Employer Observance of Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is a federal holiday, meaning all non-essential federal government offices are closed. Federal employees are paid for the holiday, but private employers are not required to observe federal or state holidays, such as the Fourth of July. In fact, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for vacations or holidays, according to the Department of Labor (dol.gov).

There are a few studies that exist that look at how employers approach holidays and time off. According to BLR’s 2008 Survey of Employee Benefits, 97% of employers offer Memorial Day as a paid holiday. Only around 33% of employers offer President’s Day as a paid holiday. In regards to July 4, CareerBuilder’s Work Buzz blog states that, “With our national observance of Independence Day on July 4, many workers will have a paid holiday.”

So what are Northeast Ohio employers doing for the fourth of July? Based on the 2009 ERC Paid Holiday Survey, 91% of organizations polled are offering a paid holiday on Friday, while around 5% are offering a paid holiday on Monday. To view full results from this survey and learn how Northeast Ohio organizations observe other holidays, download the 2009 ERC Paid Holiday Survey Results.

Implementing a Wellness Program and Tracking Progress

The last two weeks we have highlighted the benefits of and planning process for a health and wellness program. Before this series concludes, two more hills need conquered: program implementation and results tracking. This week’s blog will look at how to not only implement the health and wellness plan, but will discuss how to know if your program is providing a return on investment.

You have just spent the last couple months planning goals and objectives, but what good are they if your employees are not aware of these efforts? To assure all your sweaty brainstorming sessions do not go to waste, implement a marketing program that spreads the “healthy habit syndrome.”

Healthy Habit Syndrome: Getting Employee Buy-in

According to the 2009 SHRM’s Trend Book, the major next step after developing a health and wellness plan is to create employee buy-in. This reduces program rejection and ensures employees realize that health and wellness implementation stems from a sincere concern for employee health, and not only a concern for reducing the organizational budget.

In addition to marketing specific activities, marketing program incentives may help increase employee engagement.  Make your incentives worthy enough to shine in the midst of daily routines, and then figure out a creative way to promote them. Once employees are excited about the end reward, word will spread and marketing efforts will effortlessly increase. Employers are more likely to reward program participation and completion rather than achievement of specific goals, according to the 2009 SHRM’s Trend Book.

Workers from I.B.M. Corp suggest cash incentives are key in today’s world. In 2004 the company offered a $300 incentive for employees that tracked healthy behaviors, including smoking cessation. Currently the smoking rate at I.B.M. is about half the national average, according to New York Times Well Blog.   

Making it easy

Once employees buy-in to your program, the second part of implementation is making it easy for employees to get involved. This is done by partnering with area vendors who can help you achieve your program objectives. Think about your objectives and who you may need to connect with in order to achieve them.  Did your objectives include offering personal training to employees? If so, research local trainers who work with organizations. Or, maybe you planned to have health presentations; does a community hospital have any speaker bureaus? Think of contacts you may all ready have, but be willing to reach out.

 

Not only will networking make it easier for employee engagement, but by partnering with community vendors, you may see additional cost benefits for both your organization and your employees. 

You did it! (Or did you?)

You have successfully planned and now implemented a health and wellness program. But was it all worth it; how do you check the ROI?  

Though finding the ROI of employees’ health might be a little more challenging than calculating a financial return, it still can, and should, be done. According to a Workplace Wellness Programs Blog, organizations who have taken the time to determine the ROI have found it to be quite significant. 

The June 2008 issue of HR Magazine said that employers can calculate a ROI by using health risk assessments to create divisions of low, medium and high-risk employee categories. These are used to track annual changes in health risk status, which allow health improvements or declines to be seen.

There you have it; a three part series on creating a healthy workplace. If this information did not ignite the “healthy habit syndrome” full force, hopefully it at least adds a couple sparks to the fire. Remember, with a little management and departmental support, expressing a sincere concern about your employees’ health can bring tremendous organizational benefits and requires nothing more than a commitment to the first step.

Sources

Calculating wellness programs ROI is sometimes complex, but it can still be done (Susan J. Wells, June 2008 HR Magazine); Worksite Health Promotion Programs (John Bates, Wellnessproposals.com); Workplace Wellness Program ROI (Workplace Wellness Programs Blog); Getting More Out of Wellness Perks, (Tara Parker-Pope The New York Times Well Blog); Keeping Wellness Programs Out of Trouble (Joanne Sammer, HR Magazine SHRM’s 2009 HR Trend Book)

Planning a Wellness Program

In part 1 of this series we explored how a health and wellness program can be an important part of driving employee success, not to mention the thousands of dollars in health care costs the programs can save. But with schedules filled to capacity, and budgets running close to empty, who has the time or resources to address employee health education? In part 2 of this series we examine this question. Just like any personal health plan, starting is the hardest part, but once a commitment is present the rest is a matter of celebrating results. The following four planning steps are referenced from the Partnerships for a Healthy Workforce.

Step 1: Gain Support

Your program planning skills may already be sharp, but revolutionizing an environment may require additional help. Gather a group of employees ranging from entry level to senior management who are willing to support and promote the program, this will also help increase employee buy-in.

With an employee health advisory panel on board, begin brainstorming about how to create a culture reflective of healthy behaviors. Would you like to sponsor a community race? How about an incentive based walking program?  

According to Partnerships for a Healthy Workforce (PWH), health experts agree that having a supportive environment to encourage healthy choices is the most influential factor in altering lifestyle habits.

Step 2: Assess the needs

Before you begin sponsoring 10K races and replacing candy bars with protein bars, it is a good idea to know in what types of activities your employees may be interested.

To get a comprehensive idea of what to plan and how to plan it, administer a needs assessment that asks employees about their interest in various types of health promotion activities and the most convenient times and places to schedule activities.

In addition, health risk appraisals help determine current employee disease risks, and collects baseline data that can be stored for program evaluation. According to The New York Times Well Blog about 80 percent of large employers offer health risk surveys aimed at identifying health problems or potential health problems.  

Step 3: Define success

Just like any other business initiative, a health and wellness plan should include a strategic mission, related to the organizational mission, and a vision.

Decide what results you want to see and write down specific health and wellness goals.  By how much do you want to reduce sick leave? How many employees would you like to quit smoking? Set well planned, measurable and time limited goals.  

Next, reflect back to the brainstorming session and write down a variety of activities to support your goals.  By taking into account the results from the needs assessment, plan creative events that will spark employee interest and participation.  Just like program goals, objectives should measurable and limited.

Here are some examples of program objectives:

-         Sponsor three company fitness challenges by January 1^st

-          Replace seven vending machine items with seven healthy options

-          93% of workers will complete a health risk appraisal in the next 3      months

Step 4:  Make it worth-while

Let’s face it, no matter how much time you spend on program planning, or how creative your events are, employees may need an extra push to embrace the wellness path. Incentive programs, ranging from employee recognition to financial rewards, offer extra motivation.

According to the “Employee Wellness Blog,” a 95% participation rate occurred when one company, Nature Sunshine, proposed that if employees joined their health and wellness plan they would continue getting their health benefits paid for.

Organizations are also finding rewards for taking the time to plan health and wellness programs. According to a New York Times article, Congress is currently considering proposals that would give employers tax credits if they offer periodic screening for health problems.

No matter what your approach, taking the time to prepare a well thought-out plan can help you overcome your budget and times challenges, and create a program that will truly help your employees make better decisions about their health that will help them live more productive lives inside outside of your workplace.

Don’t forget to check out next week’s blog, we will be blogging about how to implement a wellness program and track its results.

Sources: Healthy Workforce 2010: An Essential Health Promotion Sourcebook for Employers, Large and Small (Partnerships For a Healthy Workplace, 2001); Getting More Out of Wellness Perks, (Tara Parker-Pope The New York Times Well Blog); Wellness Incentives Pay Off (wellnessblog.employeewelnessusa.com); Congress Plans Incentives for Healthy Habits (Robert Pear, The New York Times)

The Incredible Benefit of Healthy Employees

Part one of this three-part blog series will explore the incredible benefits that a company can realize when implementing a wellness program at work. Aside from the obvious benefit of having happy, healthy employees; companies can save millions of dollars each year in healthcare costs and improve the productivity of their workforce by implementing such a program.

Improve Productivity

Let’s think about this for a second… Wouldn’t you feel better about your job if your employer expressed a vested interest in your well-being? According to Partnerships for a Healthy Workforce (PHW), employees are “more likely to be attracted to, remain with, and value a company that obviously values them.” A recent Smart Business article states that, “Organizations that value and promote a healthy lifestyle may have an edge when it comes to attracting and retaining key people. In addition, their employees may be more alert and more productive.”

Productivity also relates to an employees ability to work for longer periods of time and effectively concentrate on their work. PHW reports that a healthy workforce will lead to reduced absenteeism and lost time, and can also positively effect employee turnover.

Lower Healthcare Costs

This is an obvious benefit of having healthy employees, but sometimes can be a hard argument to make because of the potential for a large investment in your employees. Time and time again, studies have proven that having healthy employees can dramatically decrease healthcare costs – some examples from PHW:

• “Smokers generated 31% higher claim costs than non-smokers”
• “Workers with unhealthy weights had 143% higher hospital inpatient utilization than those with healthy weights”
• Employees with just a few risk factors cost much less than employees with numerous risk factors

According to the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, “Some companies are giving additional incentives to workers who follow through and actually try to lower their risk factors.” What employee wouldn’t benefit from saving some money and improving their health?

Savings can be realized through any scale of program – from comprehensive company-wide wellness programs to single activities to promote healthy lifestyles. And the savings are real: a Dallas-based company of 6,500 employees instituted a wellness program, and in just one year with half of its employees participating, they saved $500,000 in health care costs, according to the News Press.

Enhance your Company Image

It’s also important to consider the effect of healthy employees on your company’s image and influence in the community. By supporting the wellness of your employees, your organization is demonstrating a certain degree of social responsibility. They’re building their reputation as an organization that supports their workforce, and therefore will likely be seen as a welcome “neighbor” in the community.

 

Check back in to the Where Great Workplaces Start blog next week for Part 2 in this 3-Part series on Creating a Healthy Workplace. Next week we’ll blog about Planning a Wellness Program.

For more information on improving the health and wellness of your employees, check out www.ERCHealth.com for some innovative ideas on workplace health and wellness.

What is SPHR? (…and PHR, and GPHR?)

Many of us have seen these designations after human resource professionals’ names, but do all of us really know exactly what they stand for? These acronyms are certifications that HR professionals receive through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). The HRCI actually offers four different certifications, including the PHR, SPHR, GPHR, and PHR-CA and SPHR-CA. According to the HRCI’s website:

Certification is a voluntary action by a professional group to establish a system to grant recognition to professionals who have met a stated level of training and work experience. Certified individuals are usually issued a certificate attesting that they have met the standards of the credentialing organization and are entitled to make the public aware of their credentialed status, usually through the use of initials (i.e., PHR or SPHR) after their names.

So what do they stand for?

PHR stands for “Professional in Human Resources”. SPHR stands for “Senior Professional in Human Resources”. GPHR stands for “Global Professional in Human Resources”. The PHR-CA and SPHR-CA certifications are state certifications for the state of California.

What type of people have/should have these certifications?

The HRCI requires professionals to have a minimum of two years of professional HR experience and at least 51% of their daily activities to be held within the HR function. They define a typical PHR candidate as having two-to-four years of experience at the generalist level and typically implements programs rather than creates them. A typical SPHR candidate will have four-to-eight years of progressive experience, and has experience creating programs. A GPHR candidate develops and implements global HR strategies.

For more information…

For more information about becoming certified or learning about the different certifications, check out the HRCI’s “Achieve HR Certification” PDF, or visit www.hrci.org.

Source: www.hrci.org

Safely Land Back at Work After Vacation

For most people, taking a vacation (whatever your definition of that might be) is necessary to maintaining some level of work/life balance. Sometimes it’s nice to leave the office and not think about work for a few days. And like any good vacation, it has to come to an end, and you have to come back to reality; and with that reality comes an adbundance of unread e-mail, a list of things to do, and a feeling of “Where do I start?” Here are a few things to help get you back into the groove without losing your mind:

Now, Soon, and Later…

You’ll undoubtedly have e-mails, voicemails and a stack of papers to go through when you get back. This will probably be overwhelming, but you can make this a lot easier on yourself by organizing these based on their priority level. Use these three categories to get organized quickly:

1. Now – Examples: Invoices that need to be paid, e-mails labeled “Important”, and paperwork that might be overdue.
2. Soon – Examples: Projects that you started before you left and e-mails that you may have received more than a few days ago.
3. Later – Examples: Longer-term projects that can be put off until you’re settled

Plan Your Return Carefully

Most people plan vacations so they can take full advantage of two weekends and around 9-10 days in all. However coming back to work with a full-week in front of you can be a daunting task sometimes… try returning in the middle of the week – maybe a Tuesday or a Wednesday. You might find it easier to get into the swing of things.

Also, try scheduling your return for a day or two before you have to go back to work. Having time to unpack and relax when you return will leave you feeling less stressed and more rested. If you’re not leaving town, give yourself some time to mentally prepare to go back to work.

 Tell “The Story” All at Once

If you were fortunate enough to visit an exotic destination, visit long-lost relatives, or just have an interesting vacation story to tell, you’ll probably want to share it with your co-workers. And they’ll probably want to hear it. To avoid telling the story over and over again, offer to share your story and pictures at lunch. You’ll save yourself a lot of time, but you’ll save them a lot of time too.

Social Media Secret Identities

Sometimes it seems hard to draw a fine line between your personal and professional social media identities. With so many social networking platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), many people are set up with multiple profiles. So how do you draw the line between the Professional (representing your company’s brand) and the Personal (representing your personal life)?

Separating Personal and Professional Accounts

It’s often a good idea to keep Professional profiles and Personal profiles separate. Let’s use the example of professional networking. Having a LinkedIn account to connect with people as a representative of your organization is likely a better choice than sending “Friend Requests” through your personal Facebook page. A simple solution is to designate certain platforms for professional use, and certain platforms for personal use. A good way to keep them separate, suggests Sabrina Parsons, guest blogger at the SCORE blog  is, “When a business person asks to be my friend on Facebook, I simply ignore their request on Facebook, but send them a request through LinkedIn. I usually add a message that says:

“Thanks for your friend request on Facebook. I use Facebook for personal use only and not for business networking. I would love to connect with you through LinkedIn where my business contacts are. Please accept my invitation.”

Where the Fine Line Starts to Disappear

One thing to consider when using social media at your organization is your online personality or profile. One question to ask is this: Are you representing yourself, are you representing your organization, or are you acting as an anonymous representative of your organization?

C.G. Lynch, writer at CIO Magazine, suggests that “this inevitable blurring between the personal and professional life creates perils for Twitter users. Sharing a tweet (a message on Twitter) that has certain personal information could cause you to lose your “followers” (people who subscribe to your Twitter messages) or, worse, get you into trouble at work.” This theory holds true not only for Twitter, but for all social media. Lynch puts it well, saying:

“Like it or not, the emergence of social networks, the proliferation of mobile devices and the ubiquity of the Web has blurred our personal and professional lives.”

But with a little bit of communication and common sense, social networking can be beneficial for your organization and its employees. Lynch says, “sharing personal messages (intelligently) can be advantageous to your business. You should not be afraid to do it.”

Elizabeth Hannan from Social Media Today suggests two steps to empowering your employees to connect with others through social media:

• Design a corporate social policy that is an amendment to your communications policy.
• Educate and address your employee’s in an understanding fashion.

ERC LinkedIn Members Only Discussion:

ERC LinkedIn Group Members, discuss this topic and others on LinkedIn…
Topic: Does Your Organization Use Social Media in the Workplace?
(Not yet a member? ERC Members can join the LinkedIn Group for free…click here to join)

Sources: Work/Life Balance: Keeping Your Personal & Professional Networks Separate (Sabrina Parsons, SCORE Women’s Success Blog); Opposites Attract: Corporate Social Media Policy Guidelines (Elizabeth Hannah, Social Media Today); Twitter Tips: How to Safely Blend the Personal and the Professional (C.G. Lynch, CIO Magazine)

Thanks Ohio, for Paying Us to Train Our Employees!

Hundreds of organizations have shared this sentiment over the past couple years with the assistance of the Ohio Investment in Training Program (OITP). The program provides grants to Ohio organizations to support training for employees of new and expanding businesses. These grants support up to 50% of instructional costs, materials, and training-related activities.

According to a recent Ohio Department of Development report, “This program is one of the few programs in Ohio that provides direct financial support to employers for training. The flexibility of the OITP allows employers the ability to choose the training provider, whether it is a company employee, an Ohio educational facility, or a training vendor.”

Why is employee training important in a down economy?

The HR Resource blog wrote, “When the economy comes back – and it always does – your organization will have an edge over its competition whose skills and abilities have not improved at the rate your organization’s team members’ have.” “Many employers are using this downtime as an opportunity to ensure that their employee population sharpens its skills and knowledge through enhanced employee training and development programs, programs that are difficult to administer during periods of higher customer activity,” according to a recent ERC press release.

Where do I sign up?

For more information on the Ohio Investment in Training Program or to apply for training assistance, visit the Ohio Workforce Guarantee Request For Assistance page. For more information you can also contact your local Workforce and Talent Division.

Where can I go for more information?

• ERC InfoSite: Funding for Training – This site was created to help interested organizations understand and take advantage of opportunities to implement employee training programs that can be partially or completely funded through outside resources
• Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Investment in Training Program (OITP) page
• More information on the Ohio Bipartisan Job Stimulus Plan

Developing a Drug-Free Workplace Program

In addition to the organizational benefits of developing and instituting a drug-free workplace program, the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation “offers a premium discount to eligible employers for implementing a program addressing workplace use and misuse of alcohol and other drugs, including prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drug abuse.” The Drug-Free Workplace Progarm (DFWP) is designed to help employers establish safer and more cost-effective workplaces. (Ohio BWC) A look at the BWC’s program requirements reveals some excellent steps that employers can take to develop their own Drug-Free Workplace programs and policies.

Written Substance Policy

According to the Ohio BWC, “A substance policy is a key element because it lays out all the ground rules and describes acceptable and unacceptable work behavior along with the consequences for violating the policy.” Your organization’s substance abuse policies should mirror the culture of your organization. Frequently reviewing and revising your employee handbook is important to keep up with industry standards.

Employee Education

Participation in the BWC’s DFWP requires you to offer each employee two hours of education initially within the first three months of initial program participation and two hours annually thereafter. It’s important to make sure employees are equipped with up-to-date information on  your policies and on issues affecting your drug-free workplace. This information can either be presented by a qualified and licensed professional, or it is possible to acquire approved materials from the Ohio BWC and have a manager/trainer present this information to your employees.

Supervisor Training

All supervisors should be trained and have knowledge of your substance abuse policy. The Ohio BWC lists a few skills necessary for each supervisor to have, including: 

• Behavioral observation
• Documentation
• Appropriate and professional confrontation
• How to make referrals for testing
• How to make referrals to assistance

Drug and Alcohol Testing

In compliance with the Ohio BWC’s guidelines, testing “focuses on who may have caused or contributed to a work-related accident where there is an injury requiring off-site medical attention or damage to company property or vehicles in apparent excess of an amount the employer specifies in its written policy.” Several organizations perform drug-screening services, including Acxiom, an ERC Dream Team member.

Employee Assistance

In terms of Employee Assistance Programs, educational and counseling services are designed to improve performance and reduce accidents to drive down Workers’ Comp and health insurance costs. “Problems in the workplace can often be prevented by timely and appropriate response to warning signs that an individual is under stress or having trouble handling personal problems.” (USDA.gov) There are also many organization that provide Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s), including ERC Dream Team member EASE@WORK.

For more information…

• For detailed information on creating a drug-free workplace, the ERC e-Learning Center features a 4-hour online course through which you’ll learn you’ll learn about the Drug-free Workplace Act, the criteria for developing a drug-free workplace program, and the measures that ensure program success.
• ERC will also be hosting a workshop on changes in Workers Compensation’ regulations on June 5 at the ERC Workplace Center. Click here for more information on Workers Compensation – Everything is Changing!
• And finally, the Ohio BWC has plenty of information on their site regarding the Drug-Free Workplace Program and how your organization can take positive steps towards a drug-free workplace. more…

Going Beyond Recycled Paper: Creating an Efficient Workplace

While Earth Day shouldn’t be the only day that we think about improving the efficiency of our workplace, it certainly gives us a chance to step back and evaluate how we operate. There is an almost never-ending supply of tips for “going green” in the workplace – Planet Green lists a few of them, including switching to smart power strips, buying recycled paper and using e-mail communication more frequently, carpooling to work, and taking a look at the materials you use in your office. Many of us have seen our fair share of “go green” advertisements, articles, and tips…but quite often the ideas are recycled (no pun intended). Here are a few out-of-the-box ideas that we’ve seen that you can use to increase your efficiency, decrease your footprint, and affect your bottom line.

Use Software to Decrease Your Waste

Rather than taking the time to make sure the e-mail you’re printing out is just the first couple pages, let software do that for you. One piece of software that has been getting a lot of media attention is GreenPrint. As described by the company’s website, “GreenPrint’s patent-pending technology [saves you time and money] by analyzing each page of every document sent to the printer and looking for typical waste characteristics (like that last page with just a URL, banner ad, logo, or legal jargon).” The best part about it? The software is free for home use, and is available for download here. The company has also printed a white paper entitled How to Reduce Printing Costs by 17% – check it out here.

Embrace Online Collaboration

Moving past traditional meetings, back-and-forth e-mails, and printing revised documents can be a challenge for some organizations. The workplace of the future seems to be moving towards online collaboration in order to increase efficiency. This might be particularly important with regards to document management. According to Dun & Bradstreet, “Instead of spending hundreds of dollars printing internal documents — and repeating the process every time there’s an update — you can publish important documents and forms on an intranet for employees to access as needed.” They continue by saying, “By letting teams collaborate in real time electronically, they’ll get more work done… You can save time and travel expenses by holding virtual conferences in lieu of face-to-face meetings.”

Learn from the Best

Sometimes the best way to adopt effective policies is to mimic organization’s that are doing it well. One great resource for Northeast Ohio organization’s is to look at past NorthCoast 99 winners. Last year, three organizations were nominated as finalists for the Service & Social Responsibility Awards. One of these organizations, CSA Group, has been improving their efficiency and helping the environment – here is a sample from the 2008 NorthCoast 99 Winner’s Report:

CSA Group is purchasing roof top solar energy panels for their headquarters and will be able to monitor its impact through a web-based monitoring system… It collects environmental statistics on the usage of paper, hydro electricity, gas, water, waste to landfill and on the recycling of paper, corrugated paper (cardboard), wood, scrap metal, old equipment, and furniture. The Executive Leadership Team purchased 1,500 seedlings, representing one tree for each of its employees and Board Directors. CSA Group uses only recycled paper for printing and all employees are encouraged to use recyclable paper, cups, and ink cartridges for printers, fax machines and other appliances.

Verizon Wireless has also taken a leadership position in high-efficiency and low-impact processes. One specific process that organization’s might be able to take away is the transition from paper bills to electronic bills, of which 100 million of their clients receive. For more information on Verizon’s Green Initiatives, click here.

A great resource in Northeast Ohio

For more information on green practices in Northeast Ohio, we encourage you to visit GreenCityBlueLake. They’ve published an interesting study called the State of Sustainability 2009 that is definitely worth a read.