Employers turn to tech for wellness

Source: https://www.benefitspro.com

By Amanda McGrory-Dixon

More employers are relying on new technologies to promote health engagement and attain targeted employee behavior changes, according to a new study by Buck Consultants and WorldatWork.

Specifically, 62 percent of respondents report using gamification and believe it is most effective, and 31 percent of respondents say they are likely to implement gamification in the next year. Fifty percent of respondents use social networking, though there are concerns over personal privacy. Another 36 percent of respondents use mobile technology, which is the least used, but 40 percent of respondents say they expect to rely on mobile technology in the future.

Additionally, 73 percent of respondents say they have implemented health engagement strategies, measure communication effective have a health engagement strategy in place and measurement of communication effectiveness, but return on investment could use more help.

While roughly half of respondents say mobile technology will be the most prevalent technology used by employers in the next two years, only 11 percent of respondents report measuring ROI on mobile apps and social media platforms, and 21 percent of respondents say they measure ROI on gamification.

“The lack of measurement is due, in part, to the fact that many companies are using third parties, such as health insurers and wellness program vendors, to handle various aspects of their wellness programs,” says Lenny Sanicola, CBP, senior benefits practice leader of WorldatWork. “These companies should direct their vendors to better engage employees and to collaborate on measuring effectiveness.”

The survey reveals that the largest obstacle from keeping respondents using these technologies is budgeting at 71 percent for gamification, 73 percent for mobile technology and 68 percent for social networking. Respondents also say lack of senior management support and no effectiveness measurements are barriers for these technologies. When it comes to social media, 43 percent of respondents say they have blocked some or all sites from employees’ computers.

“Today’s health care benefits require individuals to absorb an increasing share of expanding health care costs,” says Scot Marcotte, managing director of talent and human resources solutions at Buck Consulting. “Technology offers unprecedented ways for employers to motivate and enable employees to become more effective health care consumers. But employers need to better understand what drives their workers to make the desired changes.”

 

 

 


The Power of the Daily Huddle

Source: openforum.com

By Wally Adamchik

Quarterbacks use it, with much success, all the time—and it can work for you, too. It is one of the most effective leadership and management tools at your disposal, and takes just a few minutes to execute. What is it? A daily huddle.

You need to tell your team things they need to know to do their jobs—and contrary to popular belief, there are employees at all levels and all ages who want to hear those things. Employees who are disengaged feel that way because the boss is not communicating with them. The daily huddle is a great solution, and it can work in any industry.

Dynamics of a Great Huddle

Before the workday starts, gather your team to deliver key information to align them for the day. Are there any special events/visitors/promotions? How about a key training tip? Perhaps you will talk about production or sales targets for the day? All this information gives them direction and helps them to be more productive. Remember, the goal of the huddle is short-term—what do you want to accomplish today, not two years from now.

You also might toss in some feedback about how things went yesterday. While this is not the time to single out poor performers, you may highlight some wins from the day before.

Make sure to ask for input and questions. If the huddle is a new concept for your team, people will be reluctant to share anything initially. But, over time they will see you are serious about the huddle and will work with you to make it better.

Why a Huddle Works

Let’s look at why it works. First, it is personal. No texting or e-mail is involved. This is direct, eye-to-eye contact—still the most compelling form of communication we have. When we look someone in the eye we know we have their attention and we can see them understand our message.

Also, engaging in eye contact shows people they are important, that you want to communicate with them. It conveys the message that you respect and trust them enough to share this information with them. When you ask for their input, you are saying, “I want to hear what you have to say. I am interested in you and the value you contribute to our team.”

When an employee speaks of his company in terms of “they do… they say,” that employee doesn't feel connected or even part of the company. The huddle helps change that "they" mentality, to a "we" way of thinking. The huddle helps educate and align your team on key business issues, while making them feel like they are part of the team.

Win-Win

What’s the payoff? You get employees who understand what is expected of them on a daily basis and who feel more connected to the team. In turn they will work harder and are more motivated to do their jobs the best way they know how.

Does it always work? No. But starting the day without a huddle insures a workforce that is uninformed and de-motivated. Communication is one of the keys to success. (In fact, over 85 percent of my surveys have indicated that communication from management is in need of drastic improvement.) The huddle is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to fix this major problem.

 


Cultivating Leadership

By Julie Davidson

May 16, 2012

Source: Human Resource Executive Online

Even though federal-sector leadership scores are improving, more employee engagement is needed to prevent turnover. In particular, a recent report cites the inability of many managers to motivate worker commitment and creativity, encourage integrity, provide development or fairly manage people. 

As the saying goes, "employees don't leave their jobs, they leave their bosses."

And a new study by the Partnership for Public Service in Washington shows the federal government still has a lot of work to do to cultivate leaders who make employees want to stay.

Even though leadership scores based on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey have been steadily increasing over the past few years, leadership is still one of the lowest ranked out of 10 workplace categories, the Partnership noted in its recently released study, The Federal Leadership Challenge .

"On the bad-news side ... our government's leaders, and in particular senior leaders, received low ratings from federal employees on a range of issues, including the ability to generate worker motivation and commitment, encourage integrity, manage people fairly and promote professional development, creativity and empowerment," the report states.

"But, on the good-news front ... while the leadership shortcomings pose challenges for our government, there is compelling evidence that dedicated efforts by senior management to engage employees, improve communications, and respond to their concerns can make a significant difference in the attitudes, job satisfaction and, ultimately, the performance of federal employees."

Overall, federal employee satisfaction with their supervisors increased from 59 out of 100 in 2003 to 64 in 2010, and satisfaction with senior leaders has increased from 43 to 49 during the same time period.

When compared to the private sector, the largest gap relates to employee satisfaction with the information they receive from management about what's going on in their organizations. Employees in the private sector also feel they are more involved in decisions affecting their work.

In order to turn things around, the report states, agencies can learn from experiences at the U.S. Mint, which was able to dramatically improve its leadership scores. That organization recorded a score of 69 out of 100 in 2011, up from 57 in 2010.

The improvement is the "result of a concerted effort by top management to increase communication with employees, to work more cooperatively with the unions and to more fully explain the challenges faced by the organization and the reasons why decisions were being made," according to the report.

"Executives from the Mint said they have been empowering employees and giving them greater flexibility to do their jobs," it stated. "They have held regular town hall meetings, and visited all of the Mint's facilities outside Washington, D.C. to hear and respond to employee concerns."