The end of the year is upon us and a majority of companies celebrate with an end-of-year/holiday party. Although the trend of holiday parties has diminished in recent years, it’s still a good idea to commemorate the year with an office perk like a fun, festive party.
BENEFITS OF A YEAR-END CELEBRATION
Holiday staff parties are a perfect way to thank your employees for a great year. All employees want to feel appreciated and valued. What better way to serve this purpose, than with an end of the year office celebration. Hosting a night out to honor your employees during a festive time of year boosts morale. And if done right, your party can jump start the new year with refreshed, productive employees.
End-of-year celebrations allow employees to come together outside of their own team. The average American will spend 90,000 hours (45 years) of their life at work. Unless you have a very small office, most employees only engage in relationships within their department. When employees have a chance to mingle outside of their regular 9 to 5 day, they’ll build and cultivate relationships across different teams within the organization; creating a more loyal, cohesive and motivated
Seasonal parties can provide employers insight on those who work for them. Spending the evening with your employees in a more casual and relaxed atmosphere may reveal talents and ideas you may not have otherwise seen during traditional work hours.
CREATING THE RIGHT FIT
Regardless of office size, if planned right, employers can make a holiday party pop, no matter your budget. Whether this is your first go at an end-of-year celebration for your employees, or you host one every year, keep a few things in mind:
Plan early. Establish a steering committee to generate ideas for your holiday party. Allow the committee to involve all employees early on in the process. Utilize voting tools like Survey Monkey or Outlook to compile employee votes. This engages not only your entire workforce, but serves you as well when tailoring your party to fit your culture.
Create set activities. Engaging employees in some type of organized activity not only eases any social anxiety for them and their guests, it cultivates memories and allows colleagues to get to know each other. Consider a “Casino Night”, a photo booth (or two if your company can justify to size), an escape room outing—anything that will kick the night off with ease.
Incorporate entertainment during the dinner. Have team leads or management members come up with fun awards that emphasize character traits, strengths, and talents others may not know of. This is a great way to create cohesiveness, build relationships, and have your employees enjoy a good laugh at dinner.
Offer fun door prizes every 15 minutes or so. Prizes don’t have to be expensive to have an impact on employees, just relevant to them. However, with the right planning you may be able to throw in a raffle of larger gift items as well. Just keep in the specific tax rules when it relates to gift-giving. Gift cards associated with a specific dollar amount available to use at any establishment, and larger ticket items, can be subject to your employees having to claim income on them and pay the tax.
Make the dress code inclusive of everyone. Employees should not feel a financial pinch to attend a holiday office party. Establish a dress code that fits your culture, not the other way around.
TAKE AWAY TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL HOLIDAY PARTY
According to the Society of Human Resource Management, statistics show in recent years only 65% of employers have offered holiday parties—down from 72% five years ago. Consider the following tips when hosting your next year-end celebration.
Keep it light. Eliminate itineraries and board-room like structure. Choose to separate productivity/award celebrations and upcoming year projections from your holiday party.
Invite spouses and significant others to attend the party. Employees spend a majority of their week with their colleagues. Giving employees this option is a great way to show you value who they spend their time with outside of work.
Allow employees to leave early on a work day to give them time to get ready and pick up who is attending the party with them.
Show how you value your employees by chatting with them and meeting their guests.
Provide comfortable seating areas where employees can rest, eat and talk. Position these in main action areas so no one feels anti-social for taking a seat somewhere.
Consider tying in employees that work in different locations. Have a slideshow running throughout the night on what events other office locations have done throughout the year.
Create low-key conversation starters and get people to chat it up. This is valuable especially for those that are new to the company and guests of your employees. Incorporate trivia questions into the décor and table settings. Get them to engage by tying in a prize.
Keep the tastes and comfort level of your employees in mind. Include a variety of menu items that fit dietary restrictions. Not all employees drink alcohol and not all employees eat meat.
Limit alcohol to a 2 ticket system per guest. Opt for a cash bar after that to reduce liability.
Provide access to accommodations or coordinate transportation like Uber or Lyft to get your employees somewhere safely after the party if they choose to drink.
Ultimately, holiday parties can still be a value-add for your employees if done the right way. Feel free to change it up from year to year so these parties don’t get stale and continue to fit to your company’s culture. Contemplate new venues, ideas and activities and change up your steering committee to keep these parties fresh. Employees are more likely to enjoy themselves at an event that fits with their lifestyle, so don’t be afraid to get creative!
There are places where you expect things to be noisy, such as a rock concert, and places where you expect it to be quiet, like an office. And while nobody likes being “shushed,” there are few things more annoying than trying to work when someone else is talking in the background.
The ‘80s music group ‘Til Tuesday said it best: “Hush hush, keep it down now, voices carry.” An article in Human Resource Executive Online titled, “A Not-So-Quiet Little Problem: Noise!,” points out the current problem of modern, open offices—NOISE. When offices had doors, or at least cubicles, along with sound-absorbing carpeting and ceiling tiles, background noise wasn’t such a problem. Now, however, offices are wide open with nothing to block sound waves. Combine that with hardwood, or concrete floors, lots of glass and tall, echoing ceilings, and you’ve got the perfect storm for noise pollution.
Forward-thinking, or technology companies especially like open offices, and you can imagine what it sounds like with people talking on the phone, banging away at their keyboards, and conversing with each other. According to the article, nobody considers the acoustics of a room. They look at how beautiful, modern, and spacious it is. Then, once the room is filled with busy employees, the shock of its lack of tranquility sets in.
Employees become distracted by the noise, which in turn leads to reduced productivity. You can tell a lot about the noise level of an office by how many employees are wearing headphones. For workers to feel “healthy” at work, noise is a major factor, along with air quality and temperature. There are many ways to fix a noisy office if you follow the A, B, Cs—absorb, block, cover. Materials can be placed to absorb noise, walls or furniture can be positioned to block noise, and there are electronic devices that use counter-measures to cover noise. The industry, office layout, and other factors will influence the choice of the best solution to mitigate noise. One thing is certain: when choosing a new office, or remodeling an existing one, it’s best to factor in a room’s acoustics along with its aesthetics.
By Geoff Mukhtar
Originally posted by www.UBABenefits.com
The importance of health and wellness in the workplace is more apparent than ever. It’s obvious why healthy individuals make better employees and the positive impact this has on your bottom line. When thinking about building a program to improve the well-being of your employees, don’t forget about the importance of their financial health.
In recent years, studies show that employees have a wide range of financial concerns that affect their work. Some financial issues are widespread, impacting a large number of employees, while others may be more unique based on an employee’s specific circumstances.
Financial stress in the workplace influences productivity, absenteeism, physical health, emotional well-being, and the overall happiness of employees. Nearly 25 percent of employees confirm personal finance issues are a distraction at work and 39 percent say they spend three hours or more each week at work dealing with personal financial issues.1
Some of the biggest financial stressors impacting employees today include:
Student loan debt – 2 million Americans collectively owe $1.3 trillion in student loans – that’s more than credit card and auto loan debt, and second only to mortgage debt 2
Retirement savings – 56 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 in retirement savings 3
Emergency funds – 46 percent are unable to cover a $400 emergency 4
Other debt – 48 percent of Americans have more credit card debt than savings 5
Unfortunately, financial stress can go unnoticed because it is usually not as openly discussed or addressed. Discussing personal finance with co-workers and even family members is still considered difficult for many. This makes it even more important to have a program in place to educate and empower your employees to make positive financial decisions.
There are a wide variety of financial wellness programs and services available. When developing a program, be sure that you include both educational resources and tools that support behavioral change.
Educational resources – Education is the backbone to any financial wellness program. Remember, financial issues can impact anyone in your company and not everyone learns the same way. Offer a variety of resources including workshops, seminars, books, online courses and access to financial consultations. It’s important to assure employees that they are in a safe environment where they can learn and feel comfortable asking questions and seeking more information.
Empowering behavioral change – Financial wellness doesn’t stop with education. Worksheets, budgeting tools, financial consultants, loan repayment plans and retirement savings plans are all tools that aid employees in making long-term behavioral changes that improve their financial health. Celebrating the small successes early on will help employees commit to making more long-term changes. Be sure to have programs in place that offer the tools and resources needed for employees to set goals, change their behavior and celebrate their success.
Consult with your Employee Assistance Program about resources they may have to help you develop a financial wellness program and empower your employees to get on the path to financial health. 1 PricewaterhouseCoopers, “Employee Financial Wellness Survey,” 2014, page 11 2 Friedman, Zack, “Student Loan Debt in 2017: A $1.3 Trillion Crisis,” Forbes.com, February, 21, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2017/02/21/student-loan-debt-statistics-2017/#6d7983a05dab 3 GOBankingRates, “How Much Americans Have Saved for Retirement Survey,” 2016 4 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, “Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2015,” May 2016, p. 22. 5 Bankrate, “Bankrate Financial Security Index,” 2017
In previous posts, I have talked about several aspects of strategic benefits communication. Now it’s time to put those strategies into action. As we approach enrollment season, let’s look at five key steps to ensuring this year’s open enrollment is successful for you and your employees. 1. Determine your key objectives
What do employees need to know this enrollment season? As you review your benefit plan designs, think once again about your key objectives, and for each, how you will make employees aware and keep them engaged. What are the challenges employees face when making their benefits decisions?
Are you rolling out new medical plan options? Does this include HDHP options? An HSA? Are there changes in premiums and contribution levels?
Are there any changes to other lines of coverage such as dental, life insurance, disability insurance?
Are you adding new voluntary plans this year? How do they integrate with your medical plans? Do they plug gaps in high deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses? Are there existing voluntary plans with low participation?
Are there other important topics to share with employees, like new wellness programs, or health-driven employee events?
Once you’ve gathered this information, you can develop a communication strategy that will better engage employees in the benefits decision-making process. 2. Perfect your script
What do you know about your employee demographics? Diversity doesn’t refer only to age or gender. It could mean family size, differences in physical demands of the job, income levels, or simply lifestyle. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all world anymore. As you educate employees on benefits, you will want to give examples that fit their lives.
You will also want to keep the explanations as simple as possible. Use as much plain language as you can, as opposed to “insurance speak” and acronyms. Benefit plans are already an overwhelming decision, and as we have seen in our research, employees still don’t fully understand their options. 3. Use a multi-faceted communications strategy
Sun Life research and experience has shown that the most appreciated and effective strategies incorporate multiple methodologies. One helpful tactic is to get a jump-start on enrollment communication. As enrollment season approaches, try dynamic pre-enrollment emails to all employees, using videos or brochures. Once on-site enrollment begins, set up group meetings based on employee demographics. This will arm employees with better knowledge and prepared questions for their one-to-one meeting with a benefits counselor.
Consider hard-to-reach employees as well, and keep your websites updated with helpful links and provide contacts who are available by phone for additional support.
Also, look to open enrollment as a good time to fill any employee data gaps you may have, like beneficiaries, dependents, or emergency contacts. 4. Check your tech!
We have talked in previous posts about leveraging benefits administration technology for effective communications. For open enrollment, especially when you may be introducing new voluntary insurance plans, it is important to check your technology. I recommend this evaluation take place at least 6 to 8 weeks before open enrollment if possible.
Working with your UBA advisor, platform vendor and insurance carriers, some key considerations:
Provide voluntary product specifications from your carrier to your platform vendor. It is important to check up front that the platform can handle product rules such as issue age and age band pricing, age reduction, benefit/tier changes and guarantee issue rules. Also, confirm how the system will handle evidence of insurability processing, if needed.
Electronic Data Interface (EDI). Confirm with your platform partner as well as insurance carriers that there is an EDI set-up process that includes testing of file feeds. This is a vital step to ensure seamless integration between your benefits administration platform, payroll and the insurance carriers.
User Experience. Often benefits administration platforms are very effective at moving data and helping you manage your company’s benefits. As we have discussed, when it comes to your employee’s open enrollment user experience, there can be some challenges. Especially when you are offering voluntary benefits. Confirm with your vendor what, if any, decision support tools are available. Also, check with your voluntary carriers. These could range from benefit calculators, product videos, and even logic-driven presentations.
5. Keep it going
Even when enrollment season is over, ongoing benefits communications are a central tool to keeping employees informed, educated, and engaged. The small window of enrollment season may not be long enough for people to get a full grasp of their benefits needs, and often their decisions are driven by what is easily understood or what they think they need based on other people’s choices. Ongoing communications can be about specific benefits, wellness programs, or other health and benefit related items. This practice will also help new hires who need to make benefits decisions rather quickly.
In summary, work with your UBA consultant to customize benefits and enrollment communications. Leverage resources from your provider, who may, as Sun Life does, offer turnkey services that support communication, engagement, and enrollment. Explore third-party vendors that offer platforms to support the process. The whole thing can seem daunting, but following these steps and considerations will not only make the process easier for you, it will make a world of difference to your employees.
By Kevin D. Seeker
Originally Published By United Benefit Advisors
It’s not surprising that 2017 stands to be the year many will have an experience to share using a Telemedicine or a Virtual Doctor service. With current market trends, government regulations, and changing economic demands, it’s fast becoming a more popular alternative to traditional healthcare visits. And, as healthcare costs continue to rise and there are more strategic pricing options and digital models available to users, the appeal for consumers, self-funded employers, health systems and health plans to jump on board is significant.
Check out this short video and contact us to learn more!
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued its Man-in-the Middle Attacks and “HTTPS Inspection Products” guidance. The OCR warns organizations that have implemented end-to-end connection security on their internet connections using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS) about using HTTPS interception products to detect malware over an HTTPS connection because the HTTPS interception products may leave the organization vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. In an MITM attack, a third party intercepts internet communications between two parties; in some instances, the third party may modify the information or alter the communication by injecting malicious code.
OCR provides a partial list of products that may be affected. Also, OCR provides a method that organizations can use to determine if their HTTPS interception product properly validates certificates and prevents connections to sites using weak cryptography.
OCR emphasized that covered entities and business associates must consider the risks presented to the electronic protected health information (ePHI) transmitted over HTTPS. Further, OCR encouraged covered entities and business associates to review OCR’s recommendations for valid encryption processes to ensure that ePHI is not unsecured and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s recommendations on protecting internet communications and preventing MITM attacks. HIPAA Enforcement in the News
Below is a round up of the settlements recently in the news related to ePHI. OCR Announces HIPAA Settlement for Impermissible Disclosure of ePHI, Insufficient Risk Analysis, and Insufficient Risk Management Processes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced its $2.5 million settlement with a wireless health services provider for impermissible disclosure of ePHI. OCR’s investigation revealed that the provider had insufficient risk analysis and risk management processes in place at the time of the impermissible disclosure, including failing to implement policies and procedures regarding ePHI safeguards. The settlement requires the provider to implement a corrective action plan. OCR Announces HIPAA Settlement for Insufficient Security Management Process for ePHI
OCR announced its $400,000 settlement with a federally qualified health center (FQHC) based on the FQHC’s failure to have a security management process, including risk analyses sufficient to meet the Security Rule’s requirements. The settlement requires the FQHC to implement a corrective action plan. OCR’s announcement also provided a link to its guidance on the Security Rule. OCR Announces HIPAA Settlement for Failure to Have Business Associate Agreements
OCR announced its $31,000 settlement with a small, for-profit health care provider based on the provider’s failure to produce a signed business associate agreement with its business associate who stored records containing PHI. The settlement requires the provider to implement a corrective action plan. Employers Ask…
UBA’s question of the month from employers addressed breach notification requirements: Q. Under what circumstances do HIPAA’s breach notification requirements not apply when a breach of protected health information (PHI) occurs? A. Generally, breach notification must be provided when a breach of unsecured PHI is discovered. HHS provides only two methods of creating “secured PHI” that would not be subject to the notification requirements if there is a breach:
Encryption
Destruction
This means that if PHI/ePHI is encrypted or destroyed and a breach occurs, HIPAA’s notification requirements are not triggered. By Danielle Capilla
Originally Posted By www.ubabenefits.com
