ASHHRA Health and Wellness Pulse

Benefit Trends

Employee benefits of tomorrow: What employees are looking for

BenefitsPro
With 2019 freshly kicked off, it’s up to HR and benefits advisors to anticipate what new benefits employees are looking for, or risk losing their competitive edge.

Visit https://www.benefitspro.com/2019/01/14/employee-benefits-of-tomorrow-what-employees-are-looking-for/ to view the full article online.

Financial

Employer-sponsored health care spending reaches record high

Modern Healthcare
People are essentially paying more for the same amount of care. Average utilization across all sectors only grew 0.5 percent from 2016 to 2017, but spending rose 4.2 percent, according to a new report.

Visit https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20190212/NEWS/190219994/healthcare-spending-for-employer-plans-hits-record to view the full article online.

Millennials need a little help with money — how employers can step in

HR Daily Advisor

While having a basic level of financial literacy is important, it doesn’t mean that Millennials should know exactly where to invest or feel like they have to do their taxes alone. There’s clearly a need for financial planning guidance, and employers can use this opportunity to provide valuable resources to their young employees.

Visit https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2019/02/20/millennials-need-a-little-help-with-money-how-employers-can-step-in/ to view the full article online.

Workplace Programs & Perks

The critical missed step in implementing workplace perks

Forbes

“Extravagant” workplace perks have seen their fair share of media attention over the years. While fun perks might be helpful to attract candidates, employee retention comes from determining which benefits will enhance the unique employee experience at your organization and developing programs accordingly.

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimbarnett/2019/02/07/the-critical-missed-step-in-implementing-workplace-perks/#31299d3238e1 to view the full article online.

At this company, you can trade a vacation for student loan relief

CNBC
On average, American workers only use about half of their eligible vacation time. Starting next year, employees at Unum can trade up to five days, or 40 hours, of that unused paid time off for a payment against their student loan debt.

Visit https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/07/newest-workplace-perk-trading-vacation-time-for-student-debt-relief.html to view the full article online.

Retirement

Groups push for expansion of portable retirement benefits

401k Specialist
A new report is calling for retirement plan options for millions of workers who lack access to traditional employer-based plans

Visit https://401kspecialistmag.com/groups-push-for-expansion-of-portable-retirement-benefits/ to view the full article online.

Workplace Wellness

Does marijuana work at work?

Workforce
Legislation may be easing restrictions on both recreational and medical marijuana use, but it’s complicating workplace policies for many employers. Here are five tips on how employers can handle the use of marijuana in their workplaces.

Visit https://www.workforce.com/2019/02/12/marijuana-work-workplace/ to view the full article online.

Wearable technology: its place in workplace wellness

Corporate Wellness Magazine
Digital technology is fast changing how we do things in the workplace. So what changes is wearable technology bringing to the fore for an employee and what do employers stand to gain?

Visit https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/wearable-technology-its-place-in-the-workplace to view the full article online.

Mental Health

The next employee challenge: Loneliness in the workplace

Human Resources Today

Loneliness is not the same as being alone. In a recent New York Times article, “The Surprising Effects of Loneliness on Health”, the author shares that loneliness can raise stress levels, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and dementia.

Visit http://www.humanresourcestoday.com/?open-article-id=9772682&article-title=the-next-employee-challenge--loneliness-in-the-workplace&blog-domain=hrbartender.com&blog-title=hr-bartender to view the full article online.

Big Health releases new mental wellness app

Employee Benefits News

A new app seeks to help stressed out workers better combat their worries. Health technology company Big Health released Daylight, a smartphone application that uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help workers handle negative thoughts and feelings.

Visit https://www.benefitnews.com/news/big-health-releases-new-mental-health-app to view the full article online.

Wellness Trends

Survey finds that employers are committing to a culture of health

World at Work

According to Mercer’s latest survey, “Health Benefit Trends & Insights You Can Use in 2019,” employers are focusing on four key areas when it comes to health care: managing rising costs, affordability, quality and employee engagement.

Visit https://www.worldatwork.org/workspan/articles/survey-finds-that-employers-are-committing-to-a-culture-of-health to view the full article online.

ASHHRA Health and Wellness Pulse

American Society for Health Care Human Resources Administration