As an HR representative for your company, you know how important it is for your staff to feel their best—physically, emotionally, and mentally. In a perfect—or even better—world, everyone would run optimally, inside and out.

Unfortunately, mental health woes are as much a sign of our modern times as many physical ailments have become. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one-in-five U.S. working adults aged 18 or older reported some type of mental illness in 2016. That equates to roughly 18.3% or 44.7 million people, making it one of the most burdensome health concerns in the country.

Workplace ethics generally defines how your leaders, managers, and employees define right from wrong within the scope of the company environment. However, we all know there is never a simple answer to most business challenges – and defining right from wrong is usually easier said than done.

Digital health innovations are transforming the way people access healthcare services – so it’s only fitting that employers are increasingly turning to digital health to increase employee awareness and engagement with their health benefits. In fact, according to a recent survey, 68% of employers plan to invest more in digital solutions over the next five years. It’s a change that’s likely to excite many employees – 49% of employees surveyed said they’d be more likely to use a digital health solution if their employer offered it.

We all know the workplace today looks a lot different than it did just a couple of years ago. The pandemic helped accelerate changes in the workplace – such as shifts toward remote work and greater flexibility, the continued march of digital transformation, and a greater focus on collaboration.

Over the past few months, as companies slowly returned to regular in-person work, employees resignations spiked in a phenomenon dubbed the “Great Resignation.” As we continue to deal with the effects of these major cultural shifts, many organizations are reimagining the components that make up their workforce strategy.

Whether these changes are already underway or in your near future – we took a look at how the future of work will look in three popular scenarios – in-office, remote, and contingent.

When you evaluate your employees, their productivity is likely among the top measures you use to determine how well they’re doing their jobs. If workers aren’t meeting their targets or their work product is suffering, it might not necessarily be their fault. They might be dealing with organizational factors outside of their control.

All too often, employees are confronting workplace obstacles that hinder their productivity and keep them from carrying out assigned tasks. This may also affect employee morale and lead to high turnover rates as employees grow increasingly dissatisfied with their jobs.

When you diagnose the actual problem that’s hampering productivity, you may end up solving a host of other employee issues as well – such as the overall satisfaction and morale.

Let’s take a look at the most common barriers to workplace productivity as well as strategies you can use to overcome them.

Caring and dutiful employers want to ensure workplace safety. Some reasons for a focus on safety are as simple as caring for everyone’s well-being, from executives and managers to daily staff and facility guests and clients.

There are also self-preservation-oriented goals that drive businesses to tighten up workplace safety, such as avoiding injury or loss of life, workers’ compensation claims, and lawsuits. Any of these instances have the power to damage a company’s reputation and, in some cases, can invite financial disaster that ultimately results in shuttering their doors. Therefore, a practical philosophy about workplace safety has the same impact as being concerned about people’s health and well-being.

When business leaders focus on these primary goals, risk reduction success becomes increasingly likely.

Let’s take a closer look at the value of reduced risk for your employees and business and how you can do it with some simple and effective tips.

Your organization’s health care workers are committed to serving patients with care – but unfortunately, that strong work ethic can put them at risk for their own workplace injuries. According to one report, health care workers sustain more injuries and illnesses on the job each year than other industries – with back injuries alone costing the health care industry more than $7 billion annually. In 2019, U.S. hospitals recorded 221,400 work-related injuries and illnesses, a rate of 5.5 work-related injuries and illnesses for every 100 full-time employees – almost twice the rate for other industries and even higher than the construction and manufacturing fields. The physically demanding nature of the job can certainly be a factor in these injuries, but there are other factors at play, too.

Let’s take a look at the circumstances that make health care workers more likely to sustain a workplace injury, as well as the possible solutions that can help them stay safe.

Everyone worldwide has experienced some degree of tumult since early 2020, when COVID-19 reached pandemic status. Workers all over the world have had to adjust to remote work options and many other unprecedented work-related modifications.

One thing that hasn’t changed in the past two years is that family medical issues that require valued employees’ attention come up. Sometimes, a situation requires their physical presence to manage the matter, which is frequently upsetting and worrisome for the family for some duration.

As most people know, such matters didn’t decrease with the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. On the contrary, issues worsened, or new concerns specific to the novel virus itself arose in many cases. With that, the Department of Labor (DOL) had to take a fresh look at a classic law and make it work in the general sense and according to matters regarding COVID-19.

Do you know everything you need to know about Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA or Act) changes and general leave updates? If you’re uncertain, our KBI benefits team keeps up with all the latest FMLA changes and more, so let’s see what’s happening.

If you’re offering self-funded health plans to employees, you’re aiming to cut health care costs while continuing to extend top-notch benefits. Self-funded plans can save money for both the company and employees – but they can bring significant risks, too.

If an employee suffers a catastrophic event that triggers unexpected expenses, you’re on the hook for the entire amount, which could be financially devastating – and even threaten the future of your self-funded plan.

That’s where stop-loss insurance policies come in. Companies that self-fund may choose to purchase stop-loss policies to cover these catastrophic claims.

Over the past few decades, several alternatives to traditional group health insurance plans have emerged for employers who care about providing top insurance for employees and saving money for the organization. Business leaders and HR departments in various industries have sought new strategies in healthcare, such as the Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) and self-funded plans.

Your employees might not participate in your plan at all. Whether one of your employees has a spouse with another insurance plan and coverage or receives insurance through a government-based program, not all your employees depend on you to provide healthcare insurance.

There is another alternative to employer-led insurance plans for work: a health care sharing ministry (HCSM). While it is outside the parameters of your business and your employees’ health insurance needs, you might employ some people who participate in such a plan.

Let’s take a few moments to learn more about this unique alternative to a traditional health insurance strategy.