Trends in the Industry

Study: Recognizing employees holistically boosts engagement, productivity. Employers and employees agree that everyone wins when work and life blend and enrich each other, according to Met Life’s 17th Annual US Employee Benefit Trends Study 2019. “Employees need an ally, and employers can play this role by creating a workplace that not only recognizes employees holistically but supports them holistically as well,” the study authors say. A holistic workplace is one that provides enriching experiences, an accepting culture, and guidance that enables employees to achieve their personal goals. … [Read more...] about When Employers and Employees Are Allies, Everyone Wins

A new study suggests good and bad news for workforce issues moving forward. Are you ready? While unemployment was down and wages up in 2018, higher interest rates, tariffs, and other concerns started a slowdown in recruiting and pay raises. Now a new Glassdoor research study looks at 2018 to predict the top trends and disruptors for 2019 and how you can address them proactively. … [Read more...] about Tech, Equity, Privacy, More: Top Trends Need to be on Your Radar Now

Increasingly, employers prioritize absence management via broad benefit offerings, centralization, and focus on the employee experience. Managing leave and reducing absenteeism is a priority for employers, according to a new study on the value of leave management integration. The results show that the proliferation of new and proposed paid family and medical leave laws has focused employers’ attention on compliance and policies, and they are boosting their efforts to manage absences. Compared with the same study from 2014, almost twice as many companies in 2019 say their senior leadership prioritizes managing leave and reducing absenteeism. They also are more mindful of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as statutory … [Read more...] about Pressure to Address FMLA, ADA, Other Laws Has Employers Upping Their Leave Management Game

Surveys show that pet-friendly companies increasingly attract and retain good workers. “Society’s attitudes towards pets are changing. We’ve gone from keeping pets outside to putting them in our beds. We are more pet-friendly than ever, but our institutions haven’t caught up,” said Steve Feldman, executive director of the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), in a recent interview. Increasingly, organizations see pets as appealing to potential employees and customers/clients/residents. In one survey, 87% of employers indicated that identifying as dog-friendly has helped them attract and retain more talent. At the same time, almost two-thirds of employees said they would choose a dog-friendly employer over one that’s not. In post-acute and long-term care (PALTC), specifically, communities are starting to see pets as key to worker and resident … [Read more...] about Employees and Prospects Want Pet Perks: Handbook Can Help You Accommodate

Understand how bullies think to protect employees and your company. Bullying costs businesses more than $200 billion annually from lowered productivity, higher rates of absenteeism, and high turnover. It is important for HR professionals to understand signs of a bullying personality so that they can intervene as early and appropriately as possible. In addition to protecting your employees and keeping them safe and engaged, defusing bullying can help prevent increased workers’ comp claims, damage to the company’s reputation, potential fines for violating occupational health and safety laws, and legal costs. … [Read more...] about From In-Your-Face to Insidious: Know Common Workplace Bully Types

HR can take key steps to ensure equity in the workplace and enable all employees to be themselves. A new Glassdoor workplace survey suggests that LGBTQ workers don’t necessarily feel comfortable being themselves on the job and worry about the consequences if they are “outed” to their employers. Overall, the survey makes it clear that HR has some work to do in ensuring equity and providing a supportive, safe workplace for LGBTQ employees. Nearly half (47%) of LGBTQ employees believe that being “out” at work could hurt their career and even result in them losing their job. Nonetheless, nearly two-thirds (57%) of LGBTQ employees said they feel that they are “fully out” at their company, while 43% said they feel that they aren’t fully “out” at work. This is of particular concern, as several studies have indicated that openly … [Read more...] about Survey: Employers Could Do More to Support, Protect LGBTQ Workers