Page 291 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

278B RE-ENGAGE

ance premiums. We encourage employers to communicate regularly
with employees about the value of the benefits they have. Many em-
ployees are either totally unaware of certain benefits or uninformed of
their true value. At a minimum, employers should continue to com-
municate what benefits are available and how employees can easily
access them. From an article posted on the Society for Human Re-
sources Management (SHRM) Web site: “Companies spend upwards
of 30 percent in benefit programs; what employees hear about is their
medical premiums are up this year,” Mel Stark, vice president and
director of the reward practice for Hay Group’s Metro New York of-
fice, stated. Someone earning $75,000, for example, likely is receiving
another $25,000 worth of benefits, he said. 14

:
Practices That Promote Employee Well-Being
in Difficult Times
1. Communicate the availability and value of all benefits.
2. Conduct surveys or focus groups to find out what new
benefits are truly needed.
3. Hold meetings where employees can put their life-
work responsibilities on the table and work out ways to give
and take so that both personal and work commitments can
be met.
4. Make employees more alert to signs that coworkers
may be burning out over becoming overstressed. We know
of one company that asks employees to report situations
where employees are in the “red zone”—putting in several
consecutive weeks of 60-plus hours or long periods without
time off. The company has “interventions” with these em-
ployees, insists that they take time off, and finds ways to as-
sure the employees’ work gets done during their absence.
5. Educate employees about stress and time manage-
ment, healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Hold on-site
health fairs and screenings, help subsidize health club mem-
berships, etc.