(1 votes, average: 2 out of 5)
Loading ...Health reform’s immediate impact: Your benefits
"This seems like a significant change but our surveys shows that the average amount put into an FSA is typically $1,500 a year," said Watts
Posted March 26th, 2010 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Health | | 0 Comments
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5) Loading ...How PEO’s can help with rising healthcare costs
In this weeks NAPEO newsletter I read an interesting article about the rising healthcare costs among businesses this year. But instead of going into the usual story of the state of our healthcare today, the article provides a sense of relief. "There are still creative ways in which employers can control and reduce group insurance costs." Through the use of a PEO (Professional Employer Organization), your employees and business have access to all of the benefits of a larger business through the co-employment relationship. The arrangement also offers access to areas such as HR, payroll, compliance, workers compensation and risk management, and 401-k administration.
When a smaller company enters into this co-employment relationship you employees get pooled in with the PEO’s large group plan and therefore one has access to better rates and options. "Additional savings may be realized through increased purchasing power for liability insurance as well as other benefits including: Flexible Spending Accounts, COBRA administration, Employment Practice Liability Insurance, Employee Assistance Programs, Wellness Programs, ans use of binding arbitration to resolve employee related suits. "
In addition, with a PEO a company has access to HR Management Practices that they would not have without a PEO. These include, enhancement of management practices (including better health insurance), and pre-employment drug testing. All of these best practices make it easier to attract top talent.
To sum up this article, they make the recommendation that you take your time and choose a PEO wisely, based on years of experience, its location, and the offerings that it has to make your business more efficient. Stop waisting time with administrative tasks and get back to growing your business.
Posted December 9th, 2009 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Health, Human Resources | | 0 Comments
(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5) Loading ...10 Problems a PEO can Solve
Found this on Facebook…
1. Time
PEO’s remove non-productive tasks that take away time and resources so you can focus on bottom line activities such as strategic planning, marketing, and customer service. Could you make more money if you had time to work your business? Time is money in business.
2. Cash Flow
PEO’s improve your cash flow by integrating most of your employee cost-centers into a single cost factor; including employer matching FICA, FUTA, SUTA, Work Comp, Administrative Overhead, and employee benefits. Your cash flows in "real-time" right along with your business income.
3. Workers’ Compensation
PEO’s make buying and maintaining work comp easier than ever. No more BIG down payments. No more year-end premium audits. Because your work comp is built into your PEO rate, you pay as you go which frees up more dollars for company growth.
4. Employee Benefits
Most PEO’s have many "turnkey" benefit plans in place for your employees. Imagine instantly adding a 401(k) plan, a Section 125, Group Health, Vision, Dental and Life, and other valuable benefits to your business without spending a fortune. Best of all, the PEO’s manage the programs, payroll deductions, and benefit records, making employee benefits easier than ever to provide and manage.
5. Government Compliance
PEO’s simplify all the rules and regulations associated with employing people. They can assist you in complying with all federal, state, and local laws and statutes. PEO’s provide you with legally required employee forms and paperwork. They even maintain and store your employee files.
6. Human Resources
7. Operating Leverage
8. Employee Turnover
9. Risk Management
10. Payroll & Taxes
Posted November 6th, 2009 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Benefits, Customer Service, Health, Human Resources, Immigration, Performance Reviews, Productivity, Recruiting, Wages, Workers' Comp | | 0 Comments
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5) Loading ...What you need to know about Health Care Reform Today!
The subject of healthcare reform is not only timely but the eventual outcome will affect every citizen personally and professionally. With an increase in information it is becoming tougher to know where to get accurate information. Knowing how it will affect your business and your personal health care needs makes this a topic for all to be interested in, no matter what side of the political fence you sit on. It is important to stay educated and informed. To summarize a little bit of recent news in regards to businesses and recent bills proposed, according to Benefits by Design’s recent newsletter, under currently proposed bills “employers will be mandated to provide health benefits to all of their employees, even if they already provide comprehensive coverage and employers will have to contribute specific amounts towards their employee premiums. Employers that don’t do this will face harsh penalties. The Senate bill does exempt employers with less than 25 employees, but the House bill applies to all employers with payrolls of $500,000 or more, which could cause wage stagnation and the loss of millions of jobs.” Some helpful resources include this website where you can see some proposals that have been submitted to Congress. (http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm) It shows how each reform option compares to the next. In addition this article sent out by NAPEO speaks to the impact on small businesses. (http://www.njbiz.com/weekly_article.asp?aID=79260) What can you do? Feel free to contact your local officials to get your opinions across.
Posted October 1st, 2009 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Health, Human Resources | | 0 Comments
(2 votes, average: 4 out of 5) Loading ...Pro vs. Con of Wellness Programs
Pro vs. Con of Wellness Programs
Although we have blogged about wellness programs before, over the last few weeks I have seen numerous articles and statistics about these programs in the workplace. It seems to be a new trend that HR professionals should start to take note of, or should they? I would like to present both sides of this topic.
SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management) has published multiple articles on this topic. In their latest article, according to Helen Darling, the president of The National Business Group on Health “Chronic illnesses account for 75 percent of health care spending, according to the NGBH, and employers are putting a much higher priority on wellness and lifestyle improvement programs than ever before.” In other words, the more health tips and simple practices that an employer can implement the lower health costs the company will have to pay in the end. It is a lot less selfish than it sounds. It truly could be a win-win for both employer and employee. Since 2006, health coaching and advice have gone up dramatically. From 2007 to 2008 the amount of employers implementing wellness programs has increased threefold. Also according to the article, “Initiatives as simple as providing healthy alternatives in workplace vending machines and promoting walks around an organization’s facility can be effective in their own way for changing lifestyle habits” says Dr. Don Bradley from North Carolina.
On the other hand, some say that these programs are so hard to measure with numbers that there is no direct correlation between employees being healthier because of them, and health costs for employers going down. How can a company say that just by changing the food in the vending machines or offering exercise classes that they have prevented someone from getting sick? That person might have become sick anyway. If a company is putting a considerable amount of money into this program, some employers might feel it is not worth their investment in the long run, due to the fact that there are no measurable statistics supporting it.
After all is said and done, your HR department just has to decide if a wellness program is something ones employees could benefit from. I would put the cost portion aside and think about the affects it could have on morale and productivity, which could make you more money anyway.
Posted July 22nd, 2008 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Health, Human Resources | | 0 Comments
(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5) Loading ...Launch a Wellness Program for Your Employees
Creating a wellness program for your company can mean more than just getting in shape. It can mean a whole new lifestyle for all your employees. When you are feeling healthy, you are more energetic and motivated to face each day. Who wouldn't what all their employees to feel great and perform at their best?
In an article from Business Week, "Some companies hand out small cash bonuses or gift certificates for reaching predetermined milestones. Others offer discounted insurance premiums. Still others make it a “team thing” and set up competitions between departments. "
By making heath exciting, everyone will want to join in and be a part of the new family. Make it a priority in your company and watch the benefits exude from your employees.
Posted March 14th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Benefits, Health, Human Resources, Performance Reviews, Productivity, Recruiting, Workers' Comp | | 3 Comments
(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5) Loading ...Please, Stay Away if You’re Sick
If you are sick, should you go to work anyways? This is a great debate among many. Staying home to watch tv and lounge on the cough is an easy suggestion, right? To some it may be, but to others a day staying home from work is just creating more work to go back to, or some feel they are indespensible and can’t miss a day, while others just don’t have the time to take work off. Whatever the reason is, is it really a good idea to go in to work when you are under the weather?
An article from Business Week that I ran into goes into great detail of the downfalls of having a sick co-worker show up on the job. “Illnesses like the cold and flu can be spread by physical contact. When we're sick, the people with whom we come into physical contact have a significantly increased risk of coming down with the illness, according to virologists, epidemiologists, and other experts. There is a causal relationship between being sick with a cold or the flu and making others sick by touching them directly or handling an object that they soon touch themselves.”
Some other points brought up in the article for staying away from the office were, if we can actually perfrom to the best of our abilities while not feeling well, getting other co-workers sick, getting co-worker’s families sick, and the last one here that caught my attention, “going to work sick is unfair to your employer. According to a report published in The New York Times in 2006, researchers at Cornell University found that ill workers on the job could account for up to 60% of corporate health costs. The recently coined phrase "presenteeism" speaks to the financial downside of overly motivated workers who bring their upper respiratory illnesses to work with them.
All in all, is it fair to yourself to work when you are not feeling well? I guess that is up to you.
Posted February 29th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Benefits, Health, Human Resources, Other, Productivity | | 0 Comments
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5) Loading ...Some like it HOT!
Every change in season seems to bring on new "wars" in the office. The AC War. For the most part, we can laugh at it. But these constant changing of the temperatures in the office could be adding to an influx of colds and other ailments. You know you have seen it. One employee is "freezing" in their office and bumps the control up to warm it up. Two offices down the hall all the sudden wonders why they are sweating and gets up to adjust the thermostat down to "his" comfort level….and the war begins.
Some offices will lock a box around the control box to keep this from happening. That is fine, but what about the person sitting in the office that happens to have poor circulation? You’re wondering if I mean the vents or the blood flow of the employee. Well, I mean both. Are companies obligated to purchase heaters and fans to keep their employees happy? What about the "warmer" employee falling asleep on the job, being lathargic from the heat? Or the "freezing" employee with the sniffles, sneezing all day. How does this affect productivity? Should we be worried?
Really, I am just wondering. Just wondering while I am typing away with my frozen fingers.
Posted February 8th, 2008 by Camille - Posted in Customer Service, Health, Human Resources, Productivity, Safety, Workers' Comp | | 1 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...When you asked them, what did they say?
In meeting with some business owners lately, I started noticing a pattern that could very well be the root of many HR problems…
"I want to increase our benefits offering to our employees…" OR "We need better dental insurance" are phrases we (in the HR industry) have heard many times. Often, these are presented as "THE SOLUTION" - So what is the ACTUAL problem? Turnover, Morale, Productivity, Recruiting, etc.?
So when sitting with these business owners, I find myself asking the same question time and time again:
"So when you [business owner] asked your employees what is the top 5 reasons you (hate, love, would leave, would stay) working here, what did your employees say?
MOST COMMON ANSWER - "Well… I didn't ask"
No matter what the problem - DON'T COME UP WITH THE SOLUTION IN A VACCUMM!!! You might just spend a LOT of money trying to fix a problem on the wrong end…
Just food for thought -
Harry Glazer
Posted January 30th, 2008 by Harry Glazer - Posted in Benefits, Health, Human Resources, Productivity, Recruiting | | 0 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Got the Office Blues?
There's nothing that brings a team closer together than putting in some time for a good cause. A little community service goes a long way not just for the organization you are helping out, but for employee moral and team building. Its a positive experience all the way around. Getting beyond those doors and windows, even just for an hour, brightens the spirits and mends the office blues.
Here are a few activities for building up your employees:
· Painting & Clay Sculpture
· Community Service
· Group Luncheon
· Creative Thinking / Brainstorming
· Salsa Dancing, Belly Dancing, Jazz Performers, and DJ's
· Storytelling
· Team Building & Theatre Sports– (Team Games)
Posted January 11th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Health, Human Resources, Productivity | | 0 Comments
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