EverythingPeople This Week!

20

Nov

2018

Better Family Policies Key to Fixing Labor Participation Rate

Author: Kevin Marrs

Is your organization struggling in this new era of full-employment?  According to a study from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco the U.S. is now at full employment.  And while most would look at full employment as a good thing, it does bring with it some challenges.  Notably, a lack of qualified talent and meeting the demand to increase salaries in order to attract and retain talent, to name a few.

29

Oct

2018

Paying Employees to Sleep

Author: Kevin Marrs

Looking to take your companies wellness program to the next level?  One Japanese company may have landed on an idea to do just that.  Bloomberg reported that the wedding organizer firm Crazy Inc. is paying its employees to get a good night’s sleep.  Employees who sleep at least six hours a night for at least five nights will be awarded redeemable points for food in the company’s cafeteria.  According to the report, the sleep is tracked by an app made by a...

28

Aug

2018

ASE’s 2018 Member Survey Results

Author: Kevin Marrs

Every two years the American Society of Employers (ASE) conducts a member satisfaction survey to help ASE staff assess and evaluate member satisfaction and how we can serve our members better. Following are summary results of our 2018 survey. We would like to thank all those who took the time to share their thoughts.

19

Jun

2018

What Lunch Breaks Say about Employee Engagement

Author: Kevin Marrs

Are you a cube warrior?  Eating lunch at your desk, or worse yet…skipping lunch all together?  If you answered yes, your job satisfaction and engagement may be suffering. 

17

Apr

2018

HSA Enrollment is Growing…or Is It?

Author: Kevin Marrs

As of January 2017, 52 health insurance providers reported 21.8 million HSA/HDHP enrollees, up from 20.2 million in 2016.  This is according to a recently released survey from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) who also reported a 9.2% increase in enrollment in HSA/HDHP from 2016 to 2017 in an analysis of a constant sample of 45 health plans.

13

Feb

2018

Wage Growth Improves in January

Author: Kevin Marrs

In May of last year, we artfully described the paradox of good economic news and low or moderate wage growth.  At the time, the U.S. economy had just added 211,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate had fallen to its lowest level since 2007.  However, what was missing in all that good news was signs of substantial wage growth. 

2

Jan

2018

Walmart Offers New Financial Wellness Services

Author: Kevin Marrs

The holidays have wrapped up for most Americans, and now the focus will likely shift toward paying for the gifts that Santa left behind, and the meals and entertainment shared with family and friends.  While these financial burdens are likely heightened this time of year, monthly expenses, unexpected bills, medical bills, retirement savings, and student loans are regular concerns of the average American worker.  In fact, according to the 2017 PwC Employee Financial Wellness Survey,...

14

Nov

2017

Is It Time for More Mindfulness Training at Work?

Author: Kevin Marrs

A recent study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University may provide employers another reason to look closely at mindfulness training for their organization.  Their research showed that mindfulness exercises can reduce the body’s response to biological stress.  Specifically, the researchers found that acceptance, or learning how to be open and accepting of the way things are in each moment, is essential for the stress reduction effects.

12

Sep

2017

Optimism Over Economic Outlook Declining Among Michigan Employers

Author: Kevin Marrs

According to ASE’s recently released Quarterly Economic & Employment Survey – Second Quarter, Michigan employers have grown less optimistic about their future business outlook compared to data collected earlier this year.  Specifically, the percentage of employers who anticipate improvements to future business conditions is at just 26% – its second lowest point since 2009.

18

Jul

2017

HR Staff Ratios are Growing

Author: Kevin Marrs

According to data issued by Bloomberg BNA in its "HR Department Benchmarks and Analysis 2017" report the size of HR departments is growing.  Their report, which includes benchmark data from nearly 700 HR professionals of U.S. employers, suggests that the median ratio of HR staff to total employee headcount is at an all-time high of 1.4 full-time equivalent HR employees for every 100 workers served by the HR department.

9

May

2017

Where’s the Beef – or the Wage Growth?

Author: Kevin Marrs

There has been a spate of good economic news recently.  Notably, April’s job report was strong, soundly beating analyst estimates.  To be specific, the U.S. economy added 211,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate, now at 4.4%, fell to its lowest level since 2007.  In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently that unemployment rates were lower in March than a year earlier in 336 of the 388 metropolitan areas it measures.  And, in a promising turn,...

7

Mar

2017

Obamacare Repeal Bill Unveiled

Author: Kevin Marrs

Earlier this week, House Republicans introduced legislation that seeks to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Obama’s signature health care law.  Released Monday night by top Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, the bill will, among other things, scrap the individual mandate.  It would also end the requirement that large employers offer insurance to their employees or pay a penalty.

17

Jan

2017

Investment in Value-Based Recognition Programs Pays Off

Author: Kevin Marrs

According to a recently released survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Globoforce, a leading provider of social recognition solutions, organizations that dedicate 1% or more of payroll to values-based rewards and recognition are more likely to see greater impacts on retention and financial outcomes.

29

Nov

2016

ASE’s 2016 Member Survey Results

Author: Kevin Marrs

Every two years the American Society of Employers (ASE) conducts a member satisfaction survey to help ASE staff assess and evaluate member satisfaction and how we can serve our members better. Following are summary results of our 2016 survey. We would like to thank all those who took the time to share their thoughts.

1

Nov

2016

Retention is Key for Employers in 2017

Author: Kevin Marrs

A recent survey from Xerox HR Services suggests that employers have shifted their attention from controlling costs to rewarding top performers.  In fact, data from their 2017 Compensation Planning Survey shows that 53% of participants reported that their highest priority in the coming year is to retain top talent.

11

Oct

2016

Child Care Costs Exceed Cost of In-State Tuition, Survey Shows

Author: Kevin Marrs

If the decision to send a child to a daycare center wasn’t hard enough, a newly released “Care Index” developed by the public policy institute New America and the world’s largest online marketplace for finding and managing care, Care.com, will make some parents cringe.  It will also confirm what many parents already know.  Daycare is expensive.  

2

Aug

2016

Stressed about Stress in the Workplace?

Author: Kevin Marrs

According to a recently released set of surveys you are not alone.  In fact, three-fourths of U.S. employers ranked stress as their number one workplace health concern.  This is according to the global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson’s  2015/2016 Global Staying@Work and the 2015/2016 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey. 

21

Jun

2016

Are Employers Putting the Brakes on Wellness Initiatives?

Author: Kevin Marrs

A recent survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) suggests that employers may be curtailing their use of certain components of wellness programs.  Specifically, their study showed that benefits like on-site flu shots, 24-hour nurse hot lines, health coaching and insurance-premium discounts for weight loss all have declined over the past year.

10

May

2016

Recent Data Suggests Slowing Job Market—A Trend or an Anomaly?

Author: Kevin Marrs

On Friday last week, the Department of Labor reported that nonfarm payrolls grew by a seasonally adjusted 160,000 in April, well below expectations and the lowest gain since September of last year. The national unemployment rate remained steady at 5%.  However, the fact that we missed job growth expectations by 40,000 jobs may not have been the most important aspect of the report. These numbers bring the average monthly rate of job growth this year down to 192,000, down from an average...

30

Mar

2016

I Voted! A Brave New World in Corporate Democracy

Author: Kevin Marrs

In the workplace we have all likely heard the saying, usually delivered as a reality check by someone higher than ourselves on the organization chart, “This is not a democracy, this is a dictatorship.” To one degree or another we have all experienced work cultures that embody that dictum. The truth is that at most organizations, decisions large and small are left to a select few.  However, according to The Wall Street Journal, more and more companies are abandoning this...
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