Warmer weather is approaching, which is typically when many employees like to use their vacation time. Time off is key to maintiaining a good work-life balance but, if your employees feel too stressed getting out the door, it may be doing more harm than good. Below are some ideas for stress-free vacation preparation. (Not all […]
Employee Wellness – At What Cost and To Whom?
Guest Blogger – Bob Merriam, Sr. HR Business Partner People inherently have a goal of being healthy– right? At the same time employees want good jobs and satisfying personal lives without spending a ton on employee benefits. Employers want reliable, productive employees whose good health is actually an asset verses a drain. Yet when health is […]
Ask Dave – Employee Wellness Legal Update
Question: May an employer make disability-related inquiries or conduct medical examinations that are part of its voluntary employee wellness program? Answer: Yes, according to the EEOC Enforcement Guidance: disability related inquiries and medical examinations of employees under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA allows employers to conduct voluntary medical examinations and activities, including voluntary medical histories, […]
Employee Wellness: The Holidays – Busy and Stressful!
Guest Blogger – Paula Barrett, Senior HR Business Partner It’s the middle of November and Christmas decorations are already going up, we’re hearing holiday advertisements on TV, stores are announcing they’re opening early on Black Friday and holiday party invitations have started arriving. This time of year is supposed to be about spending time with […]
Employee Wellness – Biggest Loser
With the upcoming holidays come eating and drinking, busier schedules and less time to exercise. November and December are often the time of year when many people put on weight. Come January 1st, they make New Year’s resolutions to right the wrongs they’ve gained over the past few months. But why wait until after the […]
The Intersection Between HR, Employee Productivity and the Flu
Some may argue that a company’s Human Resources department plays a vital role in the prevention of the flu. How can that be? Does keeping employees healthy fall under HR’s job description? It may not, but HR is responsible for employee productivity and if you’ve got a workforce missing work days due to illness, that’s […]
Employee Wellness Programs – A Good HR Initiative
With the exponential rising cost of health care benefits, employers are looking for options to reduce costs. Kristie Howard, Vice President of Employee Benefit Services at Longfellow Benefits, states that while wellness programs have been around since the 1980s, employers are starting to shift their thinking about employee health. Forward-thinking employers view wellness programs as […]
Take Back Your Lunch
Today is the kick off for “Take Back Your Lunch”, http://theenergyproject.com/takebackyourlunch. The movement was started by The Energy Group, which offers organizations a detailed blueprint for fueling a fully engaged workforce. Why not promote a real lunch break? Some organizations provide unwritten “permission” to take a lunch, and I mean more than 20 minutes. The average […]
Summer Wellness
The sun is shining, the weather is warm and summer is a perfect time to either begin or ‘ramp up’ your company’s wellness plans. There are many employee benefits to implementing a wellness program including increase in employee productivity and employee morale. If you don’t have a “Wellness Plan” yet – fear not, wellness is a […]
