Employers can use several strategies to mitigate cost and health issues associated with workers’ musculoskeletal disorders, the Northeast Business Group on Health suggests in a report issued Sept. 21. A March 2016 study released by the United States Bone and Joint Initiative estimated that half of all Americans have a musculoskeletal condition, including arthritis and back pain. The annual costs for treatment, care and lost wages total $213 billion.
Employers can better manage the health and cost burdens of musculoskeletal disorders by implementing prevention strategies such as ergonomics training and movement-friendly workplace design, providing onsite physical therapy for those with acute or chronic pain, and paying for surgery with bundled pricing, says a new report from Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH).
The Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) says employers can help curb costs associated with musculoskeletal disorders through both prevention and proper treatment. Ergonomics, joint-friendly workplace design, onsite physical therapy and value-based surgical approaches can improve workplace health, boost productivity and cut healthcare costs, according to the group's new report, Preventing and Treating Musculoskeletal Disorders: New Strategies for Employers.
A recent survey by Northeast Business Group on Health and AARP included caregiving on a list of 10 top priorities for employee health and wellness benefits. Most employers predict that it will become an increasingly important issue among employees in the next five years, according to the research.
Historically, the tech industry hasn’t been synonymous with female employees. Akamai shares the same situation: Men make up 76.5% of the company’s workforce, Sardella says, and diversity and inclusion has been a struggle. Balancing childcare responsibilities with work priorities has often been identified as a major cause of the gender imbalance in tech. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 90% of people have missed work due to family responsibilities, for what the Northeast Business Group on Health estimates to be an average of six missed days a year.
As Americans age, fall ill or suffer a disability, the need for caregivers grows — and many workers are struggling to juggle familial responsibilities with their careers.
It’s estimated over 65 million people, nearly 30% of the U.S. population, cares for a family member. On average, they devote 20 hours per week to caregiving. For employers, caregiving benefits are becoming a new way to attract and retain talent. In a survey by Northeast Business Group on Health and AARP, caregiving ranks among the “top ten employee health and wellness benefits priorities” for most employers.
Employees stretched thin by providing care to relatives — whether ill or elderly — could be getting some help from employers going forward. A Society for Human Resource Management report says that more than 75 percent of employers believe that caregiving benefits will become more important to their companies over the next five years. Why? Increased productivity, decreased absenteeism and reduced health care costs, in that order, are the reasons more employers are considering investing in caregiving benefits, programs and services. Benefits managers at 129 employers throughout the U.S. were polled by the Northeast Business Group on Health in collaboration with AARP for the report Caregiving and the Workplace: Employer Benchmarking Survey, which was released last month.
More than three-quarters of employers say caregiving benefits will grow in importance to their companies over the next five years, especially when it comes to caring for elderly or ailing family members.
Employers cite increased productivity, decreased absenteeism and reduced health care costs—in that order—as the top drivers that would make a compelling case for investment in caregiving benefits, programs and services, according to responses from benefits managers at 129 mostly large employers throughout the U.S., polled earlier this year by the Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) in collaboration with AARP. The findings were reported in a July 2017 report, Caregiving and the Workplace: Employer Benchmarking Survey.Caregiving ranks among the top 10 employee health and wellness benefits priorities for most employers, says a new survey by Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) in collaboration with AARP. Furthermore, among employers who say caregiving is not a top priority, most are aware of the issue but unable to address it. More than three-quarters of employers surveyed agree that caregiving will grow in importance to their companies over the next 5 years.
As the country grapples with an opioid crisis, employers must design benefit packages that cover essential treatment options for addicts, industry executives said Tuesday at a forum hosted by the Northeast Business Group on Health. Employers have gradually become more comfortable classifying substance-use disorders as medical conditions. A recent poll from the National Safety Council found 71% of U.S. human resources executives considered misuse of prescription drugs a disease. "There's still a stigma—don't think it's been solved," said Laurel Pickering, president and chief executive of the business group. "But as more companies have become open to talking about mental health, more are talking about substance use."