Before the fall rush...

Summer has been in full swing with employees focused on vacation plans. Before the Fall rush is a good time to review and revisit your benefits. We know the recession has presented challenges to support and continue some employee benefits and we know organizations who are finding creative ways to replace most costly benefits with alternative ones. These smart organizations will be ahead in retaining key employees as employment opportunities increase, post recession.

According to the SHRM 2010 Employee Satisfaction Survey, Employee Benefits placed second to Job Security in this poll. Health care and medical benefits rated the most important followed closely by paid time off and defined contribution plans including 401(k), etc.

We know many organizations were faced with difficult decisions in 2009 and 2010 regarding employee plans including increased contributions, cut coverage and stopping employer matches for 401(k) s.

Our suggestion is to put your focus on the communication side of benefits to employees. If you made cuts or cost containment changes, let your employees know the dollars saved in implementing these changes. Give them a real sense of your plan for the future around benefits including what it would take to reinstate some lost or changed benefits. Information goes a long way ….

HSA Limits Unchanged for 2011

Last week the IRS announced that the 2011 parameters for health savings account-compatible high deductible health plans, or HDHPs, will remain the same as the parameters for 2010. These limits are tied to changes in the Consumer Price Index, which remained flat this year. The limits for 2011 are set forth below:

The 2011 HSA Limits

Annual HSA Contribution Maximum:	$3,050 for single coverage, $6,150 for family coverage
Annual Catch-Up Contribution Maximum:	$1,000 (for HSA eligible-individuals age 55 or older)
HDHP Minimum Deductible:	$1,200 for single coverage, $2,400 for family coverage
HDHP Out-of-Pocket Maximum:	$5,950 for single coverage, $11,900 for family coverage

Top 5 Candidate Skills/Qualities

According to Job Outlook, 2010, National Association of Colleges and Employers, these are the top 5 skills and qualities desired when hiring new college graduates:

1. Communication Skills

2. Analytical Skills

3. Teamwork Skills

4. Technical Skills

5. Strong Work Ethic

Interesting, it’s likely there would be a similar list for hiring experienced employees as well. It’s a reminder of the importance of communication with your work groups; keeping them apprised of the skills, abilities and qualities that are valued.

How smart is your company?

Evidence of organizational intelligence or lack there of is abundant in our world today. Whenever you see an organization accomplish a company wide goal you know there was a collective intelligence at work. Like the construction company that in two years drastically improved their safety record and saved millions in insurance costs. Or the technical services company branding itself by being first to market with a revolutionary new software program. Unfortunately, just as prevalent are those “what were they thinking” blunders that can set a company back for years. Like the engineering company working on a new, state of the art nuclear reactor only to find that design changes in one department that were not communicated, left two critical components incompatible and put the project behind by months costing the company millions.

The reality is that left unrecognized and unattended to, a company will gravitate towards collective stupidity. Ironically, as a company organizes itself with departments, structures, and regulations it unknowingly makes it harder and harder for people to put their collective intelligence to work. Smart companies add one more element to their organizing process. They manage the conditions and circumstances where knowledge and learning can flourish, thereby creating connections, aligning efforts, and leveraging their intellectual capital. This is accomplished by having clear, concrete, intentional strategies involving leadership, employee engagement/ownership, knowledge transfer and knowledge deployment.

In our knowledge driven economy, companies cannot afford to take organizational intelligence for granted. The new competitive advantage is being smarter than your competition. How does your company stack up?

Gus Cooke has been helping organizations manage their learning and development strategies for 15 plus years. He lives in Boulder Colorado with his wife and musical partner Beth.

Recovery in 2010? Employees and Your Business

There’s no doubt about it- 2009 has been a difficult year for businesses of all sizes. Businesses were unprepared for the credit markets collapse in October and rushed to free up cash quickly. For too many this translated to reducing headcount and we saw several excruciating months of layoffs and job losses.

Assuming the recovery will be a slow process, we recommend you begin small steps to recognize and reward existing talent in your company. Don’t give your good employees reason to think of jumping ship as the economy improves.

Are you a “company of choice” or a great place to work in your field or space? How does your company look through the eyes of current employees or a job candidate? You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company for this to be relevant. In fact many people are choosing smaller companies as they are perceived to be more stable in this business environment and a place where employees can make a greater impact. We can help you discover tools and techniques to create a unique culture that engages, captures and retains great talent.

December News- COBRA

On Dec. 19, 2009 President Barack Obama signed legislation into law to help unemployed workers acquire health insurance through their former employers’ health care plans. The law takes effect immediately. The new law provides an extra six months of federal subsidy payments that allows unemployed workers to purchase health care coverage guaranteed by the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act, better known as COBRA. The new law extends eligibility for the subsidy program for two months. The extension was added to the Department of Defense spending package, H.R. 3326, which passed the House and Senate by overwhelming margins.

The spending bill also included an amendment to provide an additional 13 to 20 weeks of unemployment benefits to American workers. Unemployment insurance benefits will increase by $25 a week as a result of the change.
The new law extends the duration of the COBRA premium subsidy payments from nine to 15 months. The law changes the eligibility of date for the program from Dec. 31, 2009 to the end of February 2010. According to the law, workers who are laid off from their jobs on or before Feb. 28 can qualify to receive the subsidy payments.