Category Archives: HR Matters
Lower Your Turnover
Turnover costs you money, folks, big money. New, replacement employees aren’t nearly as efficient as the employee that left, so productivity drops. (I’m talking turnover, which generally means that the good employees are leaving for greener pastures. I’m not talking termination of lousy employees – that boosts efficiency and productivity.)
The Dark Side of Group Broker Selection
Besides costing you money, selecting the wrong broker might just get you in trouble with the law. I know, you’re thinking, “C’mon, Jim, don’t overstate your case. It can’t be that bad to make a poor choice.”
Health Insurance and Self Funding
Let’s talk self funding of health insurance. I find that to be a very commonly searched term in those finding their way to this blog. And self-funding of health insurance is something more employers are considering today, given the rise in the costs of group health insurance. Why Consider Self Funding Your Group Health Insurance [...]
Stop Abuse of Sick Time
One out of every five employees in the Sheriff’s Office in Cook County Illinois takes FMLA leave on any given workday. At the Cook County Jail, it’s one in four, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. Give me a break! FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) absenteeism figures as high as these, one thing is abundantly [...]
Voluntary Benefits: A Legal Risk for Your Company?
Does your company offer voluntary benefits, i.e. employee-pay-all benefits? If not, you may not be competitive in the employment arena — an Aon survey found that 77% of companies, profit and nonprofit, offer at least one voluntary benefit. Most of the time, voluntary benefits are a win-win arrangement for the employer. Employees love them, so [...]
Wellness Growing In Workplace, but Not Being Well Measured
Wellness is growing across the employment spectrum, but not everyone is measuring its impact. Nationally, employers spend an average of $220 per employee per year in 2010 — that’s up 35% from 2009, a huge growth for one year. But on average only 37% of employers measure the effect of their programs, according to Buck [...]
The Doctor Is In — The Workplace, That Is
Wellness is gaining traction among employers, and many are getting aggressive by providing care services at the workplace, and some (obviously the larger ones) are building onsite clinics, These programs have become the hub of a wide range of efforts to promote good health. Employers aren’t being altruistic; rather, they recognize that good health reduces [...]
Business Group Focuses On Cancer
“As serious as cancer” is a phrase writers and speakers use to indicate that they’re really serious about something. And with good reason. It’s scary stuff to anyone who has it or has a loved one who has it — and it’s costly stuff to employers, too. A big chunk of health care costs can [...]
Maternal Depression: What’s an Employer To Do?
A recent report discusses Maternal depression. It’s a serious and common disorder that can compromise a woman’s health, reduce her quality of life and reduce her functional status and may negatively impact pregnancy outcomes. Maternal depression is a common but serious disorder. It is also quite treatable. But while there are readily available effective treatments [...]
Just How Expensive Is Massachusetts Health Insurance?
The Commonwealth Fund has put out a document on “Health Reform’s Potential” to reduce health costs. It’s interesting — deeply flawed, but interesting. Let me start by saying that the intended purpose of the report is the part that is deeply flawed… it’s a political treatise, written by a supporter of the Obamacare legislation that [...]