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Trends: Employees Penalized for Health Risks
The escalating cost of healthcare insurance is
forcing employers to seek new solutions. For years,
companies, particularly larger ones, have encouraged
employees to improve their health by participating in
company wellness programs and by offering in-house
fitness centers and free healthcare screenings. Still,
many employees do not use these programs.
In 2007, healthcare spending is estimated to
reach $2.2 trillion, with more than 54% of that
spending in the private sector. By 2016, that figure is
expected to double, according to the National
Coalition on Health Care.
Several years ago, employers began charging
higher insurance premiums for employees who used
tobacco, but now a small number of employers are
starting to penalize employees with higher health
risks by deducting insurance surcharges from their
paychecks. In 2009, "Indianapolis-based Clarion
Health will begin reducing employees pay in its health
plan by $10 per paycheck" if employees' body mass
index (BMI) falls within the obese range of greater than
29.9. Another $5 per check will be deducted for
employees whose cholesterol, blood pressure, or
blood glucose measurements fail to reach required
benchmarks. The company will require employees
to "complete an annual health risk assessment."
While employees may appeal to have their fees
dropped if they reduce their risks, privacy advocates
are concerned that "companies are intruding in
workers' private lives." One group, the National
Workrights Institute, says these companies "are trying
to control private behavior and [are] amassing huge
amounts of personal information."
On July 1, federal regulations were enacted to
cover issues of nondiscrimination in company
wellness policies, allowing them to offer rewards and
penalties "based on health factors," but these "cannot
exceed 20% of the total cost of the employee health
coverage." Employers must also ensure that they stay
within ADA guidelines.
Another area of concern that remains to be
addressed is health risks arising from hereditary
versus lifestyle factors. Workers and employee
advocates feel it's unfair to penalize employees who
may not be able to control some of their health risks.
Employers, however, feel that because they bear the
brunt of rising healthcare costs, they have the right to
strengthen employee accountability through
incentives, penalties, or both. (Source: Associated
Press, 9/9/07)
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| The Executive Corner: Career-shaping Events |
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The McKinsey Quarterly recently conducted
a survey of male and female executives from around
the world. Of the 482 male and 409 female
respondents, 39% were C-level executives. The
survey focused on decisions or events that led
to "significant long-term changes" in a respondent's
work situation.
The majority of respondents said the most pivotal
career-changing event happened when they were
about "30 years of age and after they'd been in the
workforce for about 8 years." The outcome for 40%
was that they took a new job in a new industry. The
executives also reported having experienced on
average about five such pivotal career-changing
events.
Executives were asked to define those pivotal
moments according to family, personal, and
workplace factors, and they were allowed to choose
up to three elements. The top defining element
selected among all respondents was the "realization
that you had become passionate about a different
role/industry" (n = 188; men, 33%; women,
18%), followed by obtaining a "new job opportunity at
your current organization or a new organization" (men,
26%; women, 24%).
Among the workplace experiences that were
significant, the most notable difference among the
male and female executives (n = 891) was that
women (27%) were far more likely to report having
experienced discrimination versus the men (7%).
Another significant workplace experience that
was "identifying a mentor or role model that motivated
the executive," with 38% of all respondents identifying
it as an important experience (women, 41%; men,
35%). Interestingly, only about one-quarter (26%) of
the respondents reported having been "fired,
dismissed, or made redundant.
Regarding the role their company should have
played in supporting the executives during their pivotal
career moment but did not, 34% of executives desired
greater feedback on their performance or career
opportunities. One of the most important roles
executives wanted their company to play was to
provide a work environment that supported their
career development. More executives (39%) said their
company did not support their career development
than those whose company did (33%).
Of those that experienced at least one career-
changing moment, the most common outcome was
that the executive "took a new position at a new
company in a different industry" (n = 38%; men,
38%; women, 37%). The second most common
outcome was deciding to become more proactive in
their career management (n = 23%; men, 20%;
women, 25%). Women (22%) were more likely than
men (16%) to revise their career objectives upward as
an outcome of a pivotal career moment.
Overwhelmingly, the respondents felt a career-
changing moment had a positive, long-term effect on
their career. The majority of the 881 respondents said
that their pivotal event had a positive effect on
their "intellectual interest in the job" (90%) and
their "overall job satisfaction" (90%). Finally, work/life
balance was the least likely to drive a career decision
or be affected by a career-changing moment. (Source:
The McKinsey Global Survey, July 2007)
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| Fast Facts |
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Job Growth in Financial Industry: The Robert
Half International Financial Hiring Index released in
September 2007 shows strong job demand projected
for 4Q 2007. The survey was conducted with 1,400
CFOs from companies across the U.S. with more than
20 employees. Hiring activity will be strongest in the
South Atlantic region followed by the Pacific states.
The biggest demand is for staff and cost accountants,
senior-level financial analysts, and internal auditors.
Executives in the construction, finance, insurance, and
real estate sectors plan to hire the most staff. (Source:
Robert Half
International)
Pharmacists: A professional trade group, the
Pharmacy Manpower Project, says that North Carolina
is experiencing one of the nation's worst shortage of
pharmacists. North Carolina is ranked behind only
Alabama in the need for pharmacists. Starting
salaries for new pharmacists averages from $88,000
to $92,000, which is well above the U.S. median wage
for all jobs. The American Association of Colleges of
Pharmacy also reports a high vacancy in teaching
positions in pharmacy schools. As the population
ages, the need for prescriptions is rising. Another
reason for the shortage is that more opportunities
exist for pharmacists outside of retail drug stores,
such as pharmaceutical companies and hospitals.
(Source: Greensboro News-Record, 9/24/07)
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| Communicate in Style |
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Have you ever tried communicating with someone
who hardly pauses to take a breath, let alone gives
you an opportunity to speak? What about trying to give
a presentation to someone who constantly juggles
paperwork, tries to complete unfinished tasks while
you're talking, and never looks up? Or someone who
responds to everything you say with a challenge or a
question?
Every interaction you have with others either improves
or diminishes your image and credibility with that
person. More often than not, how others respond to
you is a direct reflection of how you are treating them.
If people don't like you, they won't work for you,
cooperate with you, or buy from you.
The secret to bringing out the best in others and
creating win-win situations is learning your own style
and that of others. By learning to recognize the
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style, you create more effective communication and
relationships.
Would you like to learn the most important
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