Businesses Likely To Reconsider Healthcare – Again

Healthcare has been a particularly problematic topic  for businesses for almost a decade now.

While it’s hard to identify the exact point at which the “old” healthcare model – affordable, employer-provided insurance provided by a major company – began to break down, its impending demise seemed apparent once serious discussion of the Affordable Care Act began in 2008. Its fate seemed sealed once the ACA passed into law.

To paraphrase Mark Twain’s comment about himself: Reports of employer-sponsored insurance’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Unexpectedly, some unforeseen events stand to breathe at least some temporary life into the employer-sponsored insurance model, starting with the ongoing controversy and rising costs associated with the ACA itself.

Leaving aside any political or popularity considerations, the ACA in its current form. is not succeeding in either creating stability or containing costs. Significant changes to the law, including elimination of the individual mandate, are causing significant premium increases. Early 2019 cost projections in Virginia, one of the first states to release an estimate, suggest increases of up to 64%. While this will vary in other states, it suggests an unwelcome – and possibly unsustainable – strong upward trend likely to be repeated elsewhere.

At the same time, the U.S. has returned to what are considered to be “normal” unemployment figures for the first time since the 2008 downturn. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has posted a 3.9% rate for April, effectively considered “full employment.” The H1B and H2B visa programs enabling recruitment of foreign workers – primarily for highly skilled and seasonal employment respectively – have also been curtailed. As a result, many employers are having to compete more aggressively to recruit new talent.

One of the most powerful tools available to them: Health insurance. While traditional motivators such as higher wages remain effective in attracting new recruits, the ability to offer affordable group health plans provides powerful incentive for them to stay. Workers unable to afford ACA exchange premiums, or unwilling to pay for them, are more likely to be drawn to – and stick with – jobs where insurance is an option. The Society for Human Resource Management reports that 46% of employees cited health insurance as a determining factor or a positive influence in accepting their current job.

Of course, the rapid rise in insurance costs isn’t limited to the ACA marketplaces. Group insurance rates have risen too – but at a rate well below those of individual market plans. It’s still possible in most locations for employers to “shop around” for a cost-effective solution. Quite often, that shopping leads them to a PEO.

We’ve noticed this effect in action here at Trion Solutions. Many companies subject to federal insurance provision mandates find that by virtue of our size, we’re able to access group plans that would be unavailable to them on the open market. At the same time, smaller companies who aren’t obligated to offer insurance are finding that it provides a powerful competitive advantage in recruiting high quality personnel, and are following bigger firms through our door, eager to take advantage of the comparative stability and cost-containment that our benefit plans provide.

The U.S. health insurance climate is likely to remain unsettled for the foreseeable future. The only factors that appear to be reasonably certain are rising costs and insurance market instability. In those circumstances, the ability to provide employees with access to coverage may become a recruitment and retention tool that businesses can’t afford to go without.

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Taking Workplace Gender Bias Seriously

The wave of recent public attention to workplace sexual harassment and discrimination started by consuming a movie mogul, continued by swallowing a sitting senator, and has ultimately claimed the careers and reputations of TV personalities and corporate executives. These high-profile cases have had a highly visible impact on businesses of all types, as well as on the way Americans are inclined to view sexual harassment in the workplace.

That creates risks for employers of all types and sizes – as well as powerful new motivation to consider the issue of workplace harassment very seriously. To their credit, many companies have done precisely that, and are protecting their female employees by instituting appropriate guidelines and measures, or reinforcing those that they already have.

Naturally, there is considerable reluctance on the part of some companies to address the issue at all – particularly, those for whom sexual harassment has not yet become a significant operational or legal issue. The normal human inclination not to “stir things up” may lead many managers and leaders to ignore sexual harassment questions in hopes that as media attention subsides, the risk will too. In Trion’s view, that’s likely to be a very risky strategy.

Just because harassment isn’t currently a known issue at a given company doesn’t mean that it will stay that way – and chances are good that it won’t. The statistics tell the story: 27 percent of women say that they have been harassed in the workplace in the course of their careers, making it altogether likely that it has happened – and continues to happen – in your company as well.  

In an environment where authorities, the media, and the civil justice system are all placing a renewed and highly visible emphasis on fighting back against workplace harassment, such a statistic should be sobering. The persistence of even low-level workplace harassment that is unknown to management places a company at significant risk, in terms of public image as well as criminal and civil liability, particularly if it does not have a robust, enforced harassment policy in place.  A single complaint or lawsuit can cause plenty of problems on its own; should harassment prove to be endemic or persistent within an organization, the legal and monetary risk rises exponentially.

For companies, the safest course of action is to assume exists, and to be both proactive and aggressive in addressing it. That begins with the implementation of robust harassment policies and sound mechanisms for reporting and handling complaints. While a number of organizations and government agencies, including the Society for Human Resource Management, provide general guidance in formulating a viable harassment policy (and some even provide policy templates), a one-size-fits-all approach is likely to leave a company at least partially unprotected. State and local regulations and other distinctions likely will require a good deal of customization if a company is to adequately protect both its employees and itself.

Trion Solutions works closely with our clients to ensure that sound, effective anti-harassment policies are in place, and that appropriate training is provided to ensure that risks to companies and employees are minimized. We find too that implementation of sound standards provides a significant additional benefit: By reducing incidences of harassing behavior and by making potential harassment victims feel safer in the workplace, overall morale and productivity can improve significantly.

Recent events have shone a bright spotlight on the pervasive problem of harassment – but there is a clear pathway to its resolution. Getting in front of harassment before it becomes a significant issue is the surest way to safeguard your company from serious risks – and an opportunity businesses can’t afford to ignore.

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7 Ways To Protect Your Business From Recession

How To Be Successful In A Recession

Decreased sales and lack of customer confidence can threaten all businesses, yet small businesses are particularly vulnerable to the effects of a recession. When running your business, it’s easy to overlook vital best practices that can help you get through difficult financial periods. 

The following steps will help you minimize the effects of recession on your business.  

1. Secure Credit & Cash Reserves

When a recession hits, capital resources are likely to be a lot less available. One of the first effects of recession on business is a slower payment schedule. If your clients or customers take more time to pay your invoices, you’ll have less money coming in—or at least coming in less regularly. Even if you don’t need capital right now, if you can secure credit and build cash reserves while your business is doing well, you’ll be much better off during a recession. Ideally, secure credit or build cash reserves that cover essential business expenses for a runway of three to six months. Doing so should soften the blow of recession on your business and your clients. 

2. Pay Off Debts

At the same time you’re building cash reserves, take advantage of favorable circumstances to pay off old debt when possible. If a large percentage of your income has to go toward paying off debts, rather than operational costs, it can be especially problematic during a recession. Even if you can’t pay off your debts completely, start with ones you have outstanding, ones that require large lump-sum payments, or debt that is sizable enough to cause significant problems in a more adverse financial climate. Once a recession hits, lenders may be less willing to refinance. When the economy is strong, however, it will be easier for you to refinance these debts into longer-term or lower interest loans.

3. Control Growth

We’ve all heard the saying You have to spend money to make money. There is some truth to that statement as you often have to invest in supplies, products, advertising, and other business expenses. But it is important to watch your costs and control your growth. One way to be successful during a recession is to be able to make changes quickly to keep your business afloat. If you spend every dollar that comes in, it makes it difficult to do so—especially during a recession when your income streams may slow. Whether the economy is in a downturn or not, try to not spend money on services or products unless you truly need them. Making smart investments in moderation that grow your customer base and increase profits will mitigate the effects of recession on your business.

4. Diversify Your Market

Broadening your market when the economy and business circumstances are favorable protects in the case of sharp downward spikes. Businesses with a diverse market tend to do well during a recession. Look for opportunities to expand your business beyond a single market segment, primary customer, or geographic region. When a large percentage of your income comes from one or two clients, it can be a recipe for disaster for your business during a recession. If just one of those clients leaves, goes out of business, or starts paying slowly, your company will be in trouble.

During boom times, look for smart opportunities to:

5. Contain Benefits Expenses

The cost of healthcare and other benefits seldom trend downward. While rising costs may be easily absorbed during profitable periods, they can be an onerous burden during a recession. By negotiating better deals or researching more affordable options during boom periods, you stand to conserve cash reserves when you need them most. Partnering with a PEO like Trion Solutions is a great way to achieve this. PEOs offer benefits administration and can leverage their large employee pools to purchase in large quantities at a lower cost. In doing so, they provide your business with significant—and potentially critical—savings. You can also maximize your investment by offering a broader range of benefits, keeping employees happy even when times are tight. 

6. Optimize Your Workforce

One of the best ways for your business to prevent a recession, or continue to be successful during a recession, is to have the right-sized workforce. A peak performing organization has the right people in the right positions at the right time to complete what needs to get done, without significant surplus. Optimally, consider co-sourcing or outsourcing at least part of your workforce to give your business greater flexibility when circumstances change.

Partnering with a PEO like Trion Solutions is another great option to enable your business to scale efficiently and handle the needs of your business and customer base. A PEO can give you a competitive advantage to:

7. Solidify Key Customer Relationships 

It’s a lot easier to forge long-term working relationships and contracts when circumstances are favorable. And such agreements may provide vital sustenance when times get tough. If you have forged strong relationships with clients, they will be less likely to jump ship when a recession hits. Instead, they will remain loyal to your business as long as you can work together to ensure you provide the services they need. Companies that continue to reach out to customers during a recession tend to lose less and recover quicker when the economy turns around. Solidifying these key relationships can actually have positive effects of recession on businesses.

Build A Recession Free Business

It’s never a bad time to plan a good defense for your business. While another economic downturn may or may not be on the immediate horizon, one sure thing is that sooner or later it will arrive. And the measures you take now may make all the difference to being successful in a recession. 

Use these seven steps to recession-proof your business:

  1. Secure Credit & Cash Reserves
  2. Pay Off Debts
  3. Control Growth
  4. Diversify Your Market
  5. Contain Benefits Expenses
  6. Optimize Your Workforce
  7. Solidify Key Customer Relationships

Don’t Just Rebuild Your HR Practice – Rethink It

A lot of traditional Human Resources departments are having a hard time these days. The standard model of a team of in-house practitioners – or, in the case of smaller companies, a single specialist – is being challenged by mounting demands on all sides. Companies insist on greater efficiency and accountability; employees look for expanded services and more one-on-one assistance with HR issues; and external entities ranging from government regulators to contracting firms are demanding more time, paperwork, and effort.

In most cases, that means that something’s got to give; an HR lead takes the rap for missteps, while the practice succumbs to cost reduction measures, and ultimately operates with diminished efficacy even as the demands upon it mount in intensity and urgency. In a lot of cases, that culminates in an inevitable reshuffling of positions, responsibilities and personnel that fails to address the underlying issue: To perform optimally, modern HR demands a level of expertise, manpower and investment that most companies just can’t provide.

What’s needed isn’t necessarily a new team lead, new titles or new personnel in the seats – it’s a new approach. Peak-performing HR, in 21st century terms, is more than masses of representatives tucked into a basement office cubicle farm – it’s the ability to deploy focused, task-specific expert talent when and where it’s needed, with the ability to “dial back” as appropriate or refocus resources elsewhere when necessary. That typically isn’t possible in a traditional HR practice operating with fixed staffing, infrastructure, and tool sets.

These are the conditions that have led to the emergence of the modern-day PEO. The need for an agile, responsive HR practice armed with the infrastructure, skill set, and expert personnel capable of effectively handling the full scope of current HR responsibilities makes a cosourced or outsourced HR solution increasingly valuable. Rather than remaining tied to a rigid and unresponsive internal practice or a seemingly endless cycle of expensive and risk-prone HR reorganizations, more and more companies are opting to forego hiring new HR leadership and bringing on a PEO or HR administration partner instead.

A qualified, professional PEO is capable of providing a level of focus, knowledge, and institutional strength to HR capabilities that even the best practices – and practice leaders – can seldom match. Today’s HR is an expansive and ever-changing endeavor, and it takes a relentless focus on remaining current with best practices, regulations, and needs in order to be effective. While that focus is part and parcel of a good PEO’s normal activities, it is unnecessarily time- and capital-intensive for an internal practice. When it is possible for a partner organization to provide high-quality services tailored to a company’s specific requirements, and to do so within a flexible framework that responds to fit changing needs, it makes less sense to stick with a problematic traditional model.

Effectively, a company’s implementation of a PEO or HR cosourcing strategy amounts to an offloading of risks, responsibilities, and costs associated with activities it has no real interest in being involved in – HR is not a profit center. Partnering with a capable PEO enables a company to refocus upon its core business and profit-generating activities, aligning operations to deliver optimal business results. In today’s hypercompetitive environment, that can be a distinct advantage; a timely rethink of a company’s approach to HR – and the willingness to change fundamental approaches – can result in not only a high-performing HR function, but a high-performing business.

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The “Full Employment” Paradox: Employee Retention Becomes A Bigger Problem for SMEs

According to current economic statistics, the United States is finally edging back towards that elusive condition known as “full employment” – that is, a sustainable unemployment rate of 4% or lower. Job numbers are increasing, the economy is fundamentally stable and sound. As counterintuitive as it may seem, these conditions actually pose significant hazards to many companies, particularly smaller businesses.

Why? A tight labor market provides fewer choices for employers, while increasing opportunities for workers. Employees looking to jump ship have a wider range of potential new employers to choose from; the companies they leave behind are faced with a diminished range of candidates to replace them, as well as the need to invest more time and effort to identify successful recruits.

Some attrition is inevitable, even in the tightest job markets. It is also expensive: Apart from the costs associated with training and onboarding, companies need to consider the hidden costs of diminished productivity during transitions, loss of expertise and institutional knowledge, and the potential impact of churn on employee morale.

When the prospect of easily recruiting replacements dims, employee retention becomes more important than ever; the problem is that many of the most effective strategies are especially costly, and sometimes unavailable, to smaller businesses. While raising pay is one way to get employees to stick around, other retention measures can be just as effective and less expensive, if companies can take advantage of them.

Employees consider a number of factors beyond pay when deciding whether to stay or go – and often, employers can influence a surprising number of them. These can include:

All are factors in determining the single metric that determines whether an employee sticks with you or not: Job Satisfaction. The higher a worker’s job satisfaction is, the less likely they are to look for greener pastures – and the less likely you are to have to deal with the hassle of finding a replacement.

At Trion Solutions, we consider it an important part of our job to optimize job satisfaction to the greatest degree possible. Over the course of countless engagements, we’ve seen firsthand how providing first-class HR services to rank-and-file employees as well as client firms can have a powerful positive impact on employee morale.

As you might expect, providing a quality benefits package is a big part of that equation: Workers care more about a company that cares about them, and which shows it by making good health coverage, life insurance, 401(k) plans available. But other HR services are also powerful drivers of job satisfaction as well. Improvements to communications, provision of clear and concise employee manuals, professional handling of payroll issues, clearly defined policies and procedures, improved training programs and other improvements to worker-facing HR activities always have a favorable effect on how employees perceive a company – and how loyal they are to it.

Even historically high-turnover industries can benefit greatly from instituting optimized, systematic HR practices and implementing tailored benefit programs – and often they can do it more quickly and effectively by working with a PEO. Rather than a piecemeal rework of an existing system or an effort to develop a truly first-class practice from scratch, engaging a PEO provides a company with the immediate benefits of proven programs and practices that have been optimized elsewhere. While the transition may be generally transparent to employees, the aggregate benefits seldom are. That translates into a clear employee retention advantage in an option-rich job market.

If you haven’t considered job satisfaction in your company lately, maybe you should: There’s only so much top-tier talent around – and any company will do well to hang on to as much of it as possible.

Trion helps companies of all sizes to institute powerful employee retention strategies. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us.

 

Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

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What is a PEO and how does it work?

What is a PEO and how does it work?

A PEO stands for a Professional Employer Organization. It exists as a separate, stand-alone organization focused exclusively on managing its clients’ human resource-related functions, including benefits administration, regulatory compliance, workers’ compensation, payroll, taxes, and similar practice areas. It is more than just an extension of your Human Resources department.

A PEO will assume the role of “employer of record” for a company’s employees, taking on the responsibility of administering most or all of the administrative tasks – as well as a fair measure of the risk associated with maintaining a workforce.

In recent years, PEOs have staked out a claim to a growing portion of the HR field, supplementing or eclipsing in-house Human Resources departments in many small to mid-sized companies. Even as the popularity of PEOs have increased, many business owners and C-suite decision makers do not understand how their organizations can benefit from these services. Once they find out more about a Professional Employer Organization, they quickly come to understand that they are fundamentally changing the way American businesses manage interactions between employers and employees.

What is the benefit of using a PEO?

A PEO shifts some essential functions and responsibilities from employees to an experienced, external third party that works with your team. The professional employer organization will assume the role of “employer of record” for a company’s employees, taking on the responsibility of administering most or all of the administrative tasks – as well as a fair measure of the risk – associated with maintaining a workforce.

By engaging with a PEO, client businesses gain a number of significant operational and competitive advantages:

Is a PEO a staffing agency?

Most PEOs are not staffing agencies, which essentially lease employees to other businesses and remain the sole employer for those workers. PEOs do not generally supply businesses with staff, but instead assume certain responsibilities that make them co-employers with their partner companies.

Is a PEO the same thing as HR outsourcing?

Human resources outsourcing (HRO) is not the same as a PEO, although some PEOs (like Trion Solutions) can meet both needs. A PEO acts as a co-employer, whereas an HRO works with processes that are already established by your organization. PEOs and HROs fulfill different roles as an HR provider.

Working with a PEO can benefit businesses of any size. A PEO is a good choice for organizations looking for a turn-key solution that reduces overall administrative burden in human resources as well as limits your organization’s liability. PEOs offer a more inclusive solution and HROs often provide individual solutions à la carte

What functions does a PEO not do?

While the specific functions of individual PEOs vary from one provider to the next, there are some general functions which you should not expect a PEO to do. Those include:

Is Trion a PEO?

Michigan-based Trion Solutions is among the nation’s Top 10 Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs). Trion relieves the stress and burden of payroll and other HR-related functions for companies – from small to large – so they can remain focused on their core business.Trion’s size provides client employees access to better benefits and HR services available usually to only large corporations – all while taking employer risk and regulatory strain off of partner organizations.

Can my business benefit from a PEO?

The growing popularity of the PEO model is driven to a great degree by the increasing challenges and stressors facing small to medium-sized businesses. An increasingly technology-driven, global marketplace heightens competition and shrinks margins, even as increased regulatory and legal risks impose additional complexity and costs upon HR departments and practitioners. A PEO can deflect risk, contain costs, ensure consistency and predictability in practices, and effectively address complex taxation, insurance, and regulatory issues becomes increasingly valuable to companies operating within this challenging environment.

As your business evolves, chances are that a PEO model can support growth and operational efficiencies for companies in a wide range of industries. The experts working on your behalf as part of the professional employer organization can also deflect risk, contain costs, and ensure consistency and predictability in practices to support the completion of taxes, insurance decisions and other regulatory issues.

See if a PEO would be a value-added service for you by contacting Trion Solutions to speak to one of our experts.

When Discussing Employee Performance, Stick To The Facts

Virtually all employers know that workplace communications can be a minefield.

It’s always vital to maintain clear channels of communication and shared understanding between personnel at all levels of an organization. At best, failure to do so stands to impact efficiency and morale; at worst, it can result in costly legal ramifications, damage to a company’s brand, and disruption of operations.

This is especially true when it comes to communications surrounding employee performance and disciplinary measures. Federal and State laws both provide multiple levels of protection for employees claiming unfair discipline or dismissal, particularly if on grounds of discrimination. In the event that a dispute results in litigation, it can safely be assumed that the employer will face a significant burden of proof in demonstrating that it has treated the complainant fairly and equitably – and that’s the point at which earlier communications can potentially torpedo an effective defense.

A recent discrimination lawsuit filed by an employee discharged for performance reasons provides an excellent case in point. As reported in HR Morning, three vaguely phrased words uttered by the company’s CEO in the course of a meeting with the disgruntled employee were sufficient to allow the suit to advance, necessitating a costly and prolonged legal defense. In addition to documented performance problems and issues surrounding execution of job duties, the CEO cited “too much drama” surrounding the employee as part of the grounds for dismissal.

So what’s the problem? Subjectivity.

“Too much drama” may seem like a statement of fact in the context of a discussion between people equally familiar with the circumstances being described. To a plaintiff’s lawyer, though, it is clearly an opinion – and would likely appear the same to a regulatory board member or a judge. In all likelihood, the CEO simply used the phrase as shorthand to describe a number of related events that both the company and the employee were well aware of; to an outside observer, though, the phrase smacks of the sort of vague, subjective complaint likely to be arbitrarily or unequally applied to employees targeted for discipline or dismissal – and thus an invitation to a potential lawsuit.

In the heat of a conflict situation, it is only human for managers and employees alike to fall prey to sloppy phrasings such as this. “Only human” impulses, though, are what companies need to guard against. The solution is to be factual, specific, and precise in all communications related to an employee’s performance, or lack thereof. Had this CEO chosen to enumerate the instances of the “drama” he was referring to – “Employee X was involved in conflicts with other employees Y times within a Z-month period” – it is doubtful that the discharged employee would have had grounds to proceed with a suit.

A solid defense against a discrimination, harassment or wrongful dismissal challenge hinges upon an employer’s ability to demonstrate that the decision to discipline or terminate an employee was based on objective, fact-based decisions. However fair the evaluation or disciplinary process may have been, imprecise or subjective language only serves to undercut an employer’s position – and open up a world of unnecessary, avoidable pain for the company.

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Observe National Ladder Safety Month With These Tips

March is National Ladder Safety Month, an opportunity to review your policies, training, and equipment.

Whether you’re a small service business with a couple of step stools around for lightbulb changes or a large contractor that uses complex climbing equipment, you’ll want to read on for the latest on ladders.

According to OSHA, falls from portable ladders (step-, straight, combination, and extension) are one of the leading causes of occupational fatalities and injuries. Here’s a basic overview of what’s required for all ladders.

Additional OSHA requirements:

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STRONG JANUARY JOB NUMBERS ARE GOOD NEWS – BUT HAZARDS LIE AHEAD

Most economists were surprised, and pleasantly so, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January job numbers.

According to the Bureau as reported by Business Insider, the U.S. Economy added 227,000 jobs during the month, beating expectations by 47,000 jobs. This robust performance continued a record-setting 75 consecutive months of job gains. At the same time, the Bureau reported that wage growth remained contained, gaining only 2.5% year over year, two-tenths of a percent below expectations.

While as the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end,” there is no immediate signal that January’s gains are likely to be the last of their kind. Nonetheless, companies would be well advised to keep an eye on several factors which stand to impact job growth and overall economic health. These include:

Consumer sentiment.

According to Business Insider, positive post-election consumer sentiment likely fueled many of January’s gains. Positive sentiments may be placed at risk in the wake of post-inauguration unease; the rocky period for public sentiment following the inauguration could impact consumer confidence and purchasing in the months to come.

Problems in the energy sector.

A recent report in Forbes noted geographic disparity in job growth. Hit especially hard are many of the northern plains states – Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming – which have been adversely impacted by falling oil prices and consequent declines in the region’s fracking-based extraction industry.

International trade turmoil.

Previous positive projections for strong economic and employment growth have been based in part on anticipated strength in international trade. That rosy picture is called into question somewhat with the announced U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and the threat to renegotiate or withdraw from the NAFTA agreement would stand to drive up prices and diminish markets for US exports.

ACA repeal.

Campaign rhetoric notwithstanding, there is no assurance that the Affordable Care Act will be repealed in the near term. Nonetheless, it is likely that the Act’s days are numbered, and economists are forecasting significant employment fallout as a result: Fortune magazine cites over 1 million likely job losses, with other sources citing even larger figures.

On the positive side, companies are likely to benefit from any changes in U.S. employment law. The new administration is already indicating that it will roll back recent expansions of overtime eligibility, and has demonstrated opposition to minimum wage hikes, both of which are likely to please business leaders.

All conjecture aside, one certainty is that US government policy, the US economy and the tone of international relations are both in a state of transition – and that spells uncertainty for business and for the employment picture ahead. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the majority of economists currently seem to remain optimistic about 2017’s overall employment and economic prospects, we believe it’s wise to remain flexible and adaptable in light of the number of factors likely to exert an influence. As always, Trion will monitor emerging trends and developments in order to keep our clients informed.

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The Business Value of Flu Prevention

The flu is nobody’s friend, as anyone who has fallen prey to this annual menace will tell you. Fever, aches, nausea and general debilitation are bad enough to deal with – but there is an economic and business cost as well as general misery.

That cost is considerable. According to the Centers for Disease Control, between five and 20 percent of the U.S. population falls prey to the flu each year; tens of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands die from its effects. The direct medical costs come in at over $10 billion; $16.3 billion are consumed in lost earnings. For companies faced with the absence of critical employees and flu-related loss of productivity, the real cost can be incalculable.

In the case of an individual business, the ramifications of employee illness are fairly easy to foresee: An employee who is absent due to illness is not doing their job, and the work either falls on others’ shoulders – thus impeding their own work, and compromising efficiency – or it doesn’t get done at all. In cases where the illness spreads, the result is multiple absences, and an exponential magnification of this effect. The logical conclusion: Investing in workplace flu prevention measures isn’t just a compassionate gesture towards employees; it’s good business.

So what can you do to help keep employees healthy during flu season? Start by establishing common-sense guidelines and practices for tackling the flu head on:

Don’t let the flu put a dent in your productivity or profitability this season. Taking a few simple steps like these can go a long way towards keeping your company and employees flu-free.

For more information, download our “Flu-Free Workplace” newsletter here.

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