Page 274 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

Employee Well-Being C261

they are taking steps today that will enable them to discontinue of-
fering health-care benefits, while 19 percent indicated that they are
moving away from directly providing health-care benefits—up from
4 percent in 2008. Hewitt surveyed more than 340 employers, rep-
resenting more than 5 million workers. “In today’s environment, em-
ployers are under pressure to cut health-care expenses, but they realize
that short-term cost-management tactics do not address the underly-
ing drivers of health-care costs,” says Jim Winkler, head of Hewitt’s
North American health management consulting practice. “This leaves
them with two options: making a long-term commitment to improv-
ing the health of employees and their families, or exiting health care
altogether,” he adds. 9
We note that the mindset of many employers is to distance them-
selves from employee health and well-being benefits. However, win-
ning Best-Places-to-Work employers are, in fact, going in the other
direction.
One CEO at a Best-Places employer said to us: “Any time budget
cutting is mentioned in the employee benefit section, it is dismissed
as an option by our team. Our company finds other areas to adjust so
that employee benefits can remain as a meaningful part of the value
proposition for employees.” Another stated: “Senior management
regularly evaluates associates’ benefits with the intent of maintain-
ing, or enhancing, the value of our benefits package in a manner that
does not increase their financial burden. Over the past several years
we have as a corporation absorbed more and more of the burden of
increased costs in order to invest in our long-term relationship with
our associates.”
There were times when these CEOs doubted the wisdom of their
stands, they confessed. Acting on this new mindset isn’t always the
easiest thing to do, and in difficult times might be seen as folly. But
the employee engagement results that so many of these winning em-
ployers have achieved prove what is possible and give cause for aspiring
Best-Places employers to stand firm as well. Here’s a snapshot of how
Gaylord Hotels, one of our featured employers, has taken up this com-
mitment. General manager of the Orlando property, Kemp Gallineau: