ASHHRA Health and Wellness Pulse

Scott Wooldridge, BenefitsPro
The underlying movement in the U.S. economy is toward growth, and HR professionals should prepare for the issues that have come with it.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/12/07/5-big-hr-trends-to-watch-in-2016?ref=mostpopular to view the full article online.

Louis Efron, Forbes
Despite what you think you can get out of this new talent pool in the short run, it is overshadowed by the benefits of a long tenured relationship.

Visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/louisefron/2015/12/13/why-millennials-dont-want-to-work-for-you/ to view the full article online.

Meghan M. Biro, Forbes
Without trust, the foundation of nearly any relationship is seriously weakened. It’s no different at work. But defining trust in the workplace is a little different.

Visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2015/12/12/4-ways-to-define-trust-in-the-new-world-of-work/ to view the full article online.

Nick Thornton, BenefitsPro
Many of today's employee assistance programs (EAPs) were created in the 1990s. It may be time to revisit this workplace benefit and determine whether it's braced to address the challenges of the workplace of 2020.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/11/23/wealth-manager-merges-with-401k-capability?ref=mostpopular to view the full article online.

Alex Siedleck, BenefitsPro
The move to consumer-driven health care is a trend not just for hospitals and health systems, but also for the health benefits industry.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/12/14/shifting-health-benefits-to-the-consumer?ref=hp-news to view the full article online.

World at Work
Workers around the world can expect to see real wage increases of 2.5 percent as pay increases combine with historically low inflation to leave employees better off.

Visit http://www.worldatwork.org/adimLink?id=79606 to view the full article online.

World at Work
Among the provisions of the proposed legislation is an increase in spousal protection that requires spousal consent before a married worker can take money out of a retirement account.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/12/14/womens-pension-protection-act-introduced-in-house to view the full article online.

Susan Schoenfeld, HR.BLR
Workers around the world can expect to see real wage increases of 2.5 percent as pay increases combine with historically low inflation to leave employees better off.

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Discrimination/Equal-Pay-Comparable-Worth/Compensation-Wage-statements-OFCCP-investigations to view the full article online.

Stephen Bruce, HR.BLR
A whopping 79 percent of employees would rather have better benefits or perks than have better pay, according to a recent survey conducted by Glassdoor.

Visit http://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2015/12/09/perks-over-pay-the-name-of-the-game/ to view the full article online.

Smallbiztrends
More employers are offering workplace wellness programs than ever before. This year, close to half of the 1,977 business decision-makers surveyed for the fifth annual Aflac WorkForces Report said their companies sponsor workplace wellness programs.

Visit http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/12/workplace-wellness-programs-rise.html to view the full article online.

Caroline Marwitz, BenefitsPro
The year 2015 packed controversy and court cases into your news feeds.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/12/11/top-6-retirement-planning-stories-of-2015?ref=hp-in-depth to view the full article online.

Rich White, BenefitsPro
The U.S. Department of Labor proposed new rules to move forward in adopting mandatory state-sponsored retirement plans for private businesses.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/12/02/help-small-employers-assess-retirement-plan-auto-e to view the full article online.

Marlene Y. Satter, BenefitsPro
If you’ve wondered how people actually spend their money once they’re retired, a new study from the Michigan Retirement Research Center at the University of Michigan can help you out.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/12/10/new-study-looks-at-couples-retirement-spending-pat to view the full article online.

Ann Wyatt, Benefitspro
If you asked your employees if they would like to get more exercise, most would agree that they would prefer to be more physically active, but finding time for fitness is challenging.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/12/07/8-ways-to-help-employees-find-time-for-fitness to view the full article online.

Michael Mink, Investor’s Business Daily
Physically unhealthy employees drain company resources and productivity – in addition to being a drag for them personally.

Visit http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-in-success/121415-785160-exercise-strong-habits-for-workplace-health.htm to view the full article online.

Danny Timblin, Benefitspro
After reviewing aggregate reports from annual wellness screenings, a large employer in the Southeast found that more than 50 percent of its employees were obese and an additional 28 percent were overweight.

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2015/12/14/getting-employees-engaged-in-health-one-step-at-a?ref=hp-top-stories to view the full article online.

World at Work
Between worker demands and employer needs, the workforce is changing. And, according to a recent study, the vast majority (95 percent) of chief HR officers are currently using or will soon use nontraditional (nonemployee) skilled workers.

Visit http://www.worldatwork.org/adimLink?id=79618 to view the full article online.

Jacob Morgan, Forbes
Typically, corporate culture energizes us or drains us; it motivates us or discourages us; it empowers us or it suffocates us.

Visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2015/12/10/how-corporate-culture-impacts-the-employee-experience/ to view the full article online.

Catherine Pearlman, Huffington Post
The issue of leave after a baby is born is a hot topic. However, focusing on the few months after the baby is born only scratches the surface of some of the issues working women face once they become mothers.

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-pearlman/opting-in-a-middle-ground_b_8791118.html to view the full article online.

Jeanne M. Stafford, Huffington Post
This time of year calls for social gatherings and events with friends and relatives, often resulting in encounters where we share about our lives, leading to communication fatigue.

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanne-m-stafford/3-ways-to-transform-fatigue-into-relief-when-communicating-this-season_b_8782122.html to view the full article online.

Alan Ross, Biz Journals
It is no secret that mental illness is still stigmatized in this country and that depression and suicide are something almost no one wants to talk about, especially in the workplace.

Visit http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2015/12/14/holiday-blues-minding-your-staff-s-mental-health.html to view the full article online.

In the Black
Are managers doing enough to promote effective mental health policy at work?

Visit http://intheblack.com/articles/2015/11/27/management-must-work-with-staff-to-promote-good-mental-health-policy to view the full article online.

Greg Slabodkin, Health Data Management
Driven by rising health care costs, alternative payment models and the emergence of big data analytics, the global market for population health management software and services will more than double over the next five years, growing from $14 billion in 2015 to nearly $32 billion by 2020.

Visit http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Population-Health-Market-Forecast-to-Double-by-2020-51715-1.html to view the full article online.

Philip Betbeze, HealthLeaders Media
Health systems are uniquely positioned to learn from both sides of the health care cost and quality equation. Start using that to your advantage.

Visit http://healthleadersmedia.com/content/LED-323651/Adapting-to-Population-Health-via-Your-Own-Employees to view the full article online.

Dave Chase, Forbes
There is no better place to generate staggeringly high bills than at a hospital. For entirely rational reasons, health care providers invested vast sums of money on IT systems optimized to maximize billing opportunities.

Visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/davechase/2015/12/01/health-systems-built-for-the-1-face-big-population-health-gaps/ to view the full article online.

HR.BLR
What actions are employers taking to prioritize workplace wellness and ultimately boost employee attraction and retention, reduce sick days and decrease health care costs? A recent survey adds some insight to this question.

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Benefits-Leave/Employee-Wellness/Companies-making-wellness-top-priority-workplace# to view the full article online.

Elisabeth Leamy, ABC News
You already know your boss wants to help you lose weight and improve your vital signs through one of the workplace wellness programs that more than 90 percent of big employers now offer. Now are you ready for the new kind of wellness in the workplace?

Visit http://abcnews.go.com/Business/employers-offering-financial-wellness-programs/story?id=35370289 to view the full article online.

Linda Harding-Bond, Huffington Post
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) which recently took place in Mexico City was the largest, most diverse and cross disciplinary conference in its 9-year history, attracting 470+ delegates from over 40 countries.

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-hardingbond/wellness-trends-global-summit-identifies-the-top-10_b_8746628.html to view the full article online.