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| Carol Harnett | ||
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2010-08-30 Diversity and Benefits The definition of diversity in the workplace has expanded beyond race and gender. As a result, opportunities are opening up for HR leaders to tailor employee-benefits design and communication. But proceeding with caution is necessary. MORE 2010-08-02 Coping with Open Enrollment HR leaders can help employees make more thoughtful selections and improve health behaviors by crafting communications plans that target workers year-round. Efforts should include ways to personalize health trends for workers, increase trust in the organization and create a community-like atmosphere on the job. MORE 2010-07-06 Feeling Good About Retirement? A lot has changed in the past 25 years when it comes to company-sponsored retirement programs. In this column, Harnett explores the roots of the current shift from defined-benefit to defined-contribution plans, and notes that innovation in core retirement design is at an ebb point right now. MORE 2010-06-07 Finding Truth in Statistics The New York Times recently called into question some of the applications of the venerable Dartmouth Atlas of Health to healthcare savings. It's yet another reminder that data is often misused and misunderstood. Here's a primer to help HR leaders judge the value of various benefits programs. MORE 2010-05-10 Simple Solutions that Work HR leaders can look at the elegant simplicity of the iPhone as a model for seeking out integrated health benefits that offer robust programs as well as cost-effective solutions. Disability claims, in particular, can offer complex coordination problems. MORE 2010-04-12 Why Marathoners Get Fat While individuals may succeed in altering health-related behaviors for a limited time, it's difficult for many to create lifetime behavior changes. Employer appeals to reason, fear or penalties may only result in short-term changes. A sense of fun, teamwork or creating an emotional connection may provide more lasting results. MORE 2010-03-15 Lowering Healthcare Costs While wellness initiatives remain popular and continue to evolve, the question of whether such programs save money has never been convincingly answered. Experts, nonetheless, offer suggestions for HR leaders thinking about creating and implementing successful work-based programs. MORE 2010-02-16 Can Benefits Drive Innovation? Giving employees more autonomy can foster innovation as well as job satisfaction, according to a recent book. But is there a connection between autonomy and long-term wellness? Can organizations incent long-term, sustainable lifestyle-behavior change? MORE 2010-01-18 Harmonizing Global Operations Global employee-assistance programs offer HR leaders a way to respond to everyday concerns of expats and third-party nationals as well as crisis situations occurring abroad, such as the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Understanding the local culture, however, is crucial to successful implementation. MORE 2009-12-21 Healthy, Despite Our Employers With Hawaii as an example, the healthcare picture becomes fuzzier when it comes to employer wellness initiatives. That state's workers are among the healthiest in the nation, but their satisfaction with work is dead last. So, what are some of the lessons that can be learned from the Aloha State? MORE 2009-11-23 Lessons from the Aloha State Hawaii has mandated healthcare coverage for the past 35 years and its experiences offer some insight into the debate about national healthcare reform. Although the state's residents are among the healthiest in the nation, costs continue to rise while restricting services remains a concern. MORE 2009-10-26 Benefits That Strike a Chord In her first employee-benefits column, Carol Harnett highlights two innovative ways employers can combine imagination with good medical outcomes, decreased costs and increased employee satisfaction. Carol is a highly respected employee benefits consultant, speaker, writer and trendspotter. MORE |
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© Copyright 2010 LRP Publications. All rights reserved.
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