In yesterday’s Advisor, we presented non-healthcare survey results from M Lee Smith Publishers. Today, more survey results and an introduction to a special program just for smaller or even one-person HR departments.
About 500 employers participate in the survey. Here are the detailed results. (Go here for yesterday’s survey results.)
If your organization has a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, do you automatically enroll employees in it?
| Answer |
Count |
Percentage |
|
Yes |
129 |
25.39% |
|
No |
276 |
54.33% |
|
No, but we are planning to start automatic enrollment. |
10 |
1.97% |
|
We don’t offer a 401(k) or 403(b) plan. |
17 |
3.35% |
|
Other |
5 |
0.98% |
|
No answer |
71 |
13.98% |
Did you add an in-plan Roth conversion feature that was recently made available by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010?
| Answer |
Count |
Percentage |
|
Yes |
60 |
11.81% |
|
No |
309 |
60.83% |
|
No, but we are planning to add it |
15 |
2.95% |
|
I’ve never heard about the feature. |
40 |
7.87% |
|
Other |
7 |
1.38% |
|
No answer |
77 |
15.16% |
Which of the following “atypical” benefits to you offer your employees?
| Answer |
Count |
Percentage |
|
Sabbaticals (both paid and unpaid) |
34 |
6.69% |
|
Pet insurance |
16 |
3.15% |
|
Childcare beyond assistance and referral options |
8 |
1.57% |
|
On-site fitness center |
76 |
14.96% |
|
Flex work arrangements |
124 |
24.41% |
|
Financial planning assistance |
70 |
13.78% |
|
Legal assistance program |
68 |
13.39% |
|
Commuter benefits |
42 |
8.27% |
|
Free or low-priced meals for employees (9) |
30 |
5.91% |
|
Concierge service |
9 |
1.77% |
|
Other |
46 |
9.06% |
How do your non-health insurance benefits offerings compare with last year’s?
| Answer |
Count |
Percentage |
|
Less generous this year |
49 |
9.65% |
|
About the same |
408 |
80.31% |
|
More generous this year |
22 |
4.33% |
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What changes do you think your organization’s benefits costs (other than health care costs) will experience in 2011?
| Answer |
Count |
Percentage |
|
Costs will rise significantly |
81 |
15.94% |
|
Costs will rise, but the change won’t be very significant |
198 |
38.98% |
|
Costs will stay pretty much the same with a small rise due to inflation |
172 |
33.86% |
|
Costs will go down |
5 |
0.98% |
|
Other |
6 |
1.18% |
|
No answer |
46 |
9.06% |
Do you offer benefits (other than health insurance) to your employees’ unmarried partners?
| Answer |
Count |
Percentage |
|
Yes |
87 |
17.16% |
|
No |
382 |
75.35% |
|
Not Sure |
5 |
0.99% |
|
Other |
9 |
1.78% |
|
No answer |
24 |
4.73% |
Benefits—one more tricky HR challenge. We’re talking about intermittent leave challenges; accommodation headaches; investigation woes; training, interviewing, and attendance; to name just a few. In HR, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. And in a small department, it’s just that much tougher.
BLR’s Managing an HR Department of One is unique in addressing the special pressures small HR departments face. Here are some of its features:
- Explanation of how HR supports organizational goals. This section explains how to probe for what your top management really wants and how to build credibility in your ability to deliver it.
- Overview of compliance responsibilities, through a really useful, 2-page chart of 23 separate laws that HR needs to comply with. These range from the well-known Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and new healthcare reform legislation, to lesser-known, but equally critical, rules such as Executive Order 11246. Also included are examples of federal and state posting requirements. (Proper postings are among the first things a visiting inspector looks for—especially now that the minimum wage has been repeatedly changing.)
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- Training guidelines. No matter the size of your company, expect to conduct training. Some of it is required by law; some of it just makes good business sense. Managing an HR Department of One walks you through how to train efficiently and effectively with a minimum of time and money.
- Prewritten forms, policies, and checklists. These are enormous work savers! Managing an HR Department of One has 46 such forms, from job apps and background check sheets to performance appraisals and leave requests, in both paper and on CD. The CD lets you easily customize any form with your company’s name and specifics.
If you’d like a more complete look at what Managing an HR Department of One covers, click the Table of Contents link below. Or, better yet, take a look at the entire program. We’ll send it to you for 30 days’ evaluation in your own office with no obligation to buy. Click here, and we’ll be happy to make the arrangements.
Download Table of Contents
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With the cost of gas and mass transit tickets rising so quickly, it is surprising that more respondents aren’t offering commuter benefits.
We’ve heard that some employers are offering unlimited vacation (subject to manager approval)–low-cost for employers and employees like it, too. Anyone trying this?