First edition (hopefully not the last)

Like many of you I spent most of 2020 building a cocoon around myself and my family.  Although I have fared very well compared to others, it has been a battle the last few months to dig myself out of the cocoon I started building in March 2020.  It felt like my regular routine – which never seemed like much of a burden before – was TOO MUCH.  During the down time I thought of countess things I should be doing…yet did very few of them.

So, starting this month, I’m going to attempt to do at least one of the things I talked about…craft a top ten list for my HR colleagues.  I want this to be digestible, as I know we all have a lot of emails and other materials to read, so I will include 5 meaty topics and 5 quick hits.

#10:  We ended October thinking we would know soon if 12 weeks of federal paid leave will finally become law. My prediction was that although momentum was gained within the Build Back Better infrastructure package and things were advanced in the House, the simmer in the Senate will be like my pasta sauce on a busy Sunday…well-intentioned but burnt on the bottom. Some legislators are hoping the private sector will pick up the tab through some type of mandate, others are hoping that a smaller duration benefit (i.e. 4 weeks) would be more palatable.  At this point it’s hard to know if my pasta sauce will be on the menu this week or burnt to a crisp.

#9:  If you have been living under a rock you probably still heard the FDA advisory panel has OKed COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11.  The Kaiser Family Foundation research indicates that 1 in 3 parents say their child will get the vaccine right away once eligible. Employers should be prepared for potential time off requests for not only the vaccine but also if any additional care is required.  Here are some additional insights from KFF.

#8:  If you aren’t aware of GISThealthcare, it’s one of my favorites. They recently shared an infographic about the burden of mental health on emergency room departments.  It’s very insightful and reminds me how important behavioral solutions are for employers. Here is the content that grabbed me.

#7:  Diversity, equity and inclusion is and should be a priority for all employers. That cannot exist without health equity. When folks ask me where to start, I suggest beginning by giving it a definition, setting tangible short-term goals and at a minimum start gathering data. The basic tenants of health equity from a 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation still resonate and are the core tenants of the work we do:

  • Identity important health disparities
  • Change and implement policies to remove those unfair practices
  • Evaluate and monitor your efforts with short- and long-term measures
  • Reflect and plan next steps

#6:  We continue to support employers as they review their absence policies to ensure they are compliant and in line with peer for the best attraction and retention. We recently produced a white paper related to parental and family leave.  You can find it here.

#5:  MA PFML has increased in benefits in 2022 and decreased contributions. MA employers should notify their workforce of the changes (employee acknowledgments are not required with this update; but you should continue to track acknowledgement for new hires).

#4:  CT PFL goes live January 2022. The State of Connecticut announced in July that Aflac has been selected as claims administrator for the paid leave program. Spring/Alera will have another webinar to help support any final implementation questions, stay tuned for details.

#3:  My colleague and friend Gretchen Day was quoted in the NYTimes about financial stress.  In short, she advocates employers to think more holistically about employee issues.  Give it a read.

#2:  Was delighted to collaborate with Aimee Gindin at Torchlight for a piece around Biden’s paid FMLA program.  We talk about juggling the 3Cs – Cost, Compliance and Culture.  Check it out here.

#1:  As HR professionals, I know you put your blood, sweat and tears into open enrollment.  It pains us that so many employees wait until the last minute or may not pay attention or understand the plans even though we have taken great care to make information accessible. My reminder to my HR friends and colleagues is for many employees, choice related to benefits is a burden. What we view as a comprehensive suite of thoughtful offerings is a chore on their to do list. They know how important it is but sometimes that makes it even harder to commit. Try to be patient with them!

 

Until next month!

Teri

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Teri Weber
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Teri Weber

Partner at Spring Consulting Group, LLC
Teri Weber, ACI is a Senior Vice President with Spring Consulting Group. She has over 10 years of experience in health and welfare plan strategy, design, pricing, and implementation. She also works with absence management programs, including disability, family medical leave and leave of absence tracking. Her areas of expertise have allowed her to work with diverse employers and vendors to streamline processes and programs to meet the needs of insurers, administrators, employers and employees. Teri is on the Board for the New England Employee Benefits Council (NEEBC) and recently served as lead editor for the Disability Management Employer Coalition’s (DMEC) Return to Work Program Manual. Prior to joining Spring, Teri worked with Watson Wyatt, Buck Consultants and AON Consulting. In addition she was an Account Manager with Health Direct, Inc. Teri earned a BS at the University of Connecticut and a MBA at the University of Massachusetts. She holds an ACI designation and is a licensed broker in the states of MA and CT.