Good Ideas for Tough Times
Companies Find Smart Ways to Boost Benefits

As the pressures of an economic recession mount, employers are finding innovative and inexpensive ways to strengthen their benefits and retain top talent.

Many small-business owners are adding an “à la carte-style” system of new voluntary benefits, in which employees choose what they want and can afford.

The right type of voluntary benefits can cut costs and allow small businesses to remain competitive against larger companies for top-quality workers, according to John Roberts, president and CEO of Assurant Employee Benefits.

“A lot of companies have cut back their staffs, and they’re down to the core group of people that are going to get them through [the recession], so they want to make sure that group of people is happy,” Roberts said. “Adding new [voluntary] benefits is a way to do that.”

The real challenge for business owners, Roberts said, is deciding which benefits to offer.

“People are most interested in benefits they can see themselves using,” Roberts said. “You don’t want to try to sell employees on benefits that will cost them a lot of money.”

Experts said several voluntary products are hot right now. They include:

• Disability: Probably the most popular choice right now, according to Roberts.
• Life insurance: Universal life is becoming more common.
• Dental: A valued benefit that can be designed to be low cost.
• Supplemental plans: A benefit that provides a set dollar amount for
  a hospital stay is an example.
• Critical illness: A popular pairing with a high-deductible health plan.

Wellness programs are also fertile ground for creative cost-saving measures. Some employers are finding it doesn’t take a fortune to get employees involved, according to a report in Workforce Management.

For example, an employer in Indiana offered a unique wellness challenge: a six-month “walk” from Indianapolis to the summit of Pike’s Peak in Colorado (that’s 1,115 miles, or more than 2 million steps). Employees counted their steps daily and applied them to the total distance of the race. At the end, participants could enter a raffle to win a gift certificate. A total of 128 workers started the program, with 18 hoofing it to the finish. Total cost: $350.

“We wanted something that would encourage people basically to be active,” said Andy Scott, the corporation’s HR manager. “We didn’t have much of a budget at all, so we had to do this as economically as we could.”



Swine Flu Scare
Outbreak Prompts Employers to Review Policies

The recent appearance of swine flu around the world serves as a reminder that employers should have plans in place for dealing with serious regional and global outbreaks, several law firms said.

The law firm of Jackson Lewis said HR departments should be proactive and keep their employees informed about the health risks of an outbreak such as swine flu. The firm recommends employers:

• Inform workers that the company is following the issue closely.
• Request that employees notify supervisors as soon as they experience
  any symptoms and stay home if they are ill.
• Review leave and telecommuting policies and adjust them if necessary.
• Remind employees to wash their hands frequently.
• Explore whether the company’s cleaning service offers increased
  sanitation services.

Employers also should be aware that outbreaks can create compliance implications, according to the law firm of Haynes Boone. Companies should review the Family and Medical

Leave Act (FMLA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and other health- and leave-related laws, the law firm advises.

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• WAITING IN BEANTOWN: Patients in Boston must endure the longest wait to see a specialist – 49.6 days – according to a survey by Merritt Hawkins & Associates. Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Houston followed Boston. Atlanta had the shortest wait time, the survey found.