HR Industry Brief

According to new survey data, the COVID pandemic has resulted in some positive changes to long-term care facility and senior living employee benefits. Specifically:

• 4% of employers now offer flexible work schedules, compared to 49.6% in August.
• 7% offer bonus pay, compared to 43.6% in August.

• Additional paid time off and paid sick leave (down 10% from August).
• Increased base pay (down 2% from August).
• Expanded overtime pay (down 2% from August).
• Childcare services--stipend, free onsite, etc. (down 12% from August).

All is not lost for holiday cheer. There are some creative, innovative, and fun ways to celebrate remotely. Here are some ideas:

• For fees starting at about $200, you can hire a comedian, musician, or other performer to entertain your team with a virtual concert. If you have a big budget, you can hire a name celebrity to do a virtual Q&A with staff.
• Partner with a local or regional bookseller to have an author do a virtual book reading and give everyone a signed copy.
• The Go Game, a California-based company, has developed a team-building scavenger-hunt activity. Costs start at $299 for up to 10 people.
• The Supper Share brings in sommeliers to select wines to send to virtual dinner-party guests for $55 per person and up.

According to a new report, gratitude goes a long way with employees and can help promote engagement and morale during the pandemic crisis. The findings include:

• 5% of employees say they are either bothered a little or a lot when don’t receive expected gratitude.
• 43% of employees ages 18-29 prefer written and spoken thanks.
• 5% of employees ages 45-60 and 44.7% of those over age 60 say they prefer verbal expressions of gratitude.
• 6% of men say they prefer to be thanked in front of others, compared to 31.9% of women.
• 9% all workers say they are thanked at least weekly by their boss, supervisor, or other manager.
• 1% say they have received an expression of gratitude from a colleague at least weekly.

It’s pretty clear by now that at least some of your remote workers will continue functioning that way for a while. With the new year approaching, this is a good time to review and update cybersecurity for insider threats. Your workers don’t mean to let hackers in, but it happens. They fall for a phishing scheme or click on something in social media that opens the door to your data. But you can help with three steps:

• Conduct a comprehensive insider threat risk assessment. Use this to identify your most important data and systems, who has access to this information, and the security controls you have established to date. Realize that the potential for data loss increases every time you create and store new information, including resident and employee records. Focus on key risks and weaknesses to address.
• Put people at the center. The vast majority of cyberattacks require human interaction, so limit access to information just to what each person needs. Make … [Read more...] about (12/1) Three Ways to Reduce Insider Threat Risks During COVID-19

As we enter a holiday fraught with more stresses and pressure than ever before, seasonal depression—combined with anxieties related to the COVID pandemic—is about to take on a new dimension. Don’t assume that your workers have it all under control. They may not even be aware of how the holidays and the pandemic are affecting them; and even those who are aware may not know what to do about it. According to one survey:

• 11% of employees have no idea what mental health supports/services their company offers.
• 42% say their employer offers no support or programs dealing with mental health.
• Only about half (47%) of workers say their company has mental health-related benefits or programs.

• Remind employees about mental health-related benefits. Encourage them to make use of the organization’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Create an atmosphere where employees can speak … [Read more...] about (11/30) Helping Employees Cope with COVID-19 and Seasonal Depression

Back in 2018, an MIT task force undertook a study to examine how work will change and evolve in the coming decade. Here are some of the group’s findings:

• While artificial intelligence and robotics will become more prevalent and sophisticated, most companies expect this technology to contribute to creating rather than eliminating jobs.
• Real wages haven’t increased much, and wage inequality has grown. This will require—and get—more attention moving forward.
• There will be a need for a whole suite of maintenance workers to repair, manage, and upgrade technologies such as telehealth.
• Employers increasingly will seek workers with some level of technological savvy and comfort. However, they will also want employees with social skills and the ability to interact easily and effectively with others.

This has been a tough year, but there still is much to be thankful for. Take a minute to remind staff about benefits that can help them find comfort and joy this holiday season. Among the most popular this year:

• Flexible paid time off (PTO) and sick leave
• Childcare benefits
• Mental health support
• Financial wellness
• Health and fitness options
• Telehealth
• Pet benefits
• Fertility and family planning support.

  Look around your organization. How many of your employees are family caregivers? Probably than you know. A new survey suggests some startling statistics about how these workers are doing emotionally and mentally:

• 64% of respondents say that they have felt depressed due to the stresses of caregiving. That number rose to 68% of workers between the ages of 18 and 34 and 72% for women over age 34 caring for parents.
• 70% of people call caregiving a “full-time job.” A similar number say they’ve missed work because of caregiving responsibilities, with 22% claiming to have missed more than 20 workdays in a year.
• One-third of respondents say they’ve changed their career or job to balance caregiving and work better. The top attraction for the new position, they say, is more flexibility in their work schedule.
• 86% of respondents say they feel appreciated by the family member they care for.

Data suggests there is a disconnect between managers’ feelings about holding workers accountable and employees’ attitudes about being held accountable:

• 82% of managers say they have “limited to no” ability to hold others accountable.
• 91% say that “effectively holding others accountable” is among their company’s top leadership-development needs.
• Only 14% of employees say the way their performance is managed motivates them.
• 26% of workers say they only get feedback once a year or less often.
• 40% feel that their manager holds them accountable for goals they set, though 70% of workers question their managers’ objectivity in how they evaluate performance.

• Managers must set goals that encourage people to make their best contributions and genuinely enjoy doing so. When … [Read more...] about (11/24) How to Actually Encourage Employee Accountability

Young workers may be one solution to your workforce shortage woes. But before you target this group for recruiting, get to know them and what benefits, culture, and roles are most likely to attract and keep them:

• They are digital natives. They will expect to have access to a wide array of technology and tools, including mobile devices, apps, artificial intelligence, and more. In fact, in one survey, 80% of young people say they expect to work with cutting-edge technology on the job.
• They are socially and environmentally aware. They will want to know what your company is doing to improve the environment and address the social issues they are most passionate about.
• They’re pragmatic and realistic. Don’t expect to sway them with vague or emotional promises. They will want to know what an organization will do for their career and lifestyle. They want to know what to expect from a job and how it fits in with their goals and needs.
• They are … [Read more...] about (11/23) Generation Z: 6 Characteristics of Centennials