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No, I am not kidding. And neither are the folks at change:healthcare, a Nashville-based company that is leveraging the Internet to increase consumer awareness about health care, its costs and ways to save money. The company recently launched its Twitter feed/consumer information line at twitter.com/askch, where consumer in the twitterverse can simply tweet health care questions like, “What is diabetes?” or “Cost of Celebrex near [ZIP code] 37209” to @askch and receive a reply with a
September 28
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Ladies, ladies, ladies. What would Rosie the Riveter say? News from The Hartford shows that while women have made gains in the job market — now holding half of the nation’s 132 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — a gap remains in their understanding and use of benefits that protect their income.
September 25 -
I’m not an HR/benefits professional; I just play one in print. And I’m certainly no attorney. All the same, I’m going to take a leap and say that “It’s Just My Nature” — a new-hire profiling system — is a bad, if not illegal product. (Full disclosure: I've never used this thing, nor have I asked an attorney about its legal veracity.)
September 25 -
Pros, I know Gen Yers can seem a little foreign maybe even alien-like with their texting techiness, and their flip-flops in the workplace, and their want-it-all-yesterday attitudes. But I promise you I have first-hand knowledge, I swear! that your Gen Y employees are indeed of this world. I know that connecting with them professionally can be a challenge, but its not impossible. And since at 73 million strong, Gen Y
September 24 -
I got a message today from Richard Citrin, a health and productivity management consultant, who was fresh from this week’s DMAA Care Continuum Alliance Conference. He called the event “excellent,” but did share that “there are some major issues around disease management, not the least is being whether or not DM actually works to improve health and reduce costs, despite common sense and significant research to the contrary.”
September 24 -
Looking for some new strategies and helpful hints on making your benefit plans more effective? Check out the new book from EBN’s parent company SourceMedia, “The Three Rs of Employee Benefits: Recruiting, Retention and Rewards.” You may recognize the byline — I mean author name — of former EBN Managing Editor Leah Shepherd, who penned the book with co-author Robert Arnoff. The book analyzes benefit plans’ impact on recruiting and retention in today’s economy. It advises
September 23 -
In addition to there being an association for everything, the “there’s an app for that” movement that Apple has started for the iPhone may be reaching a tipping point. Want proof? You got it. I heard today from LifeInsuranceAgency.com, an insurance comparison site. The company is pleased to introduce its (you guessed it!) new iPhone application LifeValue. LifeValue, execs say (somewhat morbidly), helps users “calculate the value of their life,” thus educating them how much life
September 23 -
Well, this industry never ceases to surprise me. I would have thought that, given the recession, employers would be cutting back on costly overseas assignments (and the also expensive training and communication for workers and families that go along with them). However, new numbers from KPMG show that although companies are making cost-saving adjustments to their international assignment programs during the economic downturn, but continued to send assignees overseas.
September 22 -
The results from recession-survival surveys are in, and the bottom line is this: Cuts in benefits = cuts in morale, engagement and commitment. I wish I had better news for you, pros, but there you have it. The “just lucky to have a job” feeling is wearing off, and you may not have much longer to get employees excited about working for you again before you lose them for good.
September 22 -
Good afternoon, DD readers. Apologies for the lack of post today, but today is moving day for the EBN office and there is nothing but boxes as far as my eye can see. Will post tomorrow, once I make a dent in the unpacking. Interestingly enough, a story we have cooking for EBN October reports that EBN isn't the only office that's on the move.
September 21