Paid leave continues to be a hot topic among employers. As large companies like Netflix and municipalities such as Nashville have strengthened their family leave benefits, caregiving perks also rank high on workers’ must-have list of benefits. Caregiving is among the top 10 employee health and wellness benefits priorities for most employers, according to a new survey by Northeast Business Group on Health and AARP, and most employers agree that in the next five years, caregiving is going to become an increasingly important issue among employees.
Caregiving is among the top 10 employee health and wellness benefits priorities for most employers, according to a new survey from the Northeast Business Group on Health in collaboration with AARP. More than three-quarters of employers surveyed say that caregiving will grow in importance to their companies during the next five years.
A growing number of employers are becoming aware that workers are providing greater hands-on support to aging parents and other family members — and that employers can help through employee benefits, according to the report, “Caregiving Growing in Importance to Employers,” by the Northeast Business Group on Health in collaboration with AARP. NEBGH surveyed benefits managers from 129 U.S. employers and found that two-thirds (66 percent) agree that during the next five years, caregiving will become an increasingly important issue to their workers. Nearly half (45 percent) say caregiving benefits are within their top 10 priorities for employee health and benefit issues, while 12 percent say it’s within their top five priorities. However, 32 percent say they are unable to address the issue, and 11 percent say it’s not even on their radar.
Many employers recognize the burden that caregiving employees shoulder: A new survey by the Northeast Business Group on Health (undertaken in partnership with AARP) finds that more than three quarters of the 129 mostly large employers surveyed agree that caregiving will grow in importance to their companies over the next five years. Respondents cited increased productivity, decreased absenteeism and reduced healthcare costs as the top drivers that would make a compelling case for investing in benefits that would make them “caregiver friendly” organizations.
The workplace can play an important role in diabetes management, said Dr. Jeremy Nobel, medical director at the Northeast Business Group on Health. Workplaces have historically relied on weight control programs and screening for diabetes management. “Those have some value, but they’re not what they could be,” said Nobel. He suggested a more personalized approach to weight control. Digital solutions are one way to make this individualized approach easier.
New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania have recently done New Jersey a favor. The state’s neighbors have flashed a warning sign that the Garden State would do well to notice. In the past month, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania health insurers taking part in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace have filed their premium rates for 2018. The increases are staggering. They are part of a national trend that New Jersey will soon fall victim to if the debate over health care is not resolved quickly in our nation’s capital.
Absenteeism is 27% lower for those workers who eat healthy and get regular exercise. Another report conducted by the Northeast Business Group on Health found that overweight employees cost their employers $73.1 billion a year and file twice the number of workers’ compensation claims.
As the previously mentioned research shows, having healthy employees is important for productivity, culture, and cost containment. So where does a company start? First of all, upper management must be supportive of the program. Researchers found that people who had a highly supportive environment at work not only exercised more, but also engaged in increased levels of leisure time activities while they were away from the office. Once the company’s leadership is on board, the focus should be on stress management, nutrition and exercise programs. Wellness programs don’t have to cost a fortune – there are many low-cost options that cover these three areas. Studies show that the key to success with wellness programs is consistency. Programs were more successful when offered to employees on an ongoing basis for a long duration. Web-based programs, when administered for three plus years, saved employees an average of $332 annually in personal costs. The study also found that wellness program participants are more likely to take responsibility for their own health and have regular physicals and preventative screenings.
With employers footing a major part of the nation's massive diabetes-driven $300 billion medical bill, new digitally based workplace programs are showing progress in managing those costs and improving employees' lives.
"First and foremost employers want a healthy birth," said Emily Sasser, special projects manager at the Northeast Business Group on Health, which offers employers in the region resources for managing employee benefits. In their efforts to keep costs down at the point of birth, employers are working to direct women to quality providers who can help them reduce risks during pregnancy. They're also becoming "laser-focused" on reducing C-sections, Sasser said. Maven has worked to tap into these concerns. The app offers additional support to those at high risk for complications and dispenses information on C-section rates at local hospitals and facts about what constitutes a medically necessary C-section when a user is developing a birth plan, Ryder said. Still, the company faces growing competition in the pregnancy-tracker market. "In the last three years, it's really exploded," Sasser said.