HR Brief – 5 Tips for Effective 2023 Open Enrollment Communication
Now more than ever, employees are looking to their employers for guidance on navigating their available benefits. Employees are likely paying more attention this year as they navigate record-high inflation and work to maximize every hard-earned dollar.
During the 2023 open enrollment season, employers should be poised to provide their employees with resources and tools they can use to better understand and act with more confidence when making benefits decisions.
Consider these five tips to enhance communication about benefits:
Consider these five tips to enhance communication about benefits:
- Start early.
Get the word out early about benefits offerings so employees have ample time to understand their benefits, consult with family members and determine their needs for the following year.
HR Brief – Building Employee Skills With Microlearning
Addressing current and future skills gaps is a top workplace challenge for employers today. In addition, learning and development are key priorities for workers in today’s competitive labor market who may seek out a new employer if their current one does not offer the career development opportunities they desire.
While employers can approach these challenges in various ways, many are leveraging microlearning, which provides an affordable, feasible and time-friendly opportunity to build employee skills.
HR Brief – Proposed Overtime Rule Expected in October 2022
In its spring regulatory agenda, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced its plans to issue a proposed overtime rule in October 2022. According to the agency’s regulatory agenda, this proposed rule is expected to address how to implement the exemption of executive, administrative and professional employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) minimum wage and overtime requirements.
Changes to minimum wage and overtime requirements under the FLSA could impact compliance costs and litigation risks for employers.
HR Brief – What President Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Means for Employers
Recently, the White House directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to draft an emergency temporary standard (ETS) for private employers. Soon, employers with 100 or more employees (likely measured companywide, not by location) will need to adapt their vaccine policies and enforce one of the following:
• Require employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19
• Require unvaccinated employees to produce evidence of a negative COVID-19 test each week
DOL Announces Final Rule on Tip Regulations
Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule that will amend Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations for tipped employees. The final rule is expected to become effective on Nov. 23, 2021.
HR Brief – August 2021 | Hybrid Work Models, Preventing Turnover Post-pandemic
Considering a Hybrid Work Model
Work flexibility is consistently cited as a post-pandemic trend, and many employers are already introducing hybrid work models in their reopening plans. A hybrid workplace is a flexible model designed to support a workforce of both on-site and remote employees.
A thoughtful hybrid workplace approach combines the best aspects of an organization’s on-site and remote workplaces. To best accommodate a distributed workplace, consider the following tips:
- Set clear expectations for which employees are eligible for hybrid work, and be transparent about any decisions.
- Formalize hybrid work request processes.
- Plan meetings that best accommodate all employees.
- Consider how project management and communication channels can foster company-wide collaboration.
Preventing Turnover Post-pandemic
Turnover is a common occurrence throughout any given year. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, turnover rates fell dramatically. Now, a significant number of employees are unwilling to return to the status quo that was established pre-pandemic. That’s a major reason why experts predict a “turnover tsunami” coming in the latter half of 2021.
What Employees Want Post-pandemic
Generally, workplace survey data from the past year illuminates some commonalities between worker desires across industries. The following are some of the most coveted changes workers are looking for post-pandemic:
- Flexible work options
- Protection from burnout
- Competitive compensation
- Considerations for Employers
To stay ahead of these trends, employers will need to look inward toward their unique employee populations and determine what’s important to them. This inquiry may include surveying employees to learn about what they are looking for. To help meet the demands of a workforce, employers can consider implementing changes, such as:
- Providing remote or hybrid working arrangements
- Providing flexible scheduling options
- Adopting or expanding employee assistance programs to help with mental health and burnout
- Increasing compensation or bonuses
- Having managers meet more frequently with employees to discuss challenges and concerns openly
July HR Brief: Employee COVID-19 Vaccine Cards; Attracting Top Remote Talent
Supporting Employees With Vaccine Cards
Employers can consider proactive steps to help ensure employees aren’t left without copies of their vaccine cards. These steps include encouraging employees to keep their cards in a safe place and to take a photo of their card, and providing employees with protective sleeves for their card. Click the link below for the full article.
Attracting Top Remote Talent
Remote work is quickly becoming a desirable benefit in today’s labor market as many employees desire flexible work options. As more organizations embrace long-term remote or hybrid workplace models, employers will continue to compete for their industry’s top candidates. Click the link below for the full article.
June HR Brief: Protecting Teams from Burnout; EEOC Opens EEO-1 Reporting Portal for 2019 and 2020 Data
- The portal for private-sector employers to submit equal employment opportunity (EEO-1) workforce data from 2019 and 2020 is now open, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced. The deadline for submissions is July 19, 2021. This data collection was previously delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Burnout is a commonly discussed issue amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Oftentimes, it’s HR’s responsibility to help employees cope with burnout and its contributing factors. In many cases, that leaves HR teams without lifelines of their own. However, HR professionals can take steps to stay afloat when feeling overburdened.
May HR Brief: Using Technology in Learning and Development
- Skill training and development are essential in every organization. Employers can consider online or technology-supported training as an investment to both their employees and organization. Contact Evolution of Benefits today to learn more about learning and development, and download HR Brief for more about the key types of training programs and how technology could improve the employee experience.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, many recruiting budgets have been slashed, and employers are struggling to find talent. However, virtual recruitment can help HR teams address talent shortages. Virtual recruitment is the process of pursuing, vetting and hiring candidates electronically. Download the HR brief for strategies.
HR Brief – April 2021
Topics include
Top 10 Workplace Discrimination Claims
In the 2020 fiscal year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) resolved more than 70,804 charges of workplace discrimination. Discrimination lawsuits can be very time-consuming and expensive for employers, and can result in a loss of employee morale or reputation within the community.
Top Causes of Discrimination
According to the EEOC, the following are the top 10 reasons for workplace discrimination claims in fiscal year 2020:
• Retaliation—37,632 (55.8% of all charges filed)
• Disability—24,324 (36.1%)
• Race—22,064 (32.7%)
• Sex—21,398 (31.7%)
• Age—14,183 (21.0%)
• National Origin—6,377 (9.5%)
• Color—3,562 (5.3%)
• Religion—2,404 (3.6%)
• Equal Pay Act—980 (1.5%)
• Genetic Information—440 (0.7%)
These percentages add up to more than 100% because some lawsuits were filed alleging multiple reasons for discrimination.
Steps for Employers
Employers should consider the following steps to protect themselves from retaliation and other discrimination claims:
• Audit their practices to uncover any problematic situations.
• Create a clear anti-retaliation policy that includes specific examples of what management can and cannot do when disciplining or terminating employees.
• Provide training to management and employees on anti-retaliation and other discrimination policies.
• Implement a user-friendly internal complaint procedure for employees.
• Uphold a standard of workplace civility, which can reduce retaliatory behaviors.
For more information and for tips on how to protect your business, contact Evolution of Benefits today.
Preparing HR for Future Health Crises
The COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for HR departments in 2020. Suddenly, employees were looking to HR teams for guidance in areas not typically considered their responsibility.
This article outlines four ways HR teams can prepare for future public health crises. Employers can use this information to help cope with the current COVID-19 pandemic fallout and beyond.
HR Brief – March 2021
Topics include
OSHA Issues Prevention Guidance on COVID-19 in the Workplace
Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The guidance is intended to inform employers and workers in settings outside of health care of the risks of being exposed to or contracting COVID-19 at work. This guidance is meant to help employers and workers determine appropriate COVID-19 control measures for the workplace.
3 Recruiting Trends to Watch in 2021
Recruiting has never been simple, and the COVID-19 pandemic is complicating matters even more. In this rapidly changing landscape, employers need to adapt if they want to attract and retain quality talent.
To better prepare for this rapidly changing landscape, the following are some recruiting practice trends employers should monitor in 2021.
Client and Employee Resources
The more your employees understand your benefit plans the more they become educated, empowered consumers. The programs you provide will also gain an enhanced value.
As your strategic partners in employee benefits, we can provide multiple avenues of ongoing support, including:
- Employee Meetings (English and Spanish)
- Webcasts
- Payroll Stuffers
- Poster Campaigns
- Newsletters
Carrier Directories
E-Verify is a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. Click the image below to begin.
