Is Your Company Friendly To Breastfeeding Workers?

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Have you heard the term “brelfie”? It’s a twist on the word selfie’ and it’s a new trend in which everyone from celebrities to non-famous folks take pictures of themselves while they are breastfeeding. (I guess that would make the painting of Nursing Madonna the original brelfie!)

Famous paintings aside, opinions are divided on whether or not it is appropriate to ‘flaunt’ your breastfeeding. Some find it beautiful, while others say it is over-sharing and indicative of our Facebook/Instagram culture. Whatever your take, it makes one thing clear: Breastfeeding is becoming ever more popular and normalized in our culture, and with good reason. The World Health Organization advises that women breastfeed for up to two years, while the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that babies be breastfed exclusively for 6 months.

However, the CDC reports that only 52% of infants are still being breastfed at 6 months and the percentage that are exclusively breastfed at six months is a mere 22.3%. Among working women, a 10-year-old report says only 10% were nursing their babies by the 6-month mark. Instead, they turn to formula, which many argue simply cannot provide the same level of nutrition that breastmilk can. (Additionally, breastfeeding is healthy for mom, too: It can help decrease the risk of postpartum depression, as well as burn calories for women trying to lose the ‘baby weight.’)

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Rising Healthcare Costs

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New Survey Reveals that Middle-Class Families Must Choose Healthcare Over Food, Clothes

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Healthcare trends expert discusses these disturbing findings

Recent numbers show that middle-class families have increased their spending on healthcare by 25 percent since 2007. As these expenditures have increased, families have tightened their belt in other areas—with spending dropping on essentials such as food and clothing.

“These numbers are very disturbing,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and healthcare trends expert. “The Affordable Care Act was supposed to offer healthcare savings for Americans across the board, but instead it seems that middle-class families have been the hardest hit by our unstable economy.”

Wilson says that many Americans are reporting that their premiums are now so high that they cannot afford to go to the doctor. “With Obamacare, Americans are now facing deductibles of $3,000 a year or more,” he says. “Meanwhile, other Americans are losing their insurance as companies are forced to shut down as a result of the Affordable Care Act—not to mention, the amount of jobs that are going to be lost due to these company shutdowns.”

Wilson continues, “The whole point of President Obama’s plan was so that people would not have to choose between a doctor’s visit and paying for groceries. But now, thanks to these high premiums, we are right back in that same situation.”

For more on this topic, please contact Rob Wilson at rwilson@thewilsoncompanies.com.

Generational Workforce

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By Brittany Wilkey – Employco Human Resources

With the average age of retirement slowly increasing – whether due to financial needs, personal reasons, or simply because the average lifespan is also increasing – it isn’t uncommon to see organizations employing four to five generations at the same time.  Managing and recruiting such an extensive range of age groups can be difficult, but understanding a little bit about the wants and needs of each group can help both employers and employees maintain a cohesive workplace.

The first step is to understand what defines each generation, and how those generations are formed.  Generations are grouped not only because of their age and birth year, but also based on the social and cultural events occurring during their lifetime that ends up shaping their values, concepts, and beliefs.

For instance, a person in their 50’s who has been working for several decades is unlikely to have the same perspective as someone in their early 20’s who is just entering the workforce.  Along those same lines, an individual who lived through the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, or the digital boom, will be influenced by those major cultural events, and those same cultural events will impact how they approach their jobs, co-workers, and the workplace in general.

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Grieving Employees

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Did you know that the average time an organization provides to employees for bereavement leave is 4-7 days, though the actual grieving process can take two years or more? Grief impacts not only the employee, but also the rest of the organization, as productivity and workplace relationships can also suffer when an employee is dealing with loss.

Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to help an employee cope with the grieving process:

  • As part of Employco’s group insurance, UnitedHealthcare offers participants access to their Employee Assistance Program, which can help employees receive free counseling.
  • We can provide group training sessions for employees and/or your management team on how to respond when an employee is coping with loss.

Employco can also help you by going over the different options for making bereavement leave or general policy adjustments at your organization.

Worker’s Compensation

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Effective August 10, 2016, some employers – particularly those in high-hazard industries – will be required to submit electronic forms providing details on workplace injuries for publication on OSHA’s website. Additionally, OSHA released new guidelines regarding post-incident drug testing requirements, hoping to increase injury reporting by lowering employees’ fear of retaliation.

Coincidentally, Travelers recently released data compiling the top 5 workplace injuries over the last 5 years. Those injuries include:

  1. Strains and Sprains (30%)
  2. Cuts or punctures (19%)
  3. Contusions (12%)
  4. Inflammation (5%)
  5. Fractures (5%)

Approximately 32% of the top injuries are caused by material handling, such as lifting or carrying, and 16% are caused by slips, trips, or falls. Knowing the top injuries, as well as the causes, can help organizations better train employees on how to avoid injuries. For assistance with training or OSHA compliance, please contact Employco.

Cost of Healthcare

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Question: What do a 2016 Ford Escape and the annual cost of family healthcare have in common? They’re both $25,000!

A recent Milliman healthcare study found that the cost of healthcare for a typical American family of four covered by an average employer-sponsored PPO medical plan is $25,826 per year.

Milliman’s Key Findings:

  • The cost has more than tripled since its value of $8,414 in 2001
  • This year’s increase (4.7%) is the lowest rate since 2001, but is still well above the average increase in household income
  • Prescription drugs is the most rapidly growing component

Employee benefits programs, such as group medical plans, are an important component of Employco’s overall portfolio that helps to level the playing field for our clients. Using our large volume buying power to negotiate with benefit providers, we offer a benefits package that allows clients to compete with large corporations. Please let us know if you have any questions about employee benefit plans, including the plans provided in Employco’s portfolio.

Transgender Equality

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It has been a little over one year since Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Bruce Jenner, announced a change to her name and appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair.

With only around 0.3% – 3.0% of the U.S. adult population identified as transgender, employers may mistakenly believe that it’s not an issue worth their time. However, since the transgender population and legal compliance issues are growing, proactive employers are preparing for a transgender workforce.

Legislative Guidance:

  • Transgender employee discrimination is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and under several state laws.
  • OSHA and the Department of Labor released a “Guide to Restroom Access for Transgender Workers” that requires companies to allow their employees to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity.

Recommendations:

  • Modify your employee handbook, policies and training to include transgender in the list of protected classes
  • Engage transgender employees in an “interactive process” to discuss their preference on the use of bathrooms, name, email address, pronouns and company announcement, if any

To listen to Employco’s recent podcast on transgender equality in the workplace, please click here. Contact us for help with your employee handbook, policies or employee training.