As an employer, are you paying attention to what is stressing out your employees? Mental health options are an integral part of overall health and well-being, yet often go unrecognized or neglected in many group health care plans. Many employers offer physical health benefits that cover doctor visits, prescriptions, and other preventative services but often overlook the importance of mental health care. This oversight can have serious consequences for both employees and businesses alike, leading to increased stress and decreased productivity. A recent survey of over 1,000 employees by JobSage, an employee transparency platform revealed the following disturbing statistics: 41% of Americans are considering quitting their jobs. 67% of employees say they are stressed by their jobs (compared to 54% in 2022). 55% of employees say they are anxious because of job aspects (compared to 36% in 2022). Fortunately, there are several ways employers can incorporate mental health options into their group health care plans to ensure their employees’ physical and mental health are protected. Here are five suggestions to boost up your overall package and help you attract and retain high level talent. Provide access to mental health professionals. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as providing a list of in-network mental health providers, offering coverage for telehealth services, or even providing on-site counseling services. Consider offering coverage for mental health services. This could include cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, and medication management. Ensure health plans have adequate coverage for mental health issues. Coverage for both in-person and virtual visits, as well as coverage for prescription medication may encourage more employees to seek the help they would benefit from. Consider offering coverage for alternative treatments. Treatments like acupuncture, massage therapy, and nutritional counseling are becoming more and more desirable when potential employees are comparing benefits as part of an overall job offer. Create a supportive work environment for employees. This can include offering flexible work schedules, providing paid time off for mental health days, and offering workshops or seminars on topics such as stress management and mindfulness. By creating an environment that encourages employees to take care of their mental health, employers can help reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and create a...
Read MoreRomantic Relationships in the Workplace by Maggie Johnson When two people spend a lot of time together, a romantic relationship may develop between them. In a recent survey by Namely, 40 percent of the survey’s participants indicated that they’d had a romantic relationship with a co-worker, with five percent of them having had a romantic relationship with their boss or a direct report. A 2017 CareerBuilder study showed 41 percent of professionals have dated a co-worker with 30 percent of office romances resulting in marriage. While a blooming romance may be a happy thing, in the workplace, it can spell big trouble! For a couple working alongside each other, and who are engaged in a romantic relationship, here are just three issues that could spring from that situation: Office gossip and some teasing of the couple may seem harmless at first, but could lead to detrimental consequences. These include negatively affecting employee morale, false and reckless statements about the couple, unprofessional behavior, and a host of other concerns. This only gets more unpleasant if the romance breaks up, with one of the former lovebirds feeling wronged; then, employees “take sides.” Before you know it, the workplace could suffer from undesirable conflicts with work affected and productivity taking a nosedive! An office romance between a supervisor and his or her direct report can be career-busting for the boss! The supervisor’s other subordinates may see favoritism; where it might not exist, nevertheless, may result in employees’ claims of disparate treatment and unfairness. Because of the unevenness of power between a boss and the subordinate, the romance could easily be interpreted as the supervisor’s coercion of his romantic partner and cause allegations of a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and worse! Even if an office affair begins with a consensual relationship, it can still end up in court with claims of sexual harassment. As examples, in both Gerald v. Univ. of Puerto Rico and Green v. Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund, a consensual sexual relationship occurred between the supervisor and subordinate. In both cases, after the relationships ended, the subordinates were subjected to continued sexual harassment by their supervisors, and in both cases, the courts found for the subordinate...
Read MoreOnboarding – A Key to Retention! By Maggie Johnson If you think onboarding consists of new employees completing documents such I-9 and W-4 forms, among others, on their first day of employment, you may be missing the value a robust onboarding process can bring to your organization. Onboarding can be the key to increased employee engagement, higher productivity and lower turnover. After spending considerable time, effort and, most likely, dollars recruiting the right person to join your organization, it makes sense to make every effort to effectively assimilate that employee into your company for a mutually successful outcome. According to Work Institute’s 2019 Retention Report, there are 150 million people currently working in the US, that’s more than ever before. In 2018, 41.4 million US workers voluntarily left their jobs. National employee voluntary turnover was over 27%. The cost of voluntary turnover is estimated to exceed $600 billion. A report on onboarding by Urban Bound stated the following statistics: Without Onboarding Companies lose 25% of all new employees within one year As much as 20% of staff turnover occurs within the first six weeks of employment It takes 8 – 12 months for new employees to gain proficiency With Onboarding 50% greater retention of employees 34% faster for new employees to gain proficiency It’s hard to retain employees, but you can increase your chances of keeping them by starting them out right! How? Based on the above statistics, the answer may be through a well-executed onboarding program. Here are some suggestions: Reach Out to New Employees Before Their First Day of Work Send them information about the company Give them a call Send a simple “Welcome” email letting them know how excited you are that they will join your team On the First Day of Work Make sure your new employees meet everyone on the team and others who they might work with on a regular basis Make sure their desk is set up with a supply of tools they’ll need to do their job Give them a tour of the work premises Take them to lunch Send an announcement to the company about their hire Match them up with a Work Buddy/Mentor Assign a...
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