Employment Resources

A shot of a business suit and tie with passport and snorkeling equipment

A survey by Harris Interactive, Inc., found that by the end of 2012 Americans will leave an average of 9.2 vacation days unused, up from 6.2 days in 2011.
According to a survey by Expedia, here are the top five reasons why U.S. employees don’t use all of their vacation time:

1. I can’t afford a vacation.
2. My work is my life.
3. I have trouble scheduling far enough in advance.
4. I can get paid for my unused vacation days.
5. Taking off might be perceived negatively at work.

Unfortunately, only the Japanese take fewer annual vacation days than Americans (5 versus 12), compared to 20 in India, 25 in the UK, 28, in Germany, and 30 in Brazil. Although employers want employees to work hard, burnout and disengagement is a real concern. If it were my company, I would make sure my employees used all their vacation!

Even though you’ve reached retirement age, you might need to postpone a life of leisure due to financial concerns. A working retirement allows you to work at least a few hours every week and build your nest egg before you make the big transition to full retirement. First, though, consider several tips.

Boost Retirement Savings

According to a 2013 Employee Benefits Research Institute study, one-third of pre-retirees on the lower end of the income scale only have enough money to fund one year of retirement. Additionally, many of the pre-retirees in the same category don’t contribute enough funds to their 401k or other retirement accounts. Talk to your financial advisor about your retirement portfolio. If you don’t have enough money saved, take a job that offers matching 401(k) funds or set up automatic payday transfers that boost your retirement savings.

Maximize Social Security Benefits

You can almost double your Social Security benefits by choosing a late retirement instead of leaving your job at age 62. Talk to your human resources manager and crunch numbers as you maximize your Social Security benefits.

Choose the Career You Want

Maybe you love your current job and want to keep it. That’s okay, especially if you receive generous benefits like health insurance and matching retirement fund contributions.

However, don’t be afraid to switch careers or try something new. Learn a new trade, work as a temp in a variety of fields or start your own business. A career counselor can provide resources, revamp your resume and help you find a job that’s a good fit for your skills, talents and interests.

Get Medical Clearance

Before you sign up for a working retirement, visit your doctor for medical clearance. For example, if you suffer from chronic back pain or a heart condition, your physician may give you the okay to work in data entry but not package delivery. Ultimately, you need to prioritize your health and safety.

Stay Active

Working during your retirement provides you with an outlet for your boundless energy and active lifestyle. It also keeps your mind sharp, a benefit most seniors appreciate.

Deciding to take a working retirement with full-time or part-time hours might be a wise decision for you. Consider these facts, talk to your human resource manager and financial planner and crunch the numbers as you make this important decision.

Looking for real-time information on your company’s benefit plan(s)? You — and your employees — can probably find it online. Workers can use a home computer, tablet, or smartphone to check the details of their benefit plans (costs, options, enrollment period, etc.), review documents, and update their personal account whenever they’d like.

Employers can access plan information that is: 

Accurate. Online access makes it easy to enter data once and check for errors.

Cost-effective. One survey found that changing from manual to online enrollment in benefit plans slashed the cost from $109 to $22 per employee.

Timely. Provides instant access right from your keyboard.

Efficient. Streamlining plan information entry and access frees up employee time for more productive activities.

Private and secure. Access to information on individual plans is restricted (password protected), while company and plan administrators can monitor any unauthorized attempt to tap into plan data.

Open ended. Participants can use hyperlinks to garner information on claims procedures, directories of providers, “healthy living” guidelines, and other helpful Web-based resources.

We can work with you, and your workers, to get the most out of accessing benefit plan information (“high tech”), while providing personalized service (“high touch”).

At the beginning of the new year, many companies offer raises to employees. What happens, though, when employees express unhappiness about the raises they receive? If they complain to each other, productivity and morale decline. Use several tips as you handle these complaints promptly and properly and encourage a positive, productive and healthy work environment.

Welcome Pay Raise Discussions

Employees should feel comfortable discussing any subject with you, including pay. Strive to cultivate an open door policy, and listen carefully to your employees so they feel comfortable being honest with you about all their concerns.

Compare Standard Industry Pay Rates

Search the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, PayScale.com, Salary.com and job listings to find the current pay rates for employees in your industry. For the most accurate data, research companies of comparable size with employees of similar talents and skills to your employees.

Provide Performance Details

If your company’s pay raises depend on employee performance, prepare a review of the employee’s record and performance during the last year as you outline the reasoning for their specific pay raise. Offer suggestions for improvement, too, so your employees know exactly how to qualify for a bigger raise next year.

Review the Raise Policy

Your company may offer larger raises to employees after they work there for a certain number of years, or your raise policy may give everyone the same raise regardless of merit. Review this policy with employees as you explain their pay raise.

Offer Alternative Benefits

In lieu of large pay raises, the company may boost the employee benefits package or offer alternative benefits like extra time off or a flexible work schedule. Discuss these perks with employees as you help them understand this year’s pay raise.

Explain the Company’s View

Your company could have multiple reasons for giving lower-than-expected raises. While you don’t have to explain all the reasons to your employees, share some details, such as the employee budget, increase in insurance benefits or slow production, that help them understand your point of view.

Note Pay Raise Complaints

When employees take time to complain about their pay raise, record their concerns, including why they believe they deserve a bigger raise, your reasoning for the raise they received and any suggestions you made for their future improvement. The employees will appreciate being heard and the fact that you take their compensation complaints seriously.

If employees complain about their pay raise, you can take these steps to address the complaint promptly and properly. Handle the situation the right way, and you build rapport and create a stronger company.

After spending 40 hours a week together at work, you and your coworkers may become close friends. Unfortunately, certain conversation topics can cause awkward situations and increase stress, decrease productivity, motivation and performance, and threaten your job. Protect your health and career when you avoid talking about these topics.

Politics

Whether you avidly follow or purposely avoid politics, political conversations should be off-limits at work. The subject ignites tempers and undermines team spirit.

You may announce that you vote. However, avoid candidating for a specific party, and change the subject if your coworkers introduce the topic.

Pay Rate and Benefits

Under federal law, you may openly discuss your pay rate, insurance coverage and other benefits with coworkers. These discussions may benefit others if they lead to equal pay for equal work, but they could also cause hard feelings and hinder cooperation.

Discuss your paycheck and benefits only if the conversation will benefit your team, and never brag about or belittle someone else’s paycheck. Always err on the side of respect.

Personal Relationship Problems

Maybe your spouse stopped sleeping with you or your child is bullied at school. Share these personal relationship problems at work, and you undermine your authority as a supervisor or manager. The information could also fuel the rumor mill or anchor a sexual harassment complaint.

Restrict personal conversations to neutral topics. Then discuss and resolve your personal relationship problems outside of work.

Health Concerns

You may decide to tell your coworkers about your struggle with chronic pain or depression, especially on challenging days. Consider how your health concern affects your reputation and even your ability to promote, though.

If you must share health information, don’t talk daily about your challenges or discuss every detail. Rely on your family and friends for support and focus on your job when you’re at work.

Career Aspirations

Career aspirations can motivate you to better yourself. Your coworkers may question your loyalty or resent you, however, if you share your goals with them.

Tell your boss privately that you want to move up the ladder. Then do your best work every day as you demonstrate that you’re a team player and committed to the company’s success.

Religion

Faith is a personal and sensitive subject. Even an innocent comment about church or a holiday can make your coworkers feel uncomfortable.

While you can mention your faith, avoid in-depth religious conversations. Take care to never belittle or disagree with someone else’s beliefs, and don’t try to convert anyone.

The conversations you have at work influence your job performance, reputation, success and health. Aim to promote respect, cooperation and peace as you talk to your coworkers.

Company holiday parties give your employees the chance to relax, network and have fun. You could be liable for your employees’ drinking, though. Learn more about your liability and ways to protect yourself as you prepare for your holiday party.

Check Your Company Insurance Policy

The majority of states have liquor liability laws that apply to anyone who serves alcohol. If one of your employees drinks too much and gropes another employee or causes a car accident after the party, you could be sued. Check your company’s general liability policy and employment practices liability insurance policy with third-party coverage to ensure you have adequate liability coverage.

Ask Employees to Review the Employee Manual

The company’s employee manual should include details about employee behavior at company events. It includes their responsibility to behave properly and any penalties for over-imbibing. As employees RSVP to the party, ask them to review the policy.

Serve Food

Unique appetizers, hearty entrees or a dessert bar can distract employees from drinking. Plus, eating before drinking reduces the effects of alcohol.

Focus on Fun and Games

Instead of prioritizing drinking, plan fun and games. Hire an entertainer,  host a karaoke or dance-off challenge, or perform team-building activities. When the main focus of the party is fun, your employees won’t have time to drink all night.

Be an Example

If you plan to drink at the party, limit yourself to one beer, cocktail or glass of wine. Ask other managers and the party’s planner committee to be examples of moderation, too.

Provide a Cash Bar

Employees are more likely to drink too much if they don’t have to pay. You can cover the food, entertainment and non-alcoholic beverages, but let them buy their own alcoholic drinks.

Offer Non-Alcoholic Options

Include several interesting non-alcoholic beverage options on your menu. They’re fun to drink and encourage sobriety.

Hire Trained Bartenders

Trained bartenders can recognize when a person has reached their limit. They also will card interns or any employees who looks underage, which reduces a big alcohol-related liability.

Use a Drink Ticket System

Limit access to alcohol when you give employees a set number of drink tickets. When they reach their limit, they can’t order any more drinks.

Close the Bar

An limitless open bar invites overindulgence. Open the bar a short time then close it for the night as you protect employees from drinking too much.

Pay Cab Fare

Ensure employees arrive home safely when you pay cab fare. You can even call cabs for employees.

Before your holiday party, discuss your liability insurance coverage with your insurance agent. Be sure you’re covered as you prepare to have fun.

For some people, the preventive care options provided by traditional health insurance plans are not a benefit they want or can afford. Instead, a health insurance policy that covers them only in the case of a catastrophic event, such as a car accident or emergency surgery, is much more appealing and affordable. For these people, catastrophic coverage (also called major medical) offers the perfect balance between reasonable coverage and cost.

What is Catastrophic Coverage?

Catastrophic coverage is generally sought out by individuals who do not anticipate needing full health coverage benefits but who do want the security of coverage in the event of an unexpected, emergency need.

Catastrophic health insurance often has a high deductible and low monthly premium, making it ideal for adults in their 20s who are without group coverage and adults between the ages of 50 and 65 who are primarily concerned with financial losses associated with heart attacks, accidents, and other serious illnesses. They are generally healthy, take few or no prescription medications, and would rather pay out-of-pocket for the occasional office visit to save on their monthly insurance premiums.

Deductibles

Catastrophic plans typically cover only major hospital and medical expenses above a certain deductible. The insured is responsible for paying the entire deductible, together with follow up doctor visits and any prescription drugs. Deductibles typically start at $2,500 and can be much higher-the higher the deductible, the less expensive the monthly premiums. If your treatment costs do not exceed your deductible, the insurer will pay nothing.

Limits

Most catastrophic health plans have lifetime maximum benefits payments. Once the expenses of your treatments have reached the amount of your cap, the insurance company will not pay for additional medical expenses and the policy will be voided.

Considerations

Before you buy a catastrophic health plan, consider:

How much of a deductible can you afford?

Do you get sick often?