon
Office workers who stand at their desk for three hours a day lose around 30,000 calories—or eight pounds—over the course of a year, an expert on physical activity and exercise has claimed. SOURCE: IRISHHEALTH.COM By Sean Dent
It’s that time of year. The new year is upon us, so it’s time to make those ever-"permanent" New Year’s resolutions. Something related to health, wellness, and fitness always rounds out three, if not five, of the top 10 popular resolution goals. The long-standing joke is that most of us never actually follow through with any new year’s resolution, let alone all the fitness-related goals. They just never seem to "stick." I think I read that more than 30 percent of people fail at their resolutions. I thought I’d share some sure-fire tips on how to ensure your fitness-related goals will stick this year. SOURCE: SCRUBS By Shana Sweeney
A few months ago, I attended the Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. Health 2.0 strives to present cutting-edge innovation intended to transform health and health care. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of innovation happening in the health and wellness space. I was introduced to a dizzying array of personal devices, phone apps, and online systems. SOURCE: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS NEWS By Anahad O’Connor
As public health officials struggle to contain the spread of influenza, pertussis, and norovirus, a growing number of hospitals around the country are placing restrictions on visitors to protect their patients from infection. Hospitals in at least 10 states have asked visitors with flulike symptoms not to visit patients. Some are placing outright bans on children and teenagers, fearing they may be most likely to infect patients. SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES Everyone wants an effective wellness strategy to maintain a healthy, happy, and low-cost population, but how do you know yours will work? Linda K. Riddell, a principal at Health Economy, LLC, and frequent guest contributor to EBN's blog, Employee Benefit Views, has compiled some warning signs you may be on the wrong path.
SOURCE: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS NEWS By Dana Robinson
If you’re in the mood to spread around a little motivation, health, and wellness in 2013, here are five ways that you can give a little and get a lot in return. SOURCE: HR.BLR.COM 
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