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Don’t Facebook when home from work sick?

You feeling like you're coming down with the flu, so you use some of your paid sick time and stay home from work. Should you also stay away from Facebook?

Last month, a Swiss woman was fired from her job after surfing Facebook while out sick, according to her employer.

The employee said she could not work in front of a computer and needed to lie in the dark, but was later seen to be active on Facebook. Her employer, the National Suisse insurance company, said in a statement that her actions had destroyed the company's trust in the employee.

"This abuse of trust, rather than the activity on Facebook, led to the ending of the work contract," said a National Suisse spokesperson.

The woman admitted to using Facebook on her cell phone, but accused her employer of spying on her by sending a mysterious friend request that allowed the company to see her activities on the social network. The company denied her accusation and said a colleague witnessed her online activity.

So we want to know: When you stay home from work sick do you spend time on Facebook? Should employers care?

Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
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Fear, lack of paid time off drive sick employees to work

Despite daily news coverage of the swine flu outbreak and reports of flu-related deaths, U.S. workers continue to show up for work sick, according to a recent Monster.com poll.

The nationwide poll revealed that 71% of almost 12,000 U.S. workers who responded between May 11 and May 18, 2009, said they report to work even when feeling ill.

“Of those who go to work sick, 33 percent fear losing their job if they take a sick day, while 38 percent admit their workload is too busy to take a day off from work even when they are ill,” said Norma Gaffin, director of career content, Monster.com, in a press release.


When asked “Do you go into work sick?” respondents answered:
  • Yes, work is too busy for me to miss a day: 38%
  • Yes, in this economy, I’m afraid I’ll lose my job: 33%
  • No, I work from home if I’m sick: 10%
  • No, I rest up to get better: 19%


Even if they wanted to, many workers can’t stay home when they’re sick. An estimated 57 million working Americans have no paid sick days. For these workers, staying home from work means losing pay or possibly losing their job.

"The problem has really come into sharp relief the past few days," said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, which has long pushed for paid sick leave. "Many people don't even realize that almost half the private sector — 48 percent — has no sick days, not even a single one."

"We have officials telling people to stay home when they're sick," she added. "Well, guess what? That can be the beginning of economic disaster for many, especially in this economy."


A 2008 study on sick leave found that 68% of workers without paid sick days had gone to work with a contagious illness like the flu or viral infection. Additionally, one in six workers reported that they or a family member had been fired, suspended, punished or threatened with firing after taking time off to care for themselves or a family member, according to the 2008 study by the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center.

Currently, the U.S. is the only country out of the top 20 world economic powers with no federally mandated sick days. But that may be about to change.

On May 18, 2009, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., reintroduced the Healthy Families Act (H.R. 2460), which would let workers earn up to seven paid sick days a year. Those paid sick days could be used to care for themselves or a sick family member.

“As Congress works hard to pass quality, affordable healthcare for every American, they must make sure workers are able to do the things necessary to keep themselves and their families healthy. Paid sick days benefit both workers and employers, as there is substantial evidence that it improves productivity and the bottom line,” said DeLauro in her address to the House of Representatives last week.


Our legal team will continue to watch the Healthy Families Act and how the legislation may affect your business. Check back regularly for the most up-to-date information.

Do you still show up to work when sick? Why? Do you think the U.S. should have federally mandated paid sick leave? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
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Lonely cubicle graveyards killing employee morale

Since the recession began, companies have been forced to make difficult decisions, including mass layoffs and downsizing. Among a list of other negative repercussions, those difficult business decisions are transforming once bustling gray mazes full of busy employees into barren “cubicle graveyards.”

Workers may now have more room to stretch out, but the ever-growing emptiness is having a harmful effect on remaining employees’ morale.

During the past year, the average square foot per office occupant has risen to 435 square feet, up from 415 square feet in 2008, according to International Facility Management Association (IFMA) in a recent MSNBC article.

Compared to last year, there are fewer people working in a greater amount of space. A spokesperson for the IFMA attributes the growing amount of empty space to the economic downturn and mass layoffs our country is experiencing.

While the sight of empty cubicles can be depressing to remaining employees, many organizations aren’t doing much to improve the situation.

"To some extent, companies are waiting until things stabilize so they can look at their options," says Ilene Gochman, an organization effectiveness expert with consulting firm Watson Wyatt. "People are not sure they have the right size organization yet. They don’t want to move people and then have to move them again."

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy on those left behind.

"Emotionally, workers look around the empty office, and it brings the depth of the economic crisis home for them in a personal way," says Leslie Seppinni, a clinical psychologist. "They wonder: 'Am I next?' and a tremendous amount of anxiety and depression builds as they try to figure out what steps to take next." (MSNBC)


Other workplace experts featured in the article offered some tips for offices dealing with cubicle graveyards:

  • If you’re an employee upset over the empty office landscape, speak up. Some managers may be unaware of how the empty cubes are affecting morale and usually all it takes is a simple conversation to bring it to their attention.

  • Rearrange the office and test different layouts. Take a look at how employees are using the space they already have and ask, “Do they need more conference rooms or more collaboration space, such as informal meeting areas?”

  • Let in natural light. A simple way to immediately improve the mood around the office is to allow more natural light flow through windows. Disassemble cubicles and give more employees a window view. Set up Wi-Fi in the office so workers can become more mobile and collaborate easier.

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Not the coffee!

On the drive into work this morning, I was listening to the DJs on my favorite station ranting about coming into work and finding that coffee cups were no longer being supplied. Nor were napkins, plastic utensils and paper plates. Apparently even toilet paper is in short supply!

They talked about putting in more and more hours to cover for employees who are no longer there. About increased pressure to perform. And the reward for all that hard work? The DJ had to empty the mug he used as a pencil cup and wash it in the men's room sink while people were using the restroom.

They opened up the phone lines and the calls came pouring in. Lots of people had experienced the loss of coffee cups. Another caller talked about their company taking away the spring water machine (the cost to the company had been $20 a month.) No more tea bags. No paper towels in lunch rooms. Missing toilet paper or sanitary products. No more plants in the office. The outrage was evident in most callers' voices. They were willing to work hard. But this was a last straw. You could hear the motivation to go the extra mile evaporating.

There's a lot of talk in the HR world about low cost motivators and inexpensive employee retention tools. Companies need their remaining staff to perform exceptionally well, but raises are out of the question. So the scramble is on for cheap ways to keep people happy at work.

And yet, companies are economizing by taking away low cost perks that keep people happy. That very act does several things:

1) Conveys a message to employees that they are not important and that the $20 savings is worth more than their happiness at work

2) The message they hear is "Today the sugar and creamer, tomorrow your job." That scares employees and increases stress levels, which in turn reduces productivity. Stressed people make more mistakes, take longer to complete tasks and are at greater risk of accidents.

3) Tells your star employees that your company is a sinking ship, and encourages them to look elsewhere.

Before you cut back on low cost perks like paper plates, or allow restrooms to run low on toilet paper, think about the message you're sending. Are the savings you'll realize worth the cost you'll incur in the long run?
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Top employee retention tips and advice

With the economy the way it is right now, many businesses are worried about losing top talent only to be short staffed when the market turns around. Today it’s all about employee retention strategies that will keep employees happy and motivated in their current positions.

You could be like Google and use a mathematical formula to calculate when a staff member is most likely to leave the company, but most would probably reach for a more conventional method. Luckily, there’s a world of valuable resources out there to help you discover the best option for your team.

Here are some of the top blog posts and articles on employee retention from across the Web:

  • Along with being “desperately” short staffed in skilled jobs, many leaders are also facing an increase in the number of toxic employees and their impact on the organization. Read how leading with gratitude can make your workplace better from Globoforce.

  • Though budget cuts and layoffs may be a necessary evil during a recession, organizations can boost morale by giving employees challenging assignments that promote growth. Read more on how to incorporate “stretch goals” in this recent BusinessWeek article.

  • Times are tough everywhere, but it’s still no excuse for bad management behavior. Read what Jessica Lee from Fistful of Talent would tell a badly behaving manager who’s worried about employees leaving.

  • The revolutionaries at Renegade HR take a slightly different approach and suggest that you shouldn’t focus on employee retention at all. Instead, “recruit great people and inspire them to do amazing things.”

  • And for a little laugh, check out the top three retention strategies that didn’t quite make the cut from Upstart HR. One tip: Don’t use a hitman.

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Bosses concerned over employees’ online behavior, employees say “butt out”

Sixty percent of businesses executives feel they have a right to know how employees portray themselves and their organizations in online social networks, according to the Deloitte LLP Ethics & Workplace survey.

Even though bosses might want to know what their employees are up to on the Internet, employees aren’t ready to open up. More than half of workers (53%) say their activity on social networks should be of no concern to their employers. Younger employees are in the most agreement, with 63% of 18- to 34-year-old respondents believing that employers have “no business” monitoring their online activity.

While they may not be ready to let their bosses in on the conversation, most employees seem to have a clear understanding of how their activity is a risk to their employer’s reputation. As much as 74% of respondents believe online social networking sites make it easier to damage a company’s reputation.

“With the explosive growth of online social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, rapidly blurring the lines between professional and private lives, these virtual communities have increased the potential of reputational risk for many organizations and their brands,” said Sharon Allen, chairman of the board, Deloitte LLP.


Just last month, Domino’s Pizza went into crisis control mode after two employees posted a video online showing themselves contaminating food while preparing it for delivery. The “gross” video went viral, resulting in embarrassment on the part of company executives and a couple of felony charges for the employees.

“While the decision to post videos, pictures, thoughts, experiences and observations is personal, a single act can create far reaching ethical consequences for individuals as well as employers. Therefore, it is important for executives to be mindful of the implications of this connected world and to elevate the discussion about the risks associated with it to the highest levels of leadership,” said Allen.


If they’re worried about the reputational risk it poses to their organization, most executives don’t seem to be doing much to curb it. Only 17% of executives surveyed said they currently have programs to deal with the possible risks related to employees’ activity on social networks. However, nearly half (49%) of employees stated that such guidelines would do little to change their behavior online.

“One-third of employees surveyed never consider what their boss or customers might think before posting material online,” Allen continued. “This fact alone reinforces how vulnerable brands are as a result of the increased use of social networks. As business leaders, it is critical that we continue to foster solid values-based cultures that encourage employees to behave ethically regardless of the venue.”

Read these related posts for more information on the impact of social networking on corporate culture and how to set social media policies:

Domino’s employees fired, charged after “gross” video goes viral


The impact of social media on corporate culture


Dangers of using social networking sites to screen applicants
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Want to cut costs? Send employees home.

To work, that is.

While it can hardly be considered a new idea in the business world, telecommuting may deserve a second look if your company is searching for ways to cut costs, according to a recent Entrepreneur.com article.

“Rather than thinking outside the box, you may want to think outside the office.”

In 2008, more than 17 million U.S. workers telecommuted at least one day a month, according to a WorldatWork report. Telecommuters account for slightly more than 10% of the workforce and their numbers have grown almost 40% from 2006.

Over the next seven years the U.S. telecommuter population will reach 63 million, amounting to almost a third of all U.S. workers, according to Forrester Research predictions.

Both U.S. business owners and their employees are proponents of telecommuting. More than 70% of the U.S. workforce and 53% of small businesses are interested in telecommuting, according to Citrix Online’s Worldwide workplace survey.

The benefits of telecommuting on the business’ side range from lower energy costs, to improved employee retention and lower payroll costs. About 1 in 5 workers are willing to give up 5% of their salary to telecommute just a couple days a week, according to the Citrix survey.

However, simply sending employees home to work won’t immediately reduce your payroll. There will always be some management and logistical issues to work out before putting an employee telecommuting program in place.

From Entrepreneur.com:

If people share workstations when they are in the office, you need a schedule of when they'll be home and when they won't. There's also the question of oversight and management--some business owners and managers want to see their employees (and, let's face facts, some employees need to be seen). Plus, not every business function is conducive to remote work. Point being you need to pick your spot.

There's also a technology hurdle to clear. To be effective, your remote workers need access to communications and applications and you need to figure out how to provide everything from a phone extension to secure IT access.

These days, every company is looking for ways to get more done with less and telecommuting offers a major advantage. After working out the logistics, telecommuting gives employees the benefit of flexibility and employers will stay competitive by cutting operating costs and having the ability to hire top talent regardless of their location.

Of course, telecommuting won’t work for every business or career, but it’s worth taking another look at. Depending on your situation, it has the potential to deliver some real perks.

Citrix’s “Worldwide Workplace: The Web Commuting Imperative” is available at www.workshifting.com.

Has your company saved money by allowing employees to telecommute? What benefits/drawbacks to telecommuting have you experienced?
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Pay-for-performance programs more popular in tough economic times

More companies are paying closer attention to their pay-for-performance programs than the traditional “automatic raise” systems, according to a recent study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp).

i4cp polled over 500 companies, revealing that 78% of companies tie pay to performance, with most of the focus directly on solid performers. In large companies with 10,000 or more employees, 84% tie pay to performance.

More than half of the companies surveyed (54%) don’t offer merit raises of any kind to low performing employees. However, merit raises for average and high performing employees varied only slightly. Average performers generally received raises between 3% and 4%, while high performers received between 4% and 5%.

The survey also found that companies are keeping a close eye on the accuracy of their pay-for-performance programs. The majority of companies (71%) said senior management is holding managers accountable for their rating accuracy. To ensure that accuracy, 73% of companies offer training for managers and supervisors who determine employee performance rates.

"Companies are becoming more willing to withhold merit raises for poor performers, but in general they are still not truly distinguishing the top performers from the average," says i4cp research analyst David Wentworth. "This could be due to a fear of creating a perception of unfairness when they are trying to find the fine line between the good and the very good. In this economy, where reductions in force are the norm, companies are really focused on how they treat the surviving employees."

Performance rewards most often come in the form of cash, with 69% of respondents providing a salary increase (74% of large organizations). Another 64% of companies (72% of large companies) offer a one-time cash bonus as a performance reward.

A smaller number of large companies (24%) and only 14% of all companies use stock options. The least popular rewards come in the form of non-monetary perks, with just 14% of companies using non-cash rewards.

The recession has forced pay-for-performance systems to the top of priority lists for many companies. The study found that 44% of companies cite the economy as the main reason for giving their merit-based programs higher priority.

Read more about the i4cp study. Visit the Performance Management section of the HR Library for more information on evaluating and rewarding employee performance.
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Are you living a life of "weisure"?

A life of "weisure"? What in the world is "weisure"?

"Weisure time" is a term coined by sociologist Dalton Conley of New York University, to explain the increasingly blurred line between work and leisure for Americans.

From the CNN article:

Many who haven't already abandoned the 9-to-5 workday for the 24-7 life of weisure probably will do so soon, according to New York University sociologist Dalton Conley, who coined the word. It's the next step in the evolving work-life culture.

"Increasingly, it's not clear what constitutes work and what constitutes fun," be it "in an office or at home or out in the street," Conley said. Activities and social spaces are becoming work-play ambiguous, he says, as "all of these worlds that were once very distinct are now blurring together."

Smartphones, like the Blackberry and iPhone, have made mixing work and play easier than ever before. Such technology has made it almost commonplace for Americans to be connected with the office while spending time with their families.

But when leisure invovles work, is it truly leisure time? Aren't we all supposed to be working toward a healthy work/life balance?

Do you feel like you're living a life of "weisure"? Post a comment and tell us about it.
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DOL seeks public comment on mental health parity law

The U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL), Treasury, and Health and Human Services (HHS) published a request for information (RFI) in the April 28 Federal Register asking for public comments regarding the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

The mental health parity bill was signed into law in October 2008, ensuring better insurance coverage for mental health treatments. The law requires health care plans to provide equal coverage of mental and physical illness.

Before the bill was signed, insurers could set high co-payments and deductibles and stiff limits on treatment for mental illness and addiction disorders.

The government is now seeking information and advice from the public regarding the best ways to implement the new rules for group health plans.

The public is encouraged to share comments on issues including:
  • The types of financial requirements or treatment limits currently set by health plans.
  • How certain terms in the statute could be clarified to make compliance easier.
  • Health plans’ current disclosure practices regarding medical necessity determinations and denial of medical coverage.
  • Current health plan practices concerning out-of-network coverage for mental health benefits.

Public comments may be submitted by mail, through the Federal eRulemaking Portal (http://www.regulations.gov), or by sending an e-mail to E-OHPSCA.EBSA@dol.gov. Comments will be accepted through May 28, 2009.
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Unpaid interns and the FLSA, what you need to know before hiring summer help

Spring is here and summer fast approaching, along with droves of college students hoping to turn their free time into a few months of valuable on-the-job training.

Whether it's because they're simply looking for work experience, or they need to earn a few more college credits, many students are willing to intern for little to no money at all.

While many companies may see at it as the perfect opportunity to get some extra help around the office, there are a few legal issues to consider before agreeing to something for nothing.

Intern or employee?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that nonexempt employees receive at least minimum wage for all hours worked and must also receive time-and-a-half pay for all hours worked more than 40 during the workweek.

While the FLSA doesn't define what an intern is, nor provide an exemption from minimum wages or overtime for interns, it does define an employee as "any individual employed by an employer." The definition of "employ" under the FLSA "includes to suffer or permit to work."

Under federal law, for-profit organizations must pay workers unless the position fits six criteria:

  1. The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school;

  2. The training is for the benefit of the trainee;

  3. The trainees do not displace regular employees, but work under close observation;

  4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees and on occasion the employer’s operations may actually be impeded;

  5. The trainees are not necessarily entitled to a job at the completion of the training period; and

  6. The employer and the trainee understand that the trainees are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.

To ensure compliance, employers offering unpaid internships should structure the position in a way that the intern receives the full benefit of the experience.

Employers can take it a step further and establish a written agreement between the business and the intern outlining the terms of the unpaid internship. The document should contain a clear definition of the position, including that it is a learning experience.

If you're not careful, hiring an unpaid intern that later turns out to qualify as an employee could potentially cost your company thousands in unpaid wages and hefty legal fines. When in doubt, pay interns at least minimum wage to avoid legal problems.

Unpaid internships that do not match all six of the DOL's criteria could also lead to legal problems involving workers' compensation, employee benefits, discrimination laws, federal and state taxes, and unemployment insurance coverage.

Failing to comply with wage and hour laws can lead to serious FLSA administration errors that could cost your business thousands in fines. Tools like the FLSA Compliance Kit can help you navigate through every FLSA regulation from child labor laws to timekeeping discrepancies.

Any additional advice for companies hiring unpaid interns for the summer? Please leave a comment and share your tips.
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Illegal immigration enforcement shifts toward employers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that illegal immigration enforcement will be shifting away from undocumented workers and toward employers.

The announcement comes in the wake of a Supreme Court decision on May 4, ruling that a worker can not be charged with aggravated identity theft, subject to an extra two years in prison, if the worker was unaware they were using an actual person’s information.

Violating the statute requires that an offender “knowingly … uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person.” The government argued that “knowingly” didn’t pertain to the identity theft portion of the law.

On behalf of his colleagues, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote, “As a matter of ordinary English grammar, it seems natural to read the statute’s word ‘knowingly’ as applying to all the subsequent elements of the crime.” (Workforce Management)


Only days before the ruling, on April 30, the Department of Homeland Security changed their policy on illegal immigration and will now target the employers of undocumented workers, rather than the illegal workers themselves.

“Effective immediately, ICE will focus its resources in the worksite enforcement program on the criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly hire illegal workers in order to target the root cause of illegal immigration.” (DHS)


ICE has been instructed to target “employers who cultivate illegal workplaces” for civil fines, along with criminal prosecution in federal court. ICE will continue to arrest any illegal workers found during worksite investigations and process them for deportation.

DHS issued a new Fact Sheet on its Worksite Enforcement Strategy to help employers fully understand the change in policy and comply with immigration laws. Download a copy of the Fact Sheet (.pdf).

As of April 3, 2009, employers are required to use the revised Form I-9 for Employment Eligibility Verification. All new employees, including U.S. citizens, must verify their work eligibility with an I-9 form when they are hired.

Employers do not need to submit forms to the government for verification, but must hold on to the forms for three years after the employee’s date of hire or for one year after the date the employee leaves the company (whichever date is later).

Order the updated Form I-9, along with detailed tip sheets, to ensure your business stays in compliance with federal recordkeeping requirements. Employers can find more tools and information on filling out I-9 forms correctly in the ComplyRight I-9 Recordkeeping Kit.
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HR pros push for paid leave policies

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) is leading the way in a debate over a U.S. workplace flexibility policy that meets the needs of both employees and employers. SHRM today announced its commitment to assisting in the development of a federal policy in a letter to all U.S. Senators and Representatives.

"We believe employers should be encouraged to provide the paid leave their workforces need, and let employees decide how to use it," wrote SHRM CEO and President Laurence O'Neil. "Providing some agreed-upon amount of paid leave for workers should be considered as a way for employers to satisfy federal, state and local leave requirements." (PR Newswire)


It’s predicted that Congress and the Obama Administration will promote “paid sick leave” legislation this year because many believe current labor laws have fallen behind the times. Along with SHRM, they believe the current labor laws must adapt to the changing needs of a diverse and mobile workforce.

SHRM’s “Principles for a 21st Century Workplace Flexibility Policy” was also issued to Congress and the Administration, encouraging lawmakers to create a federal leave policy that encourages employers to voluntarily provide paid leave.

"SHRM believes employers, not the government, are in the best position to know the benefit preferences of their employees," O'Neil said. "HR professionals have decades of experience in designing and implementing programs that work for both employers and employees. We're eager to share this expertise with policymakers and welcome a positive dialogue on a workplace flexibility policy for the 21st Century."


The organization seeks a federal policy that would:
  • Encourage employers to offer uniform and coordinated paid leave;
  • Create administrative and compliance incentives for employers who meet the leave standard;
  • Provide certainty, predictability and accountability for employers and employees; and
  • Allow for different work environments, industries and organizational size.

Research data also released today by SHRM reveals that most U.S. employers currently provide some form of paid vacation leave for full-time employees. The survey of more than 500 randomly polled HR practitioners showed that nine out of 10 respondents provide paid vacation leave, eight out of 10 provide sick leave and 42% offer leave through a paid time off (PTO) program for full-time employees.

"Solid benefits program makes it easier for organizations to attract and retain great employees," O'Neil said. "Both employers and employees want a workplace characterized by fairness, balance, flexibility and freedom of choice. We're ready to take the lead in working with all parties to find a solution for America's workers, their families and employers."


Do you agree with SHRM’s push for setting a new policy on workplace leave? What types of paid-time-off benefits does your organization currently offer full-time employees?
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Free white paper: Flu in the Workplace

The swine flu is dominating news outlets across the country, as new cases are reported daily. Schools and workplaces are typically considered high risk locations for the spread of viral infections. As an employer, what are your rights and responsibilities when it comes to protecting your workforce from contagious diseases?

The risk of illness spreading in the workplace is nothing new, but you still want to limit the risk to your staff and customers. G.Neil’s new “Flu in the Workplace” white paper explains important legal and ethical issues to consider before you create a policy, including:
  • The rights of exposed employees
  • Can an employer order a sick employee to go home?
  • Application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Discrimination based on ethnicity
  • Safety obligations and liability for employee exposure
  • Establishing a safe workplace policy

Download our free white paper and learn how to protect your employees and business from the spread of flu and other contagious diseases.
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Employers plan to cut more retirement perks amid recession

The number of employers offering, and planning to offer, retirement perks to new employees has fell in response to the recession, according to a recent survey by Hewitt Associates.

Instead of offering premium retirement features, including automatic enrollment and company matches, the survey found that employers are more focused on offering lower-cost strategies, such as automatic rebalancing and target-date funds.

Hewitt’s annual survey of about 150 mid- to large-sized employers revealed that half (51%) currently offer automatic enrollment, up from 44% in 2008.

Among the companies that don’t currently offer automatic enrollment, just 25% are likely to add it for new hires, down from 57% in 2008.

The top reason for not offering automatic enrollment is because of the high cost of the employer match. According to the survey, only 2% of employers have cut or temporarily suspended 401(k) company matches since the recession began, about 5% plan to do the same this year.

Depending on where our economy stands in the next 12 to 18 months, Hewitt predicts that about 10% of companies will also cut or suspend 401(k) matches.

Has the economy forced your business to cut back on employee retirement perks? What lower-cost strategies are you using instead?
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