Happy Hour at Work?

June 4, 2012
By Denis Storey
Source: benefitspro.com

The headline that jumped off my iPad this morning was all I needed to see: “Is beer in the workplace an employee benefit?”

I jumped to my feet with my hands in the air like I was back in church.

Then I slumped back down. In this compliance-heavy era, where lawsuits are more common than doctors’ notes, how was this even possible?

But the blogger – Carol Harnett over at Human Resource Executive – went on to elaborate this stemmed from a panel discussion she’d hosted on wellness with Mark Torres, senior vice president of people and culture at The Rubicon Project. Shortly after joining the company, he polled his work force about their benefits, “which resulted in a strong staff request to retain the 24/7 beer refrigerator on the premises under the category of ‘the one thing we shouldn’t change.’”

Harnett touches on some other companies whose wellness programs venture into the progressive, to say the least.

(I’m kinda partial to Hulu’s, where their wellness plan amounts to an annual $700 check for each employee to spend any way they like to improve their own performance. But then I end up right back at the beer.)

My wife just got a new job. They apparently have these “Wellness Rooms,” where employees can go take a nap – presumably alone. Oh, and they have a “snow fairy,” an anonymous Samaritan who makes sure all the cars are cleared at the end of any our snowy Colorado workdays. And keep in mind: this isn’t some tech startup. She works for an 80-plus-year-old trade association.

My first thought – after asking about job openings – was how do you tell the difference between a perk and a benefit these days? Or is there one anymore? And where do wellness programs fit in to all of this?

Then it occurred to me we’re watching the slow, sometimes clumsy evolution of employee wellness. Many companies are getting it: that it goes far beyond gyms or smoking cessation programs. It’s about more than reducing claims or cutting costs. Simply put, it’s about getting (and keeping) happy, healthy employees. So how do you get there – booze, dark rooms or by just cutting a check?

And I think that the employers who take more of a holistic – if sometimes out-of-the-box – approach to wellness (and benefits in general) are the ones who are not only going to hang on to the best talent as we fight out way out of this economic malaise, but they’ll be far better positioned to attract the next generation of employees who live their entire lives out of the box.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m sleepy and I need a drink.

 

by 6d-destani

Home Is Where the Falls Are

According to the National Safety Council, when it comes to off-the-job safety, falls in the home are the second leading cause of accidental death in the community, surpassed only by car crashes.

Whether your employees fall and injure themselves on the job or fall and get hurt off-the job, the result is often the same—lost workdays that interfere with your production schedules and pain and suffering for the injured worker.

Here are some tips that would make a good short safety meeting to teach workers to prevent home falls.

Fall-Proof the Home on the Inside

There’s a lot workers can do to make their home environment safe from slips and falls. For example:

  • Clear up the clutter inside your home that could cause someone to trip and fall.
  • Keep electrical cords out of the path of foot traffic.
  • If possible, install railings on both sides of the stairs.
  • Never store any items on the stairs.
  • Secure area rugs with double-sided tape or rubber padding.
  • Increase lighting throughout the house.
  • Plug in nightlights in bedrooms, bathrooms, and hallways.
  • Use rubber mats in the bathtub and rubber-backed rugs on the bathroom floor.
  • Avoid floor wax cleaners.
  • Clean up spills immediately, whether they are greasy or just wet.
  • Be careful when using ladders for home fix-it jobs.

Fall-Proof the Home on the Outside

Likewise, there are several steps employees can take to safeguard the exterior of their homes

  • Install railings on outdoor stairs.
  • Add outdoor lighting at entryways and along walkways.
  • In winter, be sure to clear steps and sidewalks of snow and ice and use sand to improve foot traction.
  • Fill holes and depressions in the yard.

Take Extra Steps to Protect Children from Falls

Children are particularly vulnerable to home falls. Employees should take steps to prevent injuries. For example:

  • Never leave babies unattended on beds, changing tables, or even sofas.
  • Strap babies and toddlers in highchairs and strollers.
  • Install safety gates at the top of staircases and be sure to secure them to the wall.
  • Don't let children play in raised outdoor areas, such as fire escapes, balconies, high porches, or decks.
  • Move furniture, such as chairs, sofas, and beds, away from windows. Small children love to climb.
  • Keep windows closed and locked. For ventilation, open only those windows that children cannot reach. If you must open a low window, use window guards to prevent it from being opened wide.
  • Insist that children pick up their toys.

Don't Fall for Substitutes

There's only one Safety.BLR.com, and it's there for you 24/7 to answer your workplace safety and health questions and to provide you with all the latest news and information you need to do your job.

Whether it's changes in OSHA regulations—like the changes resulting from the recent hazard communication standard amendments—or some other vital workplace safety issue, you'll find it all reported and interpreted for you by our safety experts atSafety.BLR.com.

What's more, this one-stop safety website is a fantastic resource for safety training materials on just about any topic you can imagine.

Training responsibilities become a snap with the website's thousands of audio presentations, PowerPoints, prewritten safety meetings, toolbox talks, trainer's guides, and much, much more. You'll find training tools on more than 120 safety topics along with plain-English compliance analysis and other resources.

At a time when budget considerations are paramount, what makes more sense than an all-in-one safety training and compliance solution?

And BLR has revamped Safety.BLR.com to meet your needs even better. You'll be amazed by all the features and functionality of the site. Highlights include:

  • Side-by-Side State/Federal Compliance. By placing our state and federal regulatory analysis side by side, you easily see how to fully comply with both governmental entities.
  • MSDS Library Expansion. The site now provides an immense library of 3.5 million MSDS and SDS forms, with about 10,000 more added or changed every week. Need one? Just call up the chemical by name, manufacturer, product group, or CAS number, then print it out.
  • Newsletter Wizard. If you've ever wanted to publish a safety newsletter but felt lacking in editorial skills, this new addition is for you.
  • Plan Builder. Select from our library of safety plans, customize them to suit your company's needs, and assemble them into collections you can save in our personal library.

We're pretty excited about Safety.BLR.com and all of its enhancements, and we’re eager for you to experience it, too. That's why we've created a complimentary site tour, available here. It takes just 5 minutes.

If you like what you see, you're invited to try the site at no cost and with no obligation. We'll even give you a complimentary special report for doing so. Go here to take a 5-minute tour of Safety.BLR.com. It may be just what you're looking for.

 

by 6d-destani

Young Americans get Health Insurance, Still have debt

Source: eba.benefitnews.com

By Anna Yukhananov

June 11, 2012

Fri., June, 8, 20120 12:01am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Health care reform likely enabled about 6.6 million young adults to join their parents' health insurance plans last year, a report found on Friday, though problems with medical bills and debt remained an issue.

President Barack Obama's 2010 health care reform law allowed young adults — who previously had the nation's highest uninsured rate — to stay on their parents' private insurance plans through age 26.

This provision is perhaps the single most popular element of the Affordable Care Act, the nation's most sweeping healthcare legislation in nearly 50 years and Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.

Polls show Americans are sharply divided about the law ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on its constitutionality by the end of June.

The Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit organization that analyzes healthcare issues, polled 1,863 adults between the ages of 19 to 25 and found 47% of them joined or remained on their parents' plans between November 2010 and November 2011.

This would translate into about 13.7 million young adults in the broader population.

Of those, 6.6 million would likely not have been able to be on their parents' plans before the law's passage, as they were not enrolled in college full time or had already graduated. Most insurance plans already allow full-time college students to stay on their parents' plans.

The results compared to a U.S. government survey that last year found about 21.6 million young adults had private health insurance — either through their parents, their jobs or other means — which was 2.5 million higher than before the law was passed.

But the Commonwealth Fund also found 36% of young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 — a slightly bigger group — had trouble paying medical bills or said they were paying off medical debt. And among those without insurance, this group rose to 51%.

Sara Collins, one of the study's authors and vice president at the Commonwealth Fund, said some young people need maternity coverage, which is often expensive but may not be provided by insurance plans.

Young adults also have the highest rate of injury-related visits to the emergency room - even above children and the elderly — and may have other health conditions such as HIV or the human papillomavirus.

The survey, conducted online, has an average sampling error margin of 3 percentage points.

 

by 6d-destani

Want to Win the Wellness Game? Start with Good Communications and Fun

For many employers, wellness has become a no-brainer. The challenge, many employers discover, is getting employees on board and keeping them on the right track.

The solution, experts say, is to keep employees informed and keep it fun.

"The goal of wellness workplace programs is to improve health and slow health care costs," said Amy Gallagher, wellness expert with Cornerstone Group in Warwick, R.I. "And to get there, a clear communication strategy is a must."

Gallagher noted in a recent blog post on GoLocalProv that employers need to be aggressive and proactive when promoting their programs.

"Don't be shy when rolling out a wellness program; make it an event," Gallagher wrote. "In a kick-off meeting, position the program as an employee benefit the employer fully supports and be sure to involve leadership."

Gallagher also suggested discussing the importance of wellness with employees and clearly defining the activities and expectations.

Once the program is rolling, employers should consistently remind employees of the initiative and provide online portals and tools to boost participation.

Like any activity, it's more fun when it's a game. And wellness is no exception, according Limeade Inc.'s Henry Albrect in a recent Society for Human Resource Management report.

In the article, Albrect noted that while employers may want to be aggressive with their programs, securing buy-in from employees and making participation voluntary will generate better results.

"Traditional wellness programs often fail to achieve lasting change using a heavy-handed reliance on high incentives to drive goals passed down by the company," Albrect wrote. Programs that rely on games that appear to serve the participants' interests -- not the company's -- tend to fare better, he noted. Also, social games -- contests that involve people with whom workers already interact and know -- can be particularly effective, he said.

Like any game, the players -- not just the employer -- will want to know the score, wrote Gallagher of Cornerstone, a Member Firm of United Benefit Advisors.

"After a cycle of activities is completed, be sure to report back to employees on progress and results. Share where the population health risks are, how future activities and participation will help reduce them and any new program goals or offerings. Don't forget to survey employees to gauge their satisfaction with the program -- perhaps the most important result of all."

by 6d-destani

IRS Provides Guidance on Health FSA $2,500 Limits

In a recent Notice, the IRS provided guidance on the effective date of the $2,500 limit on salary reduction contributions to health flexible spending arrangements (“Health FSAs”) and on when plans should be amended to comply with the limit

Background. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA” or “Health Care Reform”), the annual contributions permitted for an employee under the Health FSA component of a Cafeteria Plan will be capped at $2,500. This is effective for “taxable years” beginning after Dec. 31, 2012.

New guidance. Notice 2012-40 provides the following guidance and clarifications regarding the $2,500 limit.

  • The $2,500 limit does not apply for plan years that begin before 2013.
  • The term “taxable year” refers to the plan year of the cafeteria plan (and not the tax year of the employee or employer). This means the period for which salary reduction elections are made.
  • If a cafeteria plan has a short plan year beginning after 2012, the $2,500 limit must be prorated accordingly.
  • The $2,500 Health FSA cap does not apply to any other “flex credit” offered under a Cafeteria Plan (such as dependent care assistance).
  • Plans may adopt the required amendments to reflect the $2,500 limit at any time through the end of calendar year 2014, provided that they otherwise operate in accordance with the new limit requirements.
  • In the case of a plan providing the optional grace period, unused salary reduction contributions to the health FSA for plan years beginning in 2012 or later that are carried over into the grace period for that plan year will not count against the $2,500 limit for the subsequent plan year.
  • If one or more employees are erroneously allowed to elect a salary reduction exceeding the Health FSA limit, the Cafeteria Plan will not lose its qualified status if: (1) the terms of the Plan apply uniformly to all participants, (2) the error was a reasonable mistake and not due to willful neglect, and (3) the excess amount is paid to the employee and treated as taxable wages.

 

by 6d-destani

A Good Place to Promote Workplace Wellness

Source: Safety Daily Advisor

If you've been thinking about holding a health fair to promote workplace wellness, here's some information that can help you get started.

Businesses across the country and across industries are embracing the idea that a healthier workforce is more productive and more profitable. They are also taking diverse pathways to encourage their workers to become more aware and more active in their own health.

On-site health fairs can be an excellent way to raise awareness about job-based risks and individual health status. Increasingly, fairs are seen as part of a larger effort to get employees to take responsibility for their own health.

Start with a Theme

Consider building your event around a theme, suggests Dr. Carol Rice, author ofWellness and Health Fair Planning (Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University). "Review your organization's goals, corporate philosophy, and culture to determine an appropriate theme for your health fair. Is your organization competitive, conservative, formal, or fun? What are your organizational demographics?" The answers can help lead to a theme and tone for the event.

Another consideration is time of year and other concurrent events. You may choose to piggyback on a holiday, season, or national observance like American Heart Month in February or Employee Health and Fitness Month in May.

Choice of Content

Options for booths, demonstrations, and information sharing are vast. Possibilities include:

·         Self-care

·         Back care

·         Office safety

·         Family fitness

·         Using social media to improve health

·         Ergonomics

·         Alternative treatments (chiropractic, massage, acupuncture)

·         Healthy eating and healthy weight loss

·         Healthy aging

·         Cancer prevention

·         Women's/men's health issues

·         Substance abuse

·         First aid and emergency preparedness

·         Stress reduction

·         Screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, etc.

You can also use a health fair to showcase in-house resources and opportunities as well as those provided by outside vendors. Examples of in-house programs include your EAP, safety and health department and committee, workplace wellness program, health insurance plans and related offerings, and recreational activities sponsored by your company.

Other Considerations

"Raffles, prizes, and giveaways can be fun at a health fair," says Rice. "They help build anticipation, participation, and excitement."

Another traditional incentive is a "wellness passport," which gets stamped at each booth or display an employee visits. Participants who collect a certain number of stamps receive a prize.

Other options include tokens, cash incentives, and time off for employees participating in a screening. Some employers whose health fairs are part of a workplace wellness program offer discounts on insurance premiums for completing a health risk assessment. Based on the results of the assessment, employees may be recommended for additional testing, disease management programs, and/or health coaching.

 

 

by 6d-destani

Hotter Economy can Spark Retention Challenges

Although a recent report on U.S. job growth has left many observers disappointed, other economic signs are prompting employers to re-evaluate their benefits and retention strategies to avoid a potential talent exodus.

The Department of Labor reported that the nation added 120,000 jobs in March, down from the previous three months that saw 200,000 or more new jobs. Still, the stock market is up for the year, and U.S. employees appear to be more secure in their jobs. The Randstad employee confidence index -- which measures how confident workers feel about their job security and the economy -- rose in March to the highest level since October 2007, according to Workforce magazine.

An improving economy, however, has a dark side: Talented but unhappy employees will seek better opportunities elsewhere, experts say.

"There is a storm brewing," said Lynne Sarikas, executive director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University, in a recent Human Resource Executive online report. "Many people will be looking to make a change once they perceive improvement and stability in the job market. This will have a significant impact on their employers."

More movement in the job market can spur hotter competition among employers for good talent. In addition to competitive wages, robust employee benefits can help employers keep their best workers happy and productive -- and employers are taking notice. A recent study by MetLife found that 90 percent of companies say they don't plan to cut employee benefits in the near future, according to a report by CCH. A large majority (91 percent) of those polled expressed confidence that benefits work as retention tools.

While health, dental, vision and other stalwarts in the retention toolbox remain central to many companies' overall offerings, employers may want to consider additional choices to sweeten the benefits pot.

For instance, companies that want to pull in younger workers may want to investigate defined benefit (DB) retirement plans, according to new research. A recent study by Towers Watson, reported in PLANSPONSOR, noted that 63 percent of workers younger than 40 said in 2011 that they chose their current employer because it offered a DB plan, compared with only 28 percent in 2009.

Education benefits are paying off for some companies, as well. United Parcel Service is sponsoring a program that pays up to $3,000 per year in tuition reimbursement for part-time employees. Executives say the program has spawned talented leaders who have stuck with the company.

"Enhancing the skills and knowledge base for our employees is a fundamental element of our success, and correlates directly with our policy to promote from within," Susan Rosenberg, UPS public relations manager, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

by 6d-destani

We are too fat! Now what??

BY JENNY IVY

May 14, 2012 •

Source: Benefitspro

The nation's obesity epidemic is literally too big to ignore. And now the most respected names in medicine are hoping to galvanize citizens and employers to confront the problem.

Tonight, HBO will premiere "The Weight of the Nation," a four-part documentary series that examines the risks and consequences of obesity—everything from childhood prevention to community involvement.

The impact is certainly not out of reach for employers and HR professionals. They know obesity impacts business. Companies lose $4.3 billion annually due to obesity-related absenteeism, according to the Institute of Medicine. And for firms with offices around the country, it's obvious the costliest health plan claims are coming out of places in which obesity - and poverty - is rampant. [See 10 fattest states in America]

As a nation, we know it's a problem. We've already been told we're too fat. But why, after decades of increasing waistlines, would we expect a national campaign to suddenly change things?

It probably won't. But, in speaking with a Kaiser Permanente spokesperson just today, it seems the medical organizations and experts behind the documentary understand that. "This is only the beginning," she said. Campaign collaborators, including Kaiser, are hoping to start a movement, not just increase awareness.

With that said, as an employer or benefits manager, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check out the free resources available through this campaign. After all, this isn't just another wellness program promo. These are established research institutions that are serving up more innovative tools to get Americans to at least think about how to become healthier.

"We're going to have to think our way out of this in creative ways," Executive Producer John Hoffman told NPR on Friday. "We have got to really renovate tremendous aspects of our culture, and it's going to take a tremendous amount of invention and tremendous amount of intervention to really re-engineer our lives."

If you don't have HBO, don't worry. The movies aren't restricted to the cable network. Filmmakers are allowing the series to be broadcast on the campaign's website at https://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/.

 

by 6d-destani

Time for employers to get proactive on workplace wellbeing

Oliver Gray, 22 May 2012

Source: HRmagazine.co.uk

 

Employee wellbeing might be firmly on the agenda for some organizations but are employers any nearer to really reaping all of the benefits associated with it?

 

Too many organizations take a reactive approach to wellbeing which leaves them missing out.

 

Too often organizations take a reactive approach to employee well-being. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean employers have failed to think about well-being or aren't putting solutions in place, because many are. In fact, many medium to large organizations invest thousands of pounds every month paying for private medical insurance and annual health checks. But this is all reactive.

 

Private medical insurance can add huge value to businesses and individuals in terms of speeding up rehabilitation and getting employees back to work quickly. But it does not really help employees who are not sick or injured. Successful organizations know that there are huge benefits to be had from combining reactive health interventions, like private medical insurance, with proactive sessions to help employees really understand what simple changes they need to make to improve their health.

 

The forward thinking companies know that by taking a more proactive approach, focusing on both physical and mental well-being, and promoting healthy ways of living they have a real opportunity to make a positive change to the health, energy and performance of their staff. It is this that will reduce the cost of reactive health interventions, increase positivity throughout the organization and have a positive impact on the financial health of the organization.

In order to deliver real change we need to move away from thinking about well-being as a standalone activity, it is something that needs to be threaded through all talent management activities and that really becomes part of the culture. It is not enough to simply hold one event or workshop just to tick a box - putting in place healthy habits take time and therefore well-being activities need to be delivered regularly.

 

Only by helping employees understand what simple changes they need to make to change their habits will organizations reap all of the benefits of healthy, energized, high performing staff. By organizing health and wellbeing sessions that are relevant, dynamic, engaging and informative employees will be motivated to take action and it is this that will enable them to perform at their best.

 

Take stress as an example. Rather than focusing on stress, which is a word that creates so much negativity, instead organizations need to invest time coaching staff so that they become more resilient and are able to handle pressure. By training employees to be more resilient, giving them the tools to manage pressure effectively, employees are more likely to be able to handle the challenges that come their way. This means they are less likely to go off sick due to stress and are able to get on with their day job.

 

Organizations that are taking a proactive approach and making employee well-being part of their culture with directors, managers and employees buying into the concept are reaping the benefits. They are not only seeing a reduction in sickness absence and staff turnover but also an increase in performance, higher staff engagement and reduced healthcare costs.

 

by 6d-destani

Heat Illness: Nothing to Fool Around With!

Thursday, May 24, 2012 3:00 AM
by Chris Kilbourne

Source: https://safetydailyadvisor.blr.com

Yesterday, we featured information about heat-related risks and strategies for reducing those risks as the thermometer rises. Today, we talk about symptoms of heat illness and first aid.

Not everyone reacts to heat to the same degree and not every work situation poses the risk of heat illness. Factors that increase an employee's risk of heat illness in addition to ambient temperature include:

  • Amount of exertion required to do the job
  • Not being acclimated to working in the heat
  • Age (older people have less body water and lower sweat gland efficiency)
  • General health condition
  • Weight (overweight people are at greater risk)
  • Heavy protective clothing that traps heat
  • Medications that can interfere with normal body reactions to heat

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke occurs when the body no longer sweats and holds so much heat that body temperature reaches dangerous levels. Heat stroke is life threatening. Without prompt identification and treatment, an employee could die.

Symptoms of heat stroke include:

  • Dry, hot, reddish skin
  • Lack of sweating
  • High body temperature
  • Strong, rapid pulse
  • Chills
  • Confusion

First aid for heat stroke includes:

  • Act immediately, and call for emergency medical help.
  • Move the victim to a cool place while awaiting the ambulance.
  • Cool the victim down as much as possible, using a hose or soaking clothes in water and fanning the body.
  • Monitor breathing.
  • Don't give fluids if the person is unconscious.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion occurs when the body can't replace fluids and/or salt lost in sweating. Though not as severe as heat stroke, untreated it can quickly get worse and become heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

  • Weakness, dizziness, and sometimes nausea
  • Pale or flushed appearance
  • Sweating, moist and clammy skin

First aid for heat exhaustion includes:

  • Move the victim to a cool place immediately.
  • Loosen clothing and place cool wet compresses on the skin.
  • Have the victim drink water or an electrolyte beverage slowly.
  • Elevate the feet 8 to  12 inches.
  • Monitor for improvement. If condition worsens, call 911.

IMPORTANT: Make sure both supervisors and employee can recognize symptoms and know first aid for heat illness.

 

 

by 6d-destani