HRAs and HSAs Not Yet Popular

Benefitnews.com - Information for HR and Benefit Directors and other Employee Benefit Plan Sponsors and Advisers

According to a recent survey of 2,995 employers by the Kaiser Family Foudation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, only 4% of employers with health benefits offer an HRA or an HSA to their employees. From BenefitNews.com...

About 1.6 million workers are enrolled in HRAs, representing 2% of covered workers. Among workers with access to an HRA, 25% enrolled in it. The average annual employer contribution to HRAs is $3,872 for single coverage and $7,538 for family coverage.

Meanwhile, 800,000 workers are enrolled in HSA-qualified health plans, representing 1.8% of covered workers. Just 15% of workers with access to this type of plan enrolled in it. The average annual employer contribution to an HSA-qualified plan is $2,270 for single coverage and $6,245 for family coverage. Roughly 67% of employers offering an HSA-qualified plan contribute to workers' accounts.

It appears that part of the reason for the low enrollment may be due to a lack of incentive. According to Gary Claxton, VP at the foundation, "HRAs don't really offer much savings to employers yet. The HSA-qualified plans, when you consider the contributions that the employers make to the HSAs, are a little bit cheaper than traditional health insurance."

Bush Suspends Davis-Bacon Law in Katrina Damaged Areas

Bush Suspends Prevailing-Wage Law in Katrina Zone

In a controversial move, President Bush decided to suspend the Davis-Bacon Act, the law which requires federal contractors to pay the prevailing or average pay in the region, in the hurricane-damaged areas of Alabama, Florida, Lousiana, and Mississippi. Believing that the Davis-Bacon act actually increases construction costs, Bush said that suspending it "will result in greater assistance to these devastated communities and will permit the employment of thousands of additional individuals."

His ruling infuriated labor leaders, as well as others who believe that suspending the law is actually an opportunity to exploit workers and further depress the area's living standard. From HR.BLR.com...

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi noted that the Davis-Bacon Act was signed into law at "a time when scurrilous employers were taking advantage of the desperation of American workers to care for their families. At that time, and for more than 70 years since then, the federal government has demanded that when taxpayer money is spent, workers should be paid a livable wage.

"But today," she continued, " the Bush Administration demonstrated the latest example of its anti-worker agenda, with an executive order rescinding the requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act for areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. That means that as workers return to their lives and livelihoods on the Gulf Coast, the Bush Administration wants to use federal money to exploit them by paying less than the prevailing wage."

Opinions abound on the subject. What's yours?

To read Bush's proclamation, click here.

To read the Washington Post article, "Bush Suspends Pay Act in Areas Hit by Storm," click here.

No Shortage of Jobs for Gulf Coast Healthcare Workers

Healthcare recruiters are wooing displaced Hurricane Katrina healthcare workers with perks such as signing bonuses and relocation assistance.

Gulf Coast healthcare firms are concerned that once life returns to normal in the hurricane ravaged areas, that there won't be enough people to fill the positions.

From HR.BLR.com...

Out-of-state recruiters tell USA Today that they are helping, not poaching, since the workers need jobs.

"Even if we didn't exist, these nurses and health professionals would go somewhere else because they have to," says Alan Braynin, CEO of Access Nurses, a San Diego-based staffing agency.

Only time will tell to see if the workers return to their former Gulf Coast employers.

Only One in Three Workers Would Consider Unionizing

According to a new Zogby/Public Service Research Foundation Poll, only 35% of non-union workers would consider voting to unionize their workplace, while the majority (56%) would not. These numbers seem to coincide with the recent decline in union memberships nationally.

The survey of 802 workers nationwide was conducted June 14 through 21, 2005, and has a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points. Polling was performed by Zogby International on behalf of the Public Service Research Foundation.

The poll found broad-based consensus among employees against unionizing, with 56% of all non-union workers in the survey saying they would vote against bringing a union into their workplace. One-in-three (35%) indicate they would consider voting for a union, but just half of that group (16%) say they would definitely vote to unionize, while two-in-three of all those who oppose unionizing (38%) would definitely vote against unionizing. These trends held for all age groups under 65, but was most noticeable among workers age 30 to 49, where three-in-five (60%) indicated they would not support unionizing.

This opposition to unionizing holds in every region of the country as well, with majorities in the Eastern U.S. (61%), South (50%), and Central/Great Lakes Region (60%) and a 49% plurality in the Western states all saying they would resist unionizing their workplace.

The survey also found men more likely to oppose unionizing their workplace, by a 61% to 50% margin versus women, and married people are more likely to oppose unionization than single people by a 61% to 51% margin.

Thanks to "World of HR" blog reader, Tom Minnick, SPHR, for calling our attention to the Zogby poll. If you would like to read more about the results, click here.

Best and Worst Companies for Gay and Transgender Employees

HRC | Best and Worst Companies for Gay and Transgender Employees Revealed

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation were pleased to reveal the results of their fourth annual report card on the treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees in corporate America. According to the study, there are seven times as many corporations providing full protections since 2002 with a record-setting 101 companies scoring a perfect 100%.

As reported on the HBC website...

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s fourth annual report card — the Corporate Equality Index — rates Fortune 500 and other major companies on a scale from zero to 100 percent on seven key indicators of fair treatment for GLBT employees. Indicators include policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as well as equal health care benefits.

Among this year’s key findings:

A record 101 companies score 100 percent, which is attributed to a sharp increase in gender identity non-discrimination policies. In 2002, only 13 companies earned a perfect rating.
Today, 5.6 million people work at the 101 companies that score 100 percent. In 2002, approximately 690,000 people were employed by the 13 companies that scored 100 percent.
Eighty-one percent of scored companies offer health benefits to the domestic partners of employees, up from 70 percent in 2002.
“With 101 companies scoring one hundred percent, millions of Americans now have protections they would have only dreamed of a few years ago,” said Daryl Herrschaft, director of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Workplace Project and lead author of the report.

Many of the companies that scored 100 percent will be attending this year’s Out & Equal Workplace Summit starting on Sept. 22 in Denver. They will be joining more than 850 GLBT employees, straight allies and human resources and diversity professionals who share the same vision of equality for all.

Mileage Rate Increases for the Remainder of '05

The IRS decided to break routine and update the mileage rate early, in order to address the rising cost of gas. The rate has increased 8 cents to 48.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven between September 1st and December 31st.

From BLR...

"This is about fairness for taxpayers," IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said. "People are entitled to deduct the real cost of operating a vehicle. We've responded to the recent gas price increases by making this special adjustment so taxpayers get the tax benefit they deserve."

Read the entire article here.

Katrina Evacuees Receiving Jobless Benefits

According to a recent article on SHRM Online, individuals who lost their jobs and their homes due to Hurricane Katrina are now starting to receive their Disaster Unemployment Assistance checks.

“We’re doing everything we can,” said Louisiana Department of Labor (DOL) spokesman Ed Pratt. “We’re going into the shelters, taking applications and giving out checks. So far we’ve processed 70,000 applications, and we expect that number to grow.” The Louisiana efforts are mirrored across the South for residents who find themselves far from their homes and the offices where they normally would seek such aid.

“We processed over 10,000 claims from Louisiana residents over the Labor Day weekend alone,” said Ann Hatchitt, a spokesperson for the Texas Workforce Commission, which is partnering with Louisiana officials to deliver benefits across state lines.

Basically, as long as the displaced individuals can be found, they will receive their payments. It is a step in the right direction on the long road to recovery.

September 14th is National Attention Deficit Awareness Day

Tomorrow is a day of awareness for individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), a disability that is covered under the Americans with Disabilities. Employees with AD/HD may have short attention spans, difficulty focusing, and trouble prioritizing. The founders of National Attention Deficit Day are hoping that by calling attention to this condition, businesses will learn how to make their workplace "AD/HD friendly."

The Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) suggests the following tactics to help employers work effectively with AD/HD employees:

1. Give instructions clearly - preferably in writing.

2. Provide structure in long-term tasks, such as checklists and
deadlines for each stage.

3. Offer frequent and specific feedback on performance.

4. Provide extra clerical support.

5. Reduce distractions by placing the employee in a cubicle or
office away from high-noise areas.


To learn more about National Attention Deficit Awareness Day, visit www.add.org.

Survey Reveals Drop in Employee Morale

Employee Morale Slips

What a difference a year makes. There has been a significant drop in employee morale in 2005 according to a recent survey by staffing firm Randstad and Harris Interactive.

Fifty-five percent of employers reported that morale at their company was "good" to "excellent" in 2005, down from 70 percent last year. This year marked the first year the survey found that employee morale dipped.

"The survey also indicated that employees look to their employers for strong leadership and the ability to put the right people with the right skills to work," says Stef Witteveen, chief executive officer of Randstad's U.S. operations. "These traits have a huge impact on employee morale and turnover-- the softer side of the workplace."

Are your employees happy or have you experienced a dip in your own company's morale this past year? Before your employees decide to "jump ship" you may want to check out Astron Solutions' array of products that are designed to help keep your employees on board.

Study Shows Certain Jobs Tied to Degenerative Brain Disease

Some Jobs Tied to Degenerative Brain Disease : Industrial Market Trends

Are you or your employees at risk for degenerative brain disease? In a study of more than 2.6 million U.S. death records, researchers have found that certain occupations are linked to increase risk for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

While many of these job-disease relationships have been observed in previous research and could potentially be attributed to workplace exposures to chemicals (as is the case with farmers, welders and hairdressers), other links were harder to account for (such as the increased risk among teachers, clergy and bank tellers), according to the researchers, led by Robert M. Park of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Park readily acknowledges the limitations of studies like this, which use death certificates to find associations between occupation and disease risk. "At best," he notes to Reuters, such research can reveal general patterns that can then be studied further.

In their analysis, Park and his colleagues found that bank tellers, clergy, aircraft mechanics and hairdressers had the highest risk of dying from Alzheimer's disease.

Biological scientists, teachers, clergy members and other religious workers had the biggest odds of dying of Parkinson's disease.

The risk of death from pre-senile dementia--a form of dementia that surfaces before the age of 65--was most pronounced among dentists, graders and sorters in industries other than agriculture and, again, clergy.

Veterinarians, hairdressers and graders and sorters had the highest odds of dying from motor neuron disease, the most common form of which is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease--a fatal degeneration of the central nervous system.

The study, which has been published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, was based on the death records from 22 states between 1992 and 1998.

What's unclear is why these specific positions appear to be linked to brain degeneration. There are certain cases of chemical exposure in occupations like farming, but one wonders why the clergy would be at greater risk. Click here for additional information about this interesting study.

Lost Productivity Due to Employee Pain

Study documents pain's impact on workers, employers

If we start to think about all the recent studies that talk about how much time people waste or lose due to extenuating circumstances, isn't it a miracle that anything gets done at all? It would be interesting to add up the time lost according to all of the various studies and see how much time is left over for actual work.

A recent article on SHRM's Online takes a look at recent findings that reveal that one in three employees suffer from pain, in turn costing an organization approximately three and two-thirds list workdays per employee per month.

The findings are based on a survey of 1,039 active employees that included factory and nonfactory workers at an unidentified Fortune 100 company in the northeastern United States. It examined the “burden of pain on employee health and productivity,” according to researchers Harris Allen, Dr. David Hubbard and Sean Sullivan.

What can employers do to effectively run a business while offering assistance to their pain-adled employees?

In the paper, researchers advise the company to consider “nurturing a better quality of life for many of [the] employees while at the same time promoting a more productive workforce.” In other words, the company could be more realistic in its expectations of employees, Allen acknowledged to HR News.

Steps that researchers say employers in general can take:

• Identify sources of productivity and health losses by performing a claims data analysis and enlisting a third party to survey employees, reporting only group-level or aggregate data to the employer.

• Look at what company-sponsored programs are available and take stock of what you are doing now. You may want to simply augment what is being done, Allen said.

• Discover what vendors are available, look at your budget and perform a return-on-investment analysis to decide what steps to take.

• Implement those steps. Perform another evaluation after a reasonable period of time to get a credible idea if the action taken made a difference and, if so, how much of a difference.

• Educate employees about treatments available.

Celebrate 401(k) Day

401(k) Day

Did you know that this September 6th is 401(k) Day? this is your opportunity to join Captain 401(k) in battling Tax Maximizer, Low Contributor and the ultimate retirement arch nemesis, Savings Procrastinator!

Since retirement follows work, 401(k) Day officially falls on the day after Labor Day. Visit the official site to download the 401(k) Day Kit and start celebrating with your employees.

Captain 401(k) will be very proud of you.

What's in a Name?

Employers better think twice before calling an employee by a nickname. A recent Ninth Circuit case, El-Hakem v. BJY Inc., reveals how, in some cases, the use of unwelcome nicknames can cause serious trouble.

In the El-Hakem case, the Ninth Circuit held that an employer could be held liable for discrimination on the basis of race by continuously referring to an Arabic employee by a non-Arabic name, rather than by the employee's Arabic name. In this case, a supervisor repeatedly referred to the plaintiff, Mamdouh El-Hakem, as "Manny." Despite El-Hakem's strenuous objections, the supervisor insisted on using the non-Arabic name of Manny rather than El-Hakem's given name. This conduct continued for almost a year.

A jury found that the supervisor intentionally discriminated against El-Hakem and awarded him $15,000 in compensatory damages and $15,000 in punitive damages. The Ninth Circuit upheld the jury's award, finding that the supervisor's intentional conduct created a hostile work environment. The court went on to state that even though the supervisor had not spoken words encompassing a group's ethnic characteristics or skin color (he did not make a "typical" racial slur), the record was clear that the supervisor intended to discriminate against El-Hakem's Arabic name in favor of a non-Arabic name.

Read the entire story on TheCalifornian.com here.

Get Back to Work!

Stop reading this headline and get back to work | CNET News.com

Salary.com recently conducted a survey of over 10,000 employees to see how much time during the day is spent on non-work activities. The results are interesting although we here at Astron wonder what exactly falls into the category of "other."

Top time wasting activities:
* Surfing the Internet for personal use: 44.7 percent
* Socializing with coworkers: 23.4 percent
* Conducting personal business: 6.8 percent
* Spacing out: 3.9 percent
* Running errands off premises: 3.1 percent
* Making personal phone calls: 2.3 percent
* Applying for other jobs: 1.3 percent
* Planning personal events: 1.0 percent
* Arriving late/leaving early: 1.0 percent
* Other: 12.5 percent

The survey revealed that the top time wasting state is Missouri (avg. 3.2 hours per day) and the top time wasting industry was insurance.

Still, it's important to remember that all this goofing off isn't necessarily a bad thing. Bill Coleman, senior vice president at Salary.com explained, "In some cases this extra wasted time might be considered 'creative waste'--time that may well have a positive impact on the company's culture, work environment, and even business results. Personal Internet use and casual office conversations often turn into new business ideas or suggestions for gaining operating efficiencies."

Business Travel's Popularity Wanes

According to Sales & Marketing's Performance eNewsletter, business travel has slowed down over the past few years. Results from a recent study by Robert Half Management Resources show that almost half of those employees surveyed say that they are traveling less than they did five years ago. The study shows that companies that scaled back during recent difficult economic times, have not increased their travel allowances despite the improving economy.

Survey respondents were asked:

"Are you currently traveling for business more or less frequently than you were five years ago?"

* Much more frequently: 15 percent
* Somewhat more frequently: 21 percent
* Somewhat less frequently: 21 percent
* Much less frequently: 27 percent
* No change: 16 percent

For more information about Robert Half Management Resources, visit www.roberthalf.com.

HRCI offers two new HR certifications

HRCI - About Us: Certified Mail e-newsletter: Summer 2005 - AS09

The HRCI Board of Directors recently announced the approval of two new certifications that "will encourage the matery of knowledge at an entry/administrative level and assess key competencies at a strategic business competency level." The certifications, Administrative-Level Certification and Strategic Business Competencies Certification, are designed to help advance the HR profession, and will be available in the near future.

For more information, click here.

27 workers fired over blog postings

Auto club fires 27 workers over blog posts - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

When the Automobile Club of Southern California's management caught wind that a large group of their employees were posting comments that could be construed as harassment on MySpace.com, 27 workers lost their jobs. From MSNBC.com...

Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp said comments were made about other workers' weight and sexual orientation.

"When a worker complains about harassment, you take it seriously," Thorp said Friday.

Thorp said employees were also dismissed because they discussed online how they planned to slow down roadside assistance at work.

"That hits right at our basic service," she said.

This is just another incident in a long line of recent firings due to inappropriate employee blogging. Astron Solutions recently published a story on the topic in our Astronology newsletter titled, "Employee Blogs - Do You Know What They're Saying About You?"

Astron at ASHHRA

Astron Solutions recently exhibited at ASHHRA's 41st Annual Conference and Exhibition at Disney in Orlando, Florida. As you can see, there was plenty of opportunity for the team members in attendance to balance work with fun in the "happiest place on earth."

From top to bottom:
Automation Expert, John Sazaklis anxiously awaits the booth visitors.

Enjoying the Citistreet party at Fisherman's Wharf in Universal Studios, from left to right, Tony DiBartolo, VP of HR, Bancroft Neurohealth, Jennifer Loftus, SPHR, CCP, CBP, GRP, National Director, Astron Solutions, John Vicik, VP of HR, Sherman Health, and Robin Clark, VP of HR, Morehead Associates.

Jennifer was the lucky winner of a glamorous new hat at Pleasure Island's water gun races! :-)

After a busy day, John relaxes outside of the House of Blues.

Is your job making you fat?

North Jersey Media Group providing local news, sports & classifieds for Northern New Jersey!

Most Americans spend their working hours either sitting behind a desk or standing on an assembly line. As a result of this lack of activity, many U.S employees are gaining weight. More than just packing on a few extra pounds, weight gain can contribute to diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and a plethora of other medical problems.

As stated in the article "Workplace eating habits can pack on the pounds," Americans are quickly gaining weight.

People are getting heavier in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, 65 percent of Americans age 20 or older are overweight or obese, with an estimated 30 percent of adults 20 and older falling into the obese category - that's more than 60 million people.

Fortunately, there are ways to combat employee weight gain. Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Weight Management Center suggests putting down the cookie and picking up a carrot to start. Making a point to get up and walk around is also a good idea. Fernstrom suggests plunking down the $15 or $20 for a pedometer, which measures how many steps you take. Aim for 10,000 a day.

Instead of e-mailing or calling your colleague down the hall, get up, go to their office. And every hour or so, walk a loop around your office floor. Skip the elevator and take the stairs.

Other suggestions are balancing your food intake, bringing lunch from home, and get accustomed to low-fat snacks. If you must have something sweet, try a piece of fruit-flavored gum or a hard candy.

Does your company use graphology for hiring and promoting employees?

A Cautionary Note on Using Graphology for Hiring and Promoting Employees | March/April 2005 Explorer

When it comes to hiring or promoting the right employee, some companies still rely on graphology, or handwriting analysis, in coming to a decision.

In the Rocket-Hire article, "A Cautionary Note on Using Graphology for Hiring and Promoting Employees" author Mark C. Healy, stresses the fact that relying on graphology may actually do more harm than good. Surprisingly, it's not all that uncommon.

The use of graphology in business is not new or particularly rare. Apparently, thousands of US firms2 have used it for a variety of human resource programs. Still, European companies are much more likely than American companies to require a handwriting analysis, with France a particularly common setting. UK graphologist Nigel Bradley’s web site3 provides a list of hundreds of well-known companies who have allegedly used graphology. Regardless of the estimates of usage, graphologists suggest that these numbers are an underestimate because firms do not want to admit they use handwriting analysis.

Graphology dates back to the early 1600's and today is highly useful in determining forgeries and identities. However, as a hiring tool, the evidence points against its use.

There is a distinct lack of evidence that substantiates the link between certain handwriting features and success on the job. This is the notion of “validity”, or hiring accuracy. Unfortunately, most analysts don’t observe actual job applicants on the job, and don’t quantitatively verify their findings either. To be sure, few legitimate studies have revealed a significant statistical link between handwriting features and job performance.

However, there is a substantial scientific literature that disputes the alleged link between handwriting and on-the-job performance. Frank Schmidt and Jack Hunter, in their oft-cited meta-analysis of the validity of all selection and assessment tools4, pegged the validity of graphology at zero. Moreover, compared to interviews, tests, simulations, and other hiring devices, graphology ranked at the bottom of the list. In other words, every other possible hiring tool was found to be more valid and accurate than graphology.

If you'd like to read more about the pros and cons of graphology, check out the full article here.